With just two and a half years to Kenya's 2027 General Election, delays in implementing key reforms could undermine the electoral process, the European Union (EU) has warned.
Briefing the media on Friday in Nairobi, on Kenya's Election Follow - Up Mission, the Head of the EU follow-up Mission, Ivan Stefanec, highlighted the lack of tangible progress in adopting the 21 recommendations proposed after the 2022 election, seven of which were marked as priorities.
According to Stefanec, the seven priority recommendations include providing funds to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for continuous voter education, implementing improvements in electoral technology through regular audits and stakeholder consultation.
Others include, operationalizing the Election Campaign Financing Act to regulate campaign expenditures effectively, detailing the legal definition of hate speech in line with international human rights obligations, 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 centers to increase the consistency and efficiency of the electoral process. "The delay in appointing new IEBC Commissioners has led to the postponement of by-elections and boundaries delimitation, has halted continuous voter registration, and compromised the overall preparations for the 2027 election," stated Stefanec.
