Commissioner Ann Nderitu, CBS Chairperson of Election Operation Committee/IEBC
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has officially confirmed that Kenya's next General Election will be held on Tuesday, August 10, 2027, as it unveiled a comprehensive roadmap outlining critical electoral activities leading up to the polls.
The election date was announced by Commissioner Ann Nderitu, Chairperson of the Election Operations Committee, during the presentation of the Election Operations Plan (EOP) 2025–2027.
The EOP serves as a framework for the management of the 2027 General Election and is anchored in the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029. According to the commission, the plan provides a structured roadmap for planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring activities required for the successful conduct of the election.
Nderitu said the plan is designed to ensure timely implementation of key electoral activities, promote transparency and accountability, enhance compliance with the legal framework governing elections, foster stakeholder engagement and citizen participation, and strengthen institutional resilience.
Among the timelines released by the commission is the deadline for public officers seeking elective positions. Nderitu stated that "a public officer who intends to contest in the General Election shall resign from public office within six (6) months before the date of Election being on or before Tuesday, 9th February, 2027."
Political parties have also been given timelines for submitting party membership lists and details of party primaries. The commission said political parties must submit their membership lists by March 16, 2027.
The same deadline applies to parties intending to field candidates in the General Election. They will be required to submit the names of individuals contesting in party primaries, together with the dates and venues of the primaries.
The commission further directed that political parties intending to present candidates in the General Election must conduct their primaries and resolve all intra-party disputes by May 9, 2027.
Independent candidates have also been issued with clear requirements. According to the commission, those seeking to run as independent candidates must not be members of any registered political party by May 9, 2027. They must also submit their names and the symbols they intend to use during the election by the same date.
The nomination period for both political party candidates and independent candidates will run from May 29, 2027, to June 11, 2027.
Candidates will be required to personally deliver their nomination papers to the IEBC Chairperson at a location designated by the commission. The documents must be submitted between 8.00am and 1.00pm, and between 2.00pm and 4.00pm.
The commission also outlined timelines for handling nomination disputes. It said disputes arising from nominations must be determined within 10 days of being lodged with the commission. Such disputes must be filed no later than June 12, 2027.
Nderitu also announced the official campaign period for the election.
"The campaign period for purposes of Tuesday, 10th August, 2027 General Election shall commence on Saturday, May 29th, 2027 and cease on Saturday, 7th August, 2027 being 48 hours before the General Election Day," she said.
The Election Operations Plan will guide preparations for the 2027 General Election by providing a framework for the implementation and monitoring of electoral activities across the electoral cycle.
