The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has issued a detailed calendar of deadlines for the 2027 General Election, requiring presidential aspirants to submit their lists of supporters by May 24, 2027, as part of a wider roadmap governing how candidates will be nominated and registered ahead of the polls.
Under the requirement, each presidential hopeful must present the Commission with a list containing the names, signatures and identity card or valid passport numbers of at least 2,000 registered voters drawn from a majority of Kenya’s 47 counties.
“Aspirants vying for President shall deliver to the Commission a list bearing the names, respective signatures, identity card or valid Passport numbers of at least 2,000 voters registered in each of a majority of the counties by 24th May 2027,” the IEBC said. The requirement forms part of preparations for the General Election, set for August 10, 2027.
Once nominated, candidates across all elective positions will be required to appear before the Commission for registration, with the exact window depending on the office being sought. Presidential aspirants will present themselves between May 29 and June 11, while National Assembly candidates have a shorter window, from May 29 to June 1.
Senate aspirants are expected between May 29 and June 2, County Woman Representative aspirants between June 7 and June 11, governorship candidates between June 3 and June 6, and MCA aspirants between June 2 and June 11. “During nomination, the Commission shall register eligible and qualified candidates for election,” the IEBC said.
The Commission has also built in a timeline for resolving disputes that arise during the nomination process. Any complaint must be raised within 24 hours of the incident it concerns, and no later than June 12, 2027.
“The disputes shall be resolved by June 23, 2027,” the Commission said, giving itself just under two weeks to clear any nomination-related challenges before the process moves forward. More broadly, nominations for both political party and independent candidates are scheduled to run from May 29 to June 11, 2027, with parties expected to have already concluded their own primaries and resolved any internal disputes before this window opens.
This nomination and registration calendar builds on a wider set of deadlines the IEBC unveiled this week as part of its Election Operations Plan, which lays out the key activities and timelines guiding the country toward the 2027 vote. Speaking on the earlier deadlines, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon confirmed that public officers intending to contest a seat must resign at least six months before polling day.
“Any public officer who intends to contest in this election must resign from public office by Wednesday, 10th February 2027, which is exactly six months before the election,” he said. Political parties, meanwhile, must submit their membership lists and details of primary candidates by March 16, 2027, and are required to conclude their primaries and settle any resulting internal disputes by May 8, 2027, a deadline that also applies to independent candidates fulfilling their own legal requirements.
Campaigning officially opens once candidates are registered, but not before May 29, 2027, and must end by August 7, 2027, 48 hours ahead of the election itself. The IEBC has stressed that campaigning outside this window, including the use of posters, caravans and billboards, will be treated as unlawful.
The Commission has described its published timelines as non-negotiable and has urged aspirants and political parties to familiarise themselves closely with the requirements to avoid being locked out of the electoral process altogether.
According to the IEBC, the roadmap is intended to ensure electoral activities are implemented on schedule and to promote full compliance with the country’s election laws.
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