Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has dismissed claims that Kenya’s 2027 General Election could be postponed, assuring development partners that the polls will be held on schedule. Speaking on Wednesday, September 16, during the 15th Development Partnership Forum in Karen, Nairobi, Kindiki said the government would adhere to the Constitution and existing electoral laws. He said Kenya would hold a free, fair and verifiable election, ruling out what he described as shortcuts or any attempt to circumvent the established legal framework.
“We want to assure the world that next year, Kenya will have a free, fair, verifiable election,” Kindiki said.
The Deputy President said the government under President William Ruto considers democracy, the rule of law, human rights and periodic elections central to Kenya’s constitutional order. Kindiki was speaking while co-chairing the development forum, which brings together the Kenyan government and development partners to discuss national development priorities. He invited organisations supporting democracy and elections to engage through established channels, including working with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), civil society organisations and accredited election observers. Kindiki described the IEBC as the independent institution responsible for conducting elections and said development partners wishing to support electoral programmes should do so through formal procedures.
His remarks come as political parties, candidates and other stakeholders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with preparations for the polls becoming an increasingly prominent issue in national politics.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who also attended the forum, separately assured participants that the government would maintain Kenya’s practice of holding elections within the constitutional timetable. Mudavadi said the government had no intention of departing from that arrangement and stressed that the elections would be conducted constitutionally. He also warned against violence, fraud and misinformation that could undermine confidence in the electoral process. The remarks from the two senior government officials come amid wider public debate over preparations for the 2027 polls and the role of electoral institutions. Under Kenya’s constitutional framework, responsibility for conducting and supervising elections rests with the IEBC.
Kindiki said development partners could support the electoral process by working through the commission, civil society organisations or observer programmes rather than through informal channels. For now, the government’s stated position is that the 2027 General Election will proceed according to the constitutional timetable. The final conduct and credibility of the election will depend on the work of the electoral commission, political parties, candidates, security agencies, observers and other participants as preparations continue.