2027 election to proceed under outdated electoral boundaries, warns IEBC
Kenya is facing the 2027 general election under outdated electoral boundaries, as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has indicated that a review cannot be carried out in time.
The process, which adjusts constituency and ward boundaries to reflect population growth, is highly sensitive because it affects political representation and can determine whether some areas are merged, split, or abolished.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee on Thursday, IEBC chairperson Erastus Ethekon described the delimitation exercise as both complex and politically charged, requiring at least two to three years to complete.
“We need two to three years to conduct this technical and emotive issue,” Ethekon said, stressing that Parliament must act to prevent a constitutional crisis.
The Constitution mandates boundary reviews at intervals of eight to 12 years, to be completed at least a year before a general election.
The last review, conducted in 2012, set the clock for the current cycle. The minimum eight-year period ended in 2020, while the 12-year maximum expired in March 2024.
However, IEBC was without commissioners for more than two years, leaving the timelines unachievable until the commission was reconstituted this year.
To clarify its powers, the commission sought advice from the Attorney-General and filed a reference with the Supreme Court in July 2024.
It asked whether it could conduct a review without commissioners, whether the constitutional window could be extended, and under what conditions.
On September 5, 2025, the Supreme Court struck out the case, ruling that only a fully constituted commission could approach the court on such matters.
“On September 5, 2025, the court rendered itself on an advisory opinion in which it struck out the reference filed by the commission. The court opined, among other things, that only a duly constituted commission, comprising the chairperson and other members, could bring the matter before the court for its determination,” IEBC legal affairs director Chrispine Owiye told MPs.
Ethekon told the committee that the commission will meet within a month and provide a final report on whether any boundary review is still possible before 2027.
He also urged Parliament to consider legislative or constitutional measures to address the impasse.
Political sensitivities around the exercise remain high. In 2012, 27 constituencies fell below the minimum population threshold but were “protected” from abolition after MPs blocked their removal.
