IEBC sets May 29 campaign start date amid early campaigns

NAIROBI,Kenya Aug 20 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has set May 29, 2027 as the earliest date presidential candidates can formally begin campaigning for the General Election, even as political activity has already intensified across the country.

According to the commission’s election calendar, the campaign period will commence upon registration of candidates, but not earlier than May 29, 2027, and will run until August 7, 2027 48 hours before Election Day.

IEBC has warned that any campaigning outside the prescribed period will be unlawful, including the display of campaign posters, caravans, billboards and other forms of campaigning.

The commission’s warning comes against a backdrop of an increasingly active political landscape, with presidential hopefuls and political movements already criss-crossing the country, holding rallies, mobilising supporters and building grassroots networks nearly a year before the official campaign window opens.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has emerged as one of the most active opposition figures, using his countrywide tours to mobilise support for his Democratic Congress Party and push for a united opposition presidential ticket against President William Ruto.

Gachagua has recently intensified his grassroots activities, including engagements in Kajiado and the Mount Kenya region, while insisting that opposition parties should rally behind a single candidate to defeat Ruto in 2027. He has said he is committed to the search for one opposition candidate.

The Linda Mwananchi movement has also mounted a sustained nationwide mobilisation campaign, moving through counties in Western Kenya before expanding into Nyanza.

The movement, associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and other opposition figures, has held rallies in areas including Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega and Homa Bay as it seeks to build a national grassroots network. Its own events calendar lists rallies in Homa Bay and several Western Kenya counties.

The Homa Bay rally on August 16 further demonstrated the scale of the political intolerance with mayhem and violence witnessed that killed 4 people and injured several.

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i is also positioning himself for the presidency on a Jubilee Party ticket, with his political activities increasingly focused on grassroots mobilisation. He has maintained that he is seeking the presidency in 2027 and has stepped up engagements outside Nairobi as he builds his support base.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has similarly intensified his 2027 presidential campaign, with the former Vice-President taking his mobilisation drive to different parts of the country. He has been particularly active in the push to expand his support in regions beyond his traditional political base, including a recent tour of Embu and efforts to establish a Coast political team.

Kalonzo has also formally outlined his 2027 presidential platform under the “Komboa Kenya” banner, signalling that his campaign machinery is already taking shape ahead of the official campaign period.

On the government side, President William Ruto has also stepped up engagements with different groups across the country as he seeks a second term. State House has increasingly become a venue for meetings with community and interest groups, including village elders and religious leaders.

On August 4, Ruto hosted village elders at State House, where he spoke about the 2027 election and told his broad-based political team that they must win the election. He has also held engagements with Muslim religious leaders as part of wider outreach to different sections of the electorate.

Ruto has simultaneously overseen intensified mobilisation by leaders allied to his administration, with political figures in regions such as Western Kenya openly rallying support for his re-election bid.

The flurry of political activity means IEBC’s campaign timetable is likely to be tested long before the formal campaign period begins.

The commission has made clear that the May 29 date is not merely a guideline, warning political parties, candidates and their supporters to comply with electoral laws and regulations.

Under the timetable, presidential aspirants must also submit by May 24, 2027 a list containing the names, signatures and identification or passport numbers of at least 2,000 registered voters from each of a majority of the counties.

Candidate registration for the presidency will run from May 29 to June 11, 2027, while disputes arising from the nomination process must be lodged within 24 hours of their occurrence and no later than June 12, with all such disputes expected to be resolved by June 23.