The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has released the election calendar for the 2027 General Election, giving political parties and candidates a clearer picture of the road to the polls.
The commission has set Tuesday, August 10, 2027, as the date when Kenyans will elect the President, governors, senators, members of the National Assembly, women representatives and Members of County Assembly (MCAs).
The election will be held under the current electoral map of 290 constituencies and 1,450 wards.
The dates were published in a Kenya Gazette Special Issue on Thursday, August 20, through seven notices signed by IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon.
The decision to retain the current boundaries comes after IEBC said it did not have enough time to complete a fresh boundary review before the 2027 election.
The commission had cited the time required for the exercise, court cases linked to census data and other preparations for the election.
Under Article 89 of the Constitution, IEBC is required to review constituency and ward boundaries every eight to 12 years. The review must also be completed at least one year before a General Election.
IEBC has previously said a full review would take about two years and should have been completed by August 10, 2026, to be used in next year’s election.
Political parties given deadlines
The new calendar now puts a number of deadlines on political parties and those planning to contest in the election.
Parties have until October 15, 2026, to submit the names of their authorised officials to IEBC. Their nomination rules must be certified by October 30 and submitted to the commission by November 6.
The Registrar of Political Parties is expected to certify party membership lists by March 23, 2027, with the lists reaching IEBC by April 12.
Parties will also be required to publish the names of their primary candidates, as well as the dates and venues of their primaries, by April 8. IEBC will gazette the candidates on April 16.
Political parties must complete their primaries and settle internal disputes by May 8.
The same date will be the deadline for independent candidates to resign from political parties and submit their names and symbols.
The public officers intending to seek elected positions will have to resign not later than February 10, 2027.
Candidates aspiring to vie for presidency will also be expected to present at least 2,000 signatures of registered voters from the majority of counties before May 24.
Dates of nominations and campaigns
Nominations exercise for presidential elections will take place between May 29 and June 11.
Presidential nominations will be completed not later than June 11, national assembly nominations on June 1 and Senate nominations on June 2.
Governor nominations will take place between June 3 and June 6, while the MCA nominations will happen between June 2 and June 11.
Candidates seeking the position of county woman representative will be nominated between June 7 and June 11.
Any disputes arising from the nomination process will have to be filed within 24 hours, with IEBC expected to resolve them within 10 days.
Campaigns will begin from May 29 for some positions and run until August 7, three days before the election.
Campaign activities will only be allowed between 7am and 6pm.
Aspirants will also face restrictions on political fundraising. The IEBC has set December 9, 2026, as the date from which political fundraising activities, including harambees, will be prohibited.
Political parties will have to submit their party lists by June 25, 2027, while chief election agents must be named by July 27.
With the calendar now in place, political parties and candidates have a series of deadlines to meet before Kenyans head to the ballot on August 10, 2027.
