NAIROBI, Kenya – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is racing to complete preparations for the August 10, 2027 General Election amid a court dispute over election materials, funding concerns and renewed scrutiny of the technology that will be used to conduct the polls.
The latest challenge has emerged from a procurement dispute that has temporarily halted further steps in a tender for the supply of ballot papers and other election materials.
Justice William Musyoka, sitting in the Judicial Review Division at the Milimani Law Courts, last month granted a stay of the tender process following an application by Oilmax Ventures Limited.
The company challenged a decision by the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) relating to IEBC Tender No. IEBC/OIT/02/2026–2027.
The tender covers the supply and delivery of ballot papers, tactile folders, the register of voters and statutory election result declaration forms for the 2027 General Election.
The court dispute comes as the electoral commission works against a fixed constitutional and statutory timetable to prepare for the polls.
IEBC Secures Election Technology Legislative Boost
Despite the procurement setback, the commission has secured progress on legislation seeking to strengthen its control over election technology.
The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has advanced through the National Assembly and proposes to give IEBC full ownership of election technology while ensuring unrestricted access to election results servers.
The proposed law seeks to have election servers hosted within Kenya and remain accessible for scrutiny by candidates, courts and other authorised entities.
The legislation is aimed at addressing longstanding concerns surrounding the security, transparency and independence of Kenya’s electoral infrastructure.
The issue has gained prominence following controversy surrounding a Sh6.5 billion election technology tender.
The proposed framework would centralise control of election systems under the IEBC, which has argued that the arrangement would strengthen accountability, protect the integrity of election technology and allow independent verification of results.
However, critics have questioned aspects of the procurement process, with concerns raised that some tender specifications appear to correspond with the technical framework associated with Miru Systems, a company linked to previous electoral technology contracts.
Opposition leaders and civil society groups have called for greater transparency and oversight, warning that increased centralisation of election technology must be accompanied by effective safeguards to maintain public confidence.
IEBC Projects 28.5 Million Voters By 2027
The commission is also working to expand and clean up the voter register ahead of the election.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon said continuous voter registration, which began on September 29, 2025, remains ongoing.
The exercise allows eligible Kenyans to register as voters, transfer their registration and update their personal details.
The commission projects that the 2027 register will contain approximately 28.5 million voters, up from the 22.1 million registered voters recorded during the 2022 General Election.
As of August 20, 2026, IEBC said 2,936,516 Kenyans had registered as voters.
The commission is also expanding voter registration for Kenyans living abroad from 12 to 26 countries as it seeks to increase participation by eligible voters in the diaspora.
Ethekon said the commission’s preparations were guided by the principles of independence, accountability, transparency and professionalism.
“The foundation of a credible election is a clean, accurate and verifiable register of voters,” Ethekon said.
Political Parties Face Key Deadlines
The commission has gazetted the commencement of the election period for the August 10, 2027 polls, setting out deadlines covering voter registration, political party activities, nominations, campaigns, election offences and preparations for polling.
Political parties have until October 15, 2026, to submit the names of their authorised persons and specimen signatures to IEBC.
By October 30, parties are required to have their nomination rules certified by the Registrar of Political Parties and submit the certified rules to IEBC by November 6.
Parties will then have until March 16, 2027, to submit their membership lists to the commission.
On the same date, they must submit the names of candidates seeking to participate in their internal party primaries, together with the dates and venues of the primaries.
All party primaries and resulting intra-party disputes must be concluded by May 8, 2027.
Independent candidates will also be required to meet the May 8 deadline by demonstrating that they are not members of any registered political party and submitting their names and symbols to IEBC.
Public Officers Given Six-Month Resignation Deadline
Public officers intending to contest elective positions have also been given a deadline to leave public office.
They must resign by February 10, 2027, exactly six months before Election Day.
Presidential aspirants will face an additional requirement, with each candidate required to submit by May 24, 2027, a list containing the names, signatures and national identity card or valid passport numbers of at least 2,000 registered voters in a majority of Kenya’s counties.
Candidate registration will take place between May 29 and June 11, 2027, with the specific dates varying depending on the elective position.
