IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon flanked by commissioners Anne Nderitu and Mohamed Noor at JKIA on November 19, 2025./HANDOUT
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has received the first batch of key electoral material ahead of next week’s by-elections.
IEBC says it printed ballot papers at Inform Lykos (Hellas) SA in Athens, Greece, at a cost of Sh27million. The firm was contracted on a framework basis to print 2022 general election materials.
The Commission led by Chairperson Erastus Ethekon last night received the first batch of 10 pallets containing ballot papers and statutory forms for the upcoming 27th November 2025 by-elections at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
“The final batch of 29 pallets will be arriving tonight at 1930 hrs according to the commission. Dispatch of the materials, including ballot papers, will begin tomorrow on Friday, 21st November 2025,” IEBC said in a statement.
Ballot papers to far-flung areas, including Banisa and Mandera, will be airlifted due to security reasons and distance.
The Commission says it made a deliberate decision to invite all 51 participating political parties to witness the arrival of the ballot papers.
The electoral agency is holding by-elections that include one Senate, 6 National Assembly, and 16 Member for County Assemblies.
The electoral areas include Baringo Senate and National Assembly seats in Ugenya, Kasipul, Mbeere North, Banisa, Magarini, and Malava.
There are also 17 ward-level seats across various counties, including Samburu, Nandi, Tana River, Garissa, Nairobi City, Kakamega, Elgeyo Marakwet, Machakos, Narok, Kajiado, Uasin Gishu, Nyamira, and Turkana counties.
“The Commission reassures the country of delivering free, fair, and credible elections,” IEBC said after the night exercise.
In the past, Ethekon has regretted that the electoral agency is unable to print the materials locally despite capacity by some local security printers due to trust deficits.
The country loses billions of shillings every five years and millions during by-elections to foreign firms, who are preferred by the political class to do the printing.
Ethekon told MPs on September 25, 2025, “The day we will call ourselves as Kenyans and rethink that we can print the ballots at home or even government printer, then that day we will celebrate. But as things stand, we have a trust deficit.”
He said due to mistrust, Kenyan ballot papers have more security features than even our currency, thus making it more expensive than even printing paper money.
“One ballot carries more than 11 security features. That's what trust deficit brings to us,” Ethekon told MPs. In 2022, IEBC said it costs about Sh23 to print one ballot paper.
This meant that Kenya spent about Sh3.4 billion in the last election to print over 120 million ballot papers for the six electoral seats.
