02/09/2026
The Commission led by Erastus Ethekon today presided over the High-Level National Election Security Roundtable Consultative forum bringing together representatives from security agencies. The Chairperson expressed his gratitude to all participants and noted that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) had gazetted the election period. The Commission has also published electoral timelines and given Kenyans the roadmap to 2027GE. The gazettement triggers a series of activities including preparations to handle security issues around this period.
“Our country is as strong as the institutions, values, principles and people we have.“Together with stakeholders, we are ready to take extraordinary measures to ensure the 10th August General Election is peaceful, free, fair and credible to guarantee the stability and development of Kenya. As we move to 2027GE, be reminded that this election will test our collective preparedness to strengthen Kenya’s democracy. We must review the lessons learnt from the past to ensure the political competition remains lawful and peaceful. Elections come and go but we shall always remain as Kenya,” said Ethekon.
Chief guest Hon. Justice Daniel K. Musinga, the Judge of the Court of Appeal and Vice Chair Judiciary Committee on Elections, noted that the Judiciary is not an Electoral Management Body, but its role is to ensure that when disputes come before the courts, they are resolved independently, impartially and expeditiously in accordance with the law. Our judges and magistrates must be protected as they deal with electoral disputes brought before them.
“All partners present here should work together to equip our judges and magistrates to effectively handle election related cases. Violence, intimidation, bribery and the distraction of electoral material must be addressed through an effective criminal justice process. The Judiciary will prioritize election related cases, especially those that are criminal in nature. We will collaborate with other agencies to ensure the justice chain works effectively. We will not shy away from acting appropriately if sufficient evidence is presented in court,” said Hon. Justice Musinga.
Inspector General of National Police Service Douglas Kanja said the roadmap to 2027 General Election is comprehensive and implementation will run from September to beyond post 2027 to ensure all round election security preparedness factoring all lessons learnt from previous elections.
“We will strengthen elections security coordination, aligning security election with electoral laws, develop election security deployment and communication plan through training and leadership sensitization. The National Police Service commits to undertake and support IEBC deliver on its mandate and will avail all resources to ensure we have a free, fair and peaceful election. I urge all to remember that we only have one country, Kenya,” said IG Kanja.
Hassan Noor Hassan EBS, the Chairperson of the Election Security and Electoral Risks Management Committee, said the Commission is obligated to ensure that elections are held within an environment that is peaceful and free from any forms of fear, threats or manipulation.
“The Commission does not have instruments for enforcement of security and therefore relies on the security agencies to conduct peaceful elections. ESAP is founded on key pillars being early warning and risk analysis, prevention of threats and violence triggers, mitigation, monitoring of incidences, response measures and intervention. The implementation of ESAP is based on capacity building, coordination, communication, electoral gender-based violence prevention and public engagement,” said Commissioner Hassan.
“We have had 32 by-elections in the last one year and the Commission systems were tested and returned 100% accurate. IEBC guarantees you of a perfect system that will deliver free, fair, transparent and credible 2027 General Election. Our appeal to the political class is to ask them to accept the election result with humility to enhance peace and legitimacy,” said Hassan.
Commission Secretary/CEO Ruth Kulundu noted that the Commission recognises that electoral integrity is inseparable from a secure environment and the cornerstone of a peaceful election is founded on the full implementation of the ESAP. The programme's objective is to build a culture of cooperation between the public, the police and our varied institutions to ensure credible investigations and prosecutions of offenders and foster rapid, joint responses to emerging security risks. A critical deliverable is the professional training of security personnel targeting 200,000 police officers and special police officers, who will be deployed during the 2027 General Election.
