The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plans to petition Parliament to introduce legislation that sets minimum academic qualifications for people seeking elective office.
IEBC National Steering Committee chairperson Evans Masiti said the commission is concerned about court rulings that have weakened how educational requirements for candidates can be enforced. He argued that Kenya should adopt well-defined academic thresholds for aspiring political leaders, saying leadership roles must come with minimum qualifications.
Masiti said the commission is ready to work from the courts’ guidance as it seeks legislative action. He added that without statutory requirements, the system could allow extreme differences in educational attainment among candidates, such as a PhD holder and a Form Four dropout meeting the same conditions.
“I’m happy the presidents of the courts are here. We have had pronouncements from the courts regarding educational standards. We shall be petitioning Parliament to ensure that we legislate some of the requirements because we are going to see a situation where a PhD holder and a Form Four dropout will be the same, as per what IEBC has told us. As a country, we must have some educational standards,” he said.
He also noted that political parties were invited to participate in the development of the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and the Election Operations Plan. Masiti said the engagement helped ensure that the preparations for the 2027 general election reflected input from a wide range of stakeholders.
Masiti spoke on Wednesday during a stakeholder engagement forum focused on the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and the Election Operations Plan (EOP) 2025–2027.
He delivered the remarks as the commission rolled out key milestones under the Election Operations Plan, a framework meant to guide how the body plans, coordinates, implements, and monitors activities ahead of the 2027 General Election.
IEBC Lists Key Deadlines for Candidates
Commissioner Ann Nderitu, who chairs the Election Operations Committee, said the plan builds on the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and targets transparency, accountability, compliance with electoral laws, stakeholder engagement, and institutional resilience.
Nderitu also announced that the next General Election will take place on Tuesday, August 10, 2027. She said public officers who intend to contest for elective seats must resign by February 9, 2027, six months before polling day.
She further stated that political parties must submit their membership lists and details of party primaries by March 16, 2027, and conclude nominations and resolve internal disputes by May 9, 2027.
For independent candidates, the commission set May 9, 2027, as the deadline to stop being members of any political party and to submit their names and symbols to the IEBC.
The IEBC scheduled the nomination of political party and independent candidates for the period between May 29 and June 11, 2027. It requires nomination disputes to be filed no later than June 12 and directed the commission to determine them within ten days.
Nderitu instructed candidates: “Nomination papers shall be delivered by the candidates to the Chairperson of IEBC between the hours of eight o’clock in the morning and one o’clock in the afternoon and between the hours of two o’clock and four o’clock in the afternoon at a place designated by the Commission.”
The commission also said campaign activities will run from May 29, 2027, to August 7, 2027, ending 48 hours before voters go to the polls.
