The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has formally gazetted the commencement of the election period for the August 10, 2027 General Election, unveiling a detailed roadmap that will govern voter registration, party primaries, candidate nominations and campaigns over the coming year.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon said the commission published Kenya Gazette Notice No. 13497 on Thursday, August 20, bringing into force two critical legal instruments: the Electoral Code of Conduct and the Election Offences Act. The move places political parties, aspirants and other stakeholders formally under the legal framework governing the election.
“The foundation of a credible election is a clean, accurate and verifiable register of voters,” Ethekon said, noting that Continuous Voter Registration, ongoing since September 2025, has already enrolled 2,936,516 Kenyans as of August 20. The commission projects the 2027 register will swell to approximately 28.5 million voters, up from 22.1 million in 2022. Voter registration for the diaspora has also been expanded from 12 to 26 countries.
The election will be held under the existing 290 constituencies and 1,450 wards, after the IEBC said time constraints, pending court cases and other preparations made a full boundary review impossible before the polls.
The gazetted calendar sets a cascade of binding deadlines. Political parties must submit authorised persons’ names by October 15, 2026, with nomination rules certified by October 30 and filed with the IEBC by November 6. Party membership lists are due by March 2027, and primaries must be concluded, along with any internal disputes, by May 8, 2027 — the same deadline for independent candidates to formalise their status.
Public officers seeking elective seats must resign by February 10, 2027, exactly six months before the vote. Presidential aspirants face a distinct hurdle: submitting signatures from at least 2,000 registered voters in a majority of counties by May 24, 2027. Candidate registration will then run from May 29 to June 11, with exact windows varying by position — governors, for instance, are registered between June 3 and 6, while MCAs run through June 11.
Nomination disputes must be filed within 24 hours and resolved by June 23, 2027. Campaigning cannot begin before May 29, 2027, and must end by August 7, 48 hours ahead of polling day.
Ethekon warned that the timelines “are not mere guidelines, but legally binding requirements,” and cautioned against premature campaigning, unauthorised use of the IEBC’s logo on campaign materials, and any activity that breaches the Electoral Code of Conduct, which carries sanctions ranging from fines to disqualification from the race.
The commission also addressed ongoing litigation over the constitutional timing of the election, noting that a Malindi High Court ruling questioning whether the vote was due in August 2026 remains suspended pending appeal, with preparations for the August 2027 date continuing unaffected.
Ethekon appealed for calm as the political season intensifies. “Let us choose peace over violence, unity over division and issues over personalities,” he said, urging Kenyans to register, verify their details and resist misinformation.
