IEBC 2027 Election Calendar: Key Dates and Legal Context
Updated 9 October 2026: The IEBC’s published notice schedules Kenya’s next General Election for Tuesday, 10 August 2027. A High Court ruling raised a constitutional question about that date, but suspended the effect of its declaration until after the next general election. The published 2027 calendar remains the IEBC’s operational schedule; readers should check for later court orders or amendments.
Key dates in the IEBC timetable
| Date | What the notice schedules |
|---|---|
| 15 October 2026 | Political parties submit the names of authorised officials. |
| 30 October 2026 | Registrar of Political Parties certifies party nomination rules. |
| 6 November 2026 | Certified nomination rules are due to the IEBC. |
| 10 February 2027 | Public officers who intend to contest must resign. |
| 8 May 2027 | Party primaries and internal nomination disputes are scheduled to be completed; independent candidates must meet the notice’s requirements by this date. |
| 29 May–7 August 2027 | Official campaign period. |
| 10 August 2027 | Election day stated in the IEBC notice. |
These dates come from Gazette Notice No. 13497. The notice also sets separate nomination windows for different elective offices, so candidates should consult the relevant clause rather than assume every seat follows the same schedule. Read the Kenya Gazette issue containing the IEBC notice.
Why the election date has a legal caveat
On 7 August 2026, the High Court in Owiso & 2 others v Attorney-General & another interpreted the Constitution to require a presidential election in the second Tuesday of August in the fifth year following the previous general election. It declared that holding the next presidential election on another date would be unconstitutional, but suspended the effect of that declaration until after the next general election. The court did not order IEBC to hold an immediate August 2026 election.
IEBC later published the notice scheduling the general election for 10 August 2027. The High Court’s ruling and the IEBC timetable are distinct records: the gazetted calendar tells parties and candidates what dates the Commission has published, while the court ruling explains the constitutional issue and its suspended remedy. For the current official election notice and any later changes, check the IEBC website and Kenya Law. Read the High Court judgment.
What voters should do now
Voters can use the IEBC’s official voter services to confirm their registration details and follow announced registration windows. The voter-register projections in the earlier version of this article were not necessary to explain the timetable and have been removed. A projected total is not a count of people already registered.
Election dates and deadlines can change through official notices or court orders. This page was checked on 9 October 2026 and should be read with the latest IEBC and Kenya Law publications.
