Why little progress in Kenya's preparedness for 2027 polls worries observer missions
Also in limbo due to the budget cuts are voter education, delimitation of boundaries, medical insurance of IEBC staff, construction of offices and fuelling of motor vehicles in the constituency offices.
The decision by the European Union Election Follow-up Mission to call on President William Ruto's administration to hasten electoral reform to ensure transparent, inclusive and peaceful 2027 elections has ignited questions on whether the country is ready to organise free and fair elections.
Questions posed to the EU Election Follow-up Mission by The Eastleigh Voice on their view on preparedness for elections suggested laxity by the government in implementing recommendations that will ensure a free and fair contest.
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The European Union deployed an Election Follow-up Mission (EU EFM) to Kenya from February 2 to March 1, 2025 to assess progress made in electoral reforms and the implementation status of the recommendations made by the EU Election Observation Mission 2022 (EU EOM 2022).
The EU EFM headed by Ivan Štefanec, former Chief Observer of the EU EOM 2022 and former Member of the European Parliament noted several gaps in the journey towards a crisis-free election.
"There is some positive movement in certain areas, as discussions on electoral reforms have commenced. We noted however a lack of tangible progress in the implementation of the recommendations offered by the EU EOM in 2022," noted Štefanec.
Recommendations
The EU EOM in 2022 made 21 recommendations, including seven priority ones based on observations, analysis and discussion with various stakeholders.
These recommendations included, among others, providing sufficient funds to the IEBC for continuous voter education and implementing improvements in electoral technology through regular audits and stakeholder consultation.
The observers had also vouched for operationalising the Election Campaign Financing Act to regulate campaign expenditures effectively, detailing the legal definition of hate speech in line with international human rights obligations.
The recommendations also included removing sections 22 and 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and establishing clear procedures for managing staff and the flow of information at tallying centres to increase the consistency and efficiency of the electoral process.
Pending by-elections
In his view, Štefanec argues that the delay in appointing new IEBC commissioners has effectively postponed pending by-elections and the boundaries delimitation, halted continuous voter registration, and compromised the overall preparations for the 2027 elections.
The concerns of the EU EOM are similar to those of a consortium of non-state organisations in the country working to ensure free and fair electoral processes in the country, who are piling pressure on the sworn-in panel of the electoral agency to uphold integrity in their duties.
The lobbying groups, under the banner of the Uchaguzi Platform, have called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel to maintain transparency and fairness in the recruitment of new commissioners. They also highlighted key electoral issues requiring urgent attention ahead of the next general election.
Led by Sheila Masinde of Transparency International, Phelix Owuor Odhiambo of Electoral Law and Governance Institute of Africa, Mulle Musau of Election Observer Group and Franklin Mukwanja of Centre for Multiparty Democracy, the organisations warned that failure by the electoral agency and Parliament to adhere to election timelines could plunge the country into uncertainty.
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Voter registration
The IEBC has regretted that the financial position of the agency may not permit it to conduct continuous voter registration. This followed massive budget cuts in conformity with the austerity measures announced by President William Ruto.
The electoral agency told the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs on Wednesday that the Sh870.5 million budget slash it has suffered will impact its ability to maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management System kits (Kiems kits) and licenses which are critical for registering voters and conducting by-elections.
The Sh4 billion Kiems tender was awarded to a Dutch company, Smartmatic, and involves the maintenance of software and hardware equipment and accessories for the voting kits.
The move may not sit well with Gen Z, who are clamouring to register as voters and recall MPs as they wait to participate in the 2027 general elections.
Some of the areas that the commission has suffered budget cuts include communication supplies, which has a Sh42.7 million budget cut, domestic travel reduced by Sh135 million, printing advert and information by Sh15.5 million, routine maintenance-ICT contract (election technology) slashed by Sh111.4 million, foreign travel reduced by Sh6.2 million among other areas.
Also in limbo due to the budget cuts are voter education, delimitation of boundaries, medical insurance of IEBC staff, construction of offices and fuelling of motor vehicles in the constituency offices.
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