Decision 2027: Civil society groups demand urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2027 polls
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon.
What you need to know:
- The Uchaguzi Platform released a 10-point minimum reform agenda it wants implemented before the 2027 elections.
- Among their key demands is the harmonisation of electoral timelines following the recent Malindi High Court ruling.
Civil society organisations have challenged Parliament, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and other State agencies to urgently implement key electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 General Election, warning that failure to address outstanding issues could undermine the credibility of the polls.
The Uchaguzi Platform, a coalition of seven civil society organisations working on electoral governance, released a 10-point minimum reform agenda it wants implemented before Kenyans go to the ballot.
“With exactly one year to the 2027 General elections, the Uchaguzi Platform has set out the following 10-point minimum reform agenda to safeguard the integrity of the upcoming elections,” the organisations said in a statement issued in Nairobi on Monday.
The platform brings together Transparency International Kenya, Centre for Multiparty Democracy-Kenya, Elections Observation Group, Mzalendo Trust, Constitution and Reform Education Consortium, Electoral Law and Governance Institute for Africa and the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (Fida-Kenya).
The organisations said the reforms should be treated as an urgent national priority, warning that unresolved electoral questions could affect the country’s ability to conduct peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.
“Without IEBC, Parliament and other election management bodies addressing the targeted minimum reforms, the country's aspirations of holding a peaceful, free, fair, and credible election remains uncertain,” they said.
Among their key demands is the harmonisation of electoral timelines following the recent Malindi High Court ruling.
The groups want Parliament to enact pending amendments to electoral laws by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026 to address gaps exposed by the court decision.
“We also urge Parliament to enact pending amendments to the electoral laws by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026, to harmonise these timelines and close the gap this ruling has exposed,” the organisations said.
The coalition has also called for an independent audit and continuous cleaning of the voter register. It wants the IEBC to work with Civil Registration Services and civil society organisations to conduct biometric verification and facilitate public inspection of the register before it is gazetted.
The Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Erastus Edung Ethekon (left) with his deputy Fahima Araphat Abdallah and other delegates during the launch of the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and Election Operations Plan 2025–2027 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on June 24, 2026.
The groups further want greater transparency in the transmission and tallying of presidential election results.
They are calling for an end-to-end results management system that allows verification from individual polling stations to the National Tallying Centre, including public access to raw results forms and transmission timestamps.
Election security is another major area of concern. The organisations want the National Police Service, IEBC, National Cohesion and Integration Commission and county security committees to establish joint protocols and early-warning mechanisms aimed at preventing election-related violence.
They have specifically called for measures to address sexual and gender-based violence associated with elections.
The coalition has also demanded reforms to political party nominations, arguing that stronger internal party democracy is critical to credible elections.
It wants the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, political parties, IEBC and the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to standardise rules governing party primaries, verify party membership registers and strengthen oversight of nomination processes.
Campaign financing is another area singled out by the organisations, which want the recently operationalised Election Campaign Finance Regulations, 2026, to be effectively enforced.
“We call upon the IEBC to lead in enabling implementation and oversight to solidify this constitutional aspiration through the enforcement of the Election Campaign Financing Act and Regulations,” the groups said.
They want political parties and candidates to establish systems for complying with campaign financing rules and disclose their contributions and expenditure.
On electoral disputes, the platform is seeking reforms to ensure that disagreements arising before and during the elections are resolved efficiently.
Among its proposals are digital filing of cases, standardised evidence formats and clearer allocation of disputes between the Judiciary, IEBC and Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.
The groups have also demanded measures to improve participation and representation of women, youth, persons with disabilities and minorities in the electoral process.
They want the IEBC, Parliament, National Gender and Equality Commission and National Council for Persons with Disabilities to remove administrative barriers that prevent marginalised groups from participating fully in candidate registration and party lists.
The coalition is further calling for tougher enforcement of electoral offences, including voter bribery, intimidation and other forms of malpractice.
It also wants the IEBC, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Judiciary to fast-track investigations and prosecution of electoral offences.
The final area of concern is the digital campaign environment, where the groups want safeguards against harmful political advertising, misinformation, disinformation and AI-generated content.
They are calling on Parliament, IEBC, Communications Authority and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to develop mechanisms for addressing emerging digital threats while protecting Kenyans’ right to participate in political debate.
The organisations urged State institutions to act before the electoral process enters its most politically sensitive stages, saying the reforms will be critical to restoring public confidence and protecting the integrity of the 2027 election.
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