IEBC Begins 14-Day Review of Nomination Rules Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has commenced preparations to review political parties’ nomination rules ahead of the 2027 General Election, following the submission of certified documents by 105 fully registered political parties.

In a statement on Wednesday, November 11, the commission announced the conclusion of the process of receiving the nomination rules, with all submissions made by the prescribed deadline of November 6, 2026. 

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IEBC said the submissions marked an important step in preparations for the elections and its responsibility to oversee political parties’ candidate nomination processes.

"The submission marks a significant milestone in the Commission’s preparations for the 2027 General Election and the fulfilment of its constitutional mandate to regulate the process through which political parties nominate candidates for elections," the statement read.

Following the receipt of the documents, IEBC said it will conduct a comprehensive assessment to establish whether the nomination rules complied with the Constitution, the Elections Act, applicable regulations and other relevant legal requirements.

The review would examine several aspects of the parties’ internal nomination processes, including candidate eligibility requirements, nomination methods, participation of party members, representation of special interest groups, gender inclusion and mechanisms for resolving internal nomination disputes.

IEBC said the assessment would be conducted within the statutory 14-day period, with all political parties evaluated against uniform legal and procedural standards.

"The review will be undertaken within the statutory fourteen-day period and will involve a structured and coordinated assessment to ensure that the nomination rules are evaluated against consistent legal and procedural criteria," the statement added.

IEBC also cautioned political parties against interpreting the receipt of their nomination rules as confirmation that the documents had met the required legal standards.

"The Commission wishes to clarify that the receipt of the nomination rules does not constitute approval or a determination of their compliance with the applicable legal framework. The compliance status of each political party will be determined upon conclusion of the review," the statement further read.

Upon completion of the assessment, IEBC would issue certificates of compliance to political parties whose nomination rules satisfied the constitutional, statutory and regulatory requirements.

However, parties whose rules were found to contain shortcomings would be required to make amendments after the Commission communicated the specific areas of non-compliance.

"Where amendments are required, the Commission will communicate the identified areas of non-compliance and require the respective political parties to undertake the necessary amendments in accordance with Section 27(2A) of the Elections Act," the statement noted.

IEBC further clarified that only fully registered political parties were eligible to submit certified nomination rules for consideration ahead of the 2027 elections.

"For the avoidance of doubt, only fully registered political parties, duly recognized under the law and vested with the legal capacity to undertake the nomination of candidates for elective positions, were eligible to submit their nomination rules to the Commission. 

"Accordingly, political parties that had not attained full registration status on the deadline were not eligible to submit nomination rules," the statement added.

This comes weeks after IEBC explained why foreign nationals appeared on the list of applicants for the position of Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer.

In a statement on Friday, October 30, IEBC said it had contracted an independent firm to oversee the recruitment process to safeguard professionalism and independence in the selection of its next chief executive.

"To ensure professionalism and independence in this critical recruitment, the Commission contracted KPMG Kenya to manage the end-to-end recruitment process, including advertisement, receipt of applications, long-listing, verification and shortlisting," the statement read. 

IEBC explained that publishing the names of all applicants was part of its commitment to transparency and fair competition, noting that it had received 304 applications for the position.

"In compliance with Article 35 and Article 232 of the Constitution on transparency and fair competition, the Commission published the full list of all the 304 applicants," the statement added.

Addressing why foreign nationals featured on the published list, IEBC said the vacancy had been advertised publicly through newspapers, its official website and social media platforms, allowing interested candidates to submit applications regardless of their nationality.

The commission maintained that receiving applications from foreign nationals was not unusual in an open recruitment exercise.

"The vacancy was advertised openly in the newspapers, IEBC website and all social media platforms. Some applicants were of foreign nationalities. 

"This is normal for any open advertisement and does not constitute an anomaly. Any person can apply, but not everyone qualifies," the statement explained.

IEBC said it subsequently verified applicants' national identification documents, citizenship status and academic qualifications before preparing the final shortlist.

It confirmed that only Kenyan citizens made it to the final shortlist, with all foreign applicants eliminated at the preliminary stage for failing to satisfy the citizenship requirement.

"Upon verification of national ID, citizenship and academic credentials, the final shortlist contains ONLY Kenyan citizens. All foreign applicants were disqualified at the preliminary stage for not meeting the citizenship requirement," the statement further read.