IEBC sets parties' deadline, insists on inclusion of Special Interest Groups

IEBC Vice Chairperson Fahima Abdallah on July 23, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has urged political parties to adhere to the October 15 deadline to submit authorized persons and their specimen signatures.

This came as IEBC Vice Chairperson Fahima Abdallah said the Commission will use an inclusive process, noting that it has proposed implementing the not-more-than-two-thirds gender principle through the submission of political party nomination rules and amendments under the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, currently before Parliament.

Similarly, she said that under the Elections General Regulations 2012, the nomination fees for all elected positions are capped at 50 per cent for the marginalized group for the six elected positions in Kenya.

For the presidential position, she said candidates are required to pay Sh200,000 but the commission has capped it at Sh100,000 for all Special Interest Groups (SIGs) comprising women, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), youth and other minority groups.

For governors, she said candidates are required to pay a fee of Sh50,000 but IEBC has capped it at Sh25,000, for Senator SIGs will pay Sh25000 instead of Sh50,000, the fee for Member of National Assembly is Sh20,000 but the SIGs will pay Sh10,000.

For Women Representative position, they will be required to pay Sh10,000 while the Member of County Assemblies amount has been capped at Sh2,500 for SIGs instead of Sh5,000, with Abdallah citing the amount as part of efforts the Commission has put in place to ensure inclusivity.

"Political parties intending to participate in the 2027 General Election shall submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorized persons on or before Thursday October, 2026," the IEBC has said, in a public notice.

“Under the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012 the nomination fees for all elective positions are capped at 50 per cent for marginalized groups to encourage their participation. As part of its ongoing reform agenda, the Commission has proposed targeted amendments to Act, Cap 7 to strengthen the equitable inclusion of SIGs and ensure a more balanced legal framework,” Abdallah said.

Abdallah affirmed that the Commission is working to ensure inclusive elections, saying IEBC’s constitutional mandate, reiterated under Article 88, is to facilitate and supervise elections and other election-related matters to align with the national values and principles of governance stated under Article 10.

“We are able and we are going to do our best to ensure that the 2027 general election is going to be inclusive. We launched two important documents the other day, the strategic plan and the electoral operations plan and our theme was inclusive participation in deepening democracy in Kenya,” Abdallah said.

She made the remarks in a political parties’ engagement meeting convened by National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, which subsequently endorsed a declaration on the inclusion of special interest groups in political parties and the 2027 General Election.

According to Abdallah, the Commission’s mandate extends to ensuring the electoral process is inclusive, transparent and reflective of Kenya's demographic especially towards the marginalized groups, commonly referred to as special interest groups.

On the other hand, Article 100 mandates Parliament to enact legislation promoting the representation of women, youth, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and marginalized communities.

 Article 88(4) mandates the commission to regulate the process by which parties nominate candidates for elections.

“The Elections Act Cap 7 and the Political Parties Act Cap 7d provide an operational framework to ensure representation of the special interest groups in party nomination lists. The election party primaries and party list regulations 2017 require political parties to provide nomination rules that are compliant with constitutional and statutory principles that enhance the inclusion of the marginalized groups,” she explained.

In the run-up to the 2022 general election, she said the commission undertook electoral legal reforms aimed at standardizing and regulating political party nominations.

Political parties were required to align their constitutions and nomination rules with guidelines developed by IEBC, including compliance with the two-thirds gender principle.

 All parties participating in the election, she insisted, must adhere to the commission checklist on this requirement.

“The commission has continued to engage stakeholders to explore avenues for realizing the gender principle, noting persistent challenges, particularly the tendency of parties to nominate men as top candidates and the absence of explicit functions for non-compliance,” she said.

The meeting resolved that political parties have a responsibility to create fair and accessible pathways to leadership, strengthen internal democratic processes and ensure that the voices of SIGs are reflected in party decision-making.

Similarly, they said inclusion must be evident not only in party membership, but also in who sets the agenda, who is nominated, who leads and whose concerns shape policies.

NGEC Chairperson, Rehema Dida Jaldesa said political parties are the gateway to elective office, and the Constitution requires them to open that gateway to all and this time.

She said NGEC seeks to discuss with political parties if they are ready to start the journey as opposed to waiting for the end result on election day.

“The Commission will monitor how parties deliver inclusion, so that women, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons, minorities and marginalised communities lead where decisions are made. Inclusive leadership is a constitutional duty, and the road to 2027 must reflect it. We want to seek your commitment that as political parties, you will allow us to audit you from the beginning to the end of the process,” Jaldesa said.

Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) Assistant Registrar, Agatha Wahome said the law is a toolbox which can be used by different stakeholders to ensure promotion of SIGs, with one of the ways being through governing bodies of the political parties.

“We are standing on the runway towards the 2027 general election and if you want different outcomes and especially on representation of the special interest groups then it must begin today, if it has not,” she said.

She said promotion of special interest groups also has an advantage on funding because 15 per cent of the political parties’ funds given from consolidated funds is based on the strength of SIG members elected.

“For all the parties that benefit from funding, this is a reality and the more you have SIGs the more you stand to gain and thus the law rewards parties for successfully filling candidates for elections. As parties, let's engage and try to promote more women, youth and PwDs so that we can be able to get a higher share when it comes to the 15 per cent political parties funding allocations.

For funds allocated, she said a portion of it, about 30 per cent, is required to go towards promotion of SIGs in Parliament and county assemblies.

Wahome explained that parties can legally allocate these funds internally in the form of either offering reduced nomination fees, sponsoring targeted education in SIGs, establishing mentorship and leadership academies as well as funding their logistics as they prepare for party primaries and for campaign purposes.

There are at least 101 political parties in the country.