Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have sounded the alarm over unresolved constitutional and legal questions ahead of the 2027 General Election, calling for urgent reforms before the country enters the election season.
With roughly 52 weeks to the polls, the Uchaguzi Platform, a coalition of civil society organisations working on electoral governance, has unveiled a 10-point minimum reform agenda targeting Parliament, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Judiciary and other key institutions.
The coalition says the country cannot afford to carry unresolved electoral questions into another election cycle.
“We insist that the perennial underlying constitutional questions around elections must be aggressively settled,” Mule Musau, National Coordinator, ELOG said.
The call comes days after a Malindi High Court ruling raised questions over the constitutional timing of the presidential election, exposing what the groups describe as gaps and inconsistencies in electoral timelines.
The coalition is now pressing Parliament to enact pending amendments to electoral laws by the end of the fourth quarter of 2026, rather than waiting until after the election.
“Parliament needs to enact pending amendments of electoral laws by the end of the fourth quarter to harmonise these timelines and close the gap this ruling has exposed.”
The proposed reforms also include an independent audit, continuous cleaning and biometric verification of the voters’ register, followed by public inspection before it is gazetted.
On election security, the organisations are calling for closer coordination between the National Police Service, IEBC, National Cohesion and Integration Commission and county security committees.
They want integrated inter-agency protocols and early warning systems, including explicit measures to prevent election-related sexual and gender-based violence.
As the countdown to 2027 begins, the coalition says electoral reforms must happen before campaigns take centre stage.
The groups warn that delaying action risks allowing the same constitutional and administrative disputes to dominate the next election, potentially undermining public confidence in the polls.
