The 2027 general election: voting and running

Registering and checking your voter details, party membership, and what it takes to stand as a candidate, each answered from IEBC, the Registrar of Political Parties or the law.

Your checklist. Tick things off as you go; it's saved on this phone only.

1. 1. When the general election is held. When is the next general election in Kenya? The Constitution says Kenya's general election is held on the second Tuesday in August every fifth year, and the IEBC has set the next one for Tuesday 10 August 2027. MPs, Senators, the President, governors and MCAs are all elected on that same day.
2. 2. Register, transfer or check your registration. Register as a voter, transfer or check your registration (IEBC) Take your original ID or valid Kenyan passport to any IEBC constituency office, Huduma Centre or the IEBC Customer Experience Centre at Anniversary Towers, Nairobi, and fill Form A. To move your vote, go to the constituency office where you want to vote. Check your details anytime on verify.iebc.or.ke.
3. 3. If you live abroad. Can I vote if I live abroad? Yes, but only where IEBC sets up registration: the Constitution says Kenyans living abroad are to be registered and given the vote step by step, and you must be on the register to vote. IEBC registered voters in 12 countries in 2022 and says diaspora registration will open with ECVR Phase II, with a proposal to cover 26 countries for the 2027 election. From abroad you vote only for President and in referendums, and you register with a valid Kenyan passport (an ID card works only in East African Community countries).
4. 4. See which party, if any, you are registered in. Check which political party you are registered in Dial *509# or check online at orpp.ecitizen.go.ke with your ID number to see which political party you are registered in. It is free (USSD costs only the normal KSh 1).
5. 5. To join a party. Join a political party Dial *509# or go to orpp.ecitizen.go.ke and pick the party you want to join; the party then approves you. You must be a Kenyan citizen and a registered voter, and you can only be in one party at a time.
6. 6. To leave a party, including before running as an independent. Resign from a political party (or leave one you were registered in without consent) Dial *509# or log in to orpp.ecitizen.go.ke and choose to resign from the party. It is free, and it also works if you were registered without your consent. You can instead write to the party and send a copy to the Registrar.
7. 7. The six ballots and how winners are decided. How Kenya's electoral system works: six ballots, terms and the 50%+1 rule Kenya holds a general election every five years, on the second Tuesday in August, and on that day you elect leaders for six positions. Governors, MPs and MCAs win by getting the most votes, while a presidential candidate needs more than half of all votes plus at least 25% in more than half of the counties.
8. 8. Running for a seat: requirements and IEBC fees for every seat. IEBC nomination fees to run for President, governor, senator, MP, woman rep or MCA Under the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012, the fee paid to IEBC to be nominated is KSh 200,000 for President, KSh 50,000 for governor or senator, KSh 20,000 for MP or woman rep and KSh 5,000 for MCA. Youth, women and persons with disability pay half, and the fee is non-refundable. To run for President you must also be a citizen by birth, hold a degree from a university recognised in Kenya, and be backed by at least 2,000 registered voters in each of a majority of the counties.
9. 9. Running without a party. How to run as an independent candidate To run as an independent you must not have been a member of any political party for at least 3 months before the election (for 2027, out by 8 May 2027), give IEBC your name and symbol, and hand in signatures of registered voters backing you: 1,000 for MP or woman rep, 2,000 for Senator, 500 for governor or MCA, and 2,000 in each of a majority of counties for President.
10. 10. What candidates and voters must not do. Election offences: is buying votes a crime? Buying votes is a crime: offering a bribe to a voter, or accepting one, during an election period can mean a fine of up to KSh 2 million, up to 6 years in jail, or both. Voting more than once, using violence or threats, and campaigning with public resources are also offences, and anyone convicted cannot run for office for 5 years.
11. 11. To observe the election. Get accredited as an election observer (IEBC) Election observers are accredited as organisations, online on IEBC's Accreditation Management System (ams.iebc.or.ke), whenever IEBC advertises an election or by-election. For the Migwani ward by-election on 17 November 2026, apply by Friday 30 October 2026 at 5pm.
12. 12. Challenging a result in court. How to challenge an election result (election petition) To challenge a presidential result, file a petition in the Supreme Court within 7 days of the declaration. For any other election, file within 28 days of the IEBC declaring the results: the High Court for MPs and governors, and a designated magistrate's court for MCAs.