74 parties pledge gender-inclusive nominations ahead of 2027 election

By  Moraa Obiria

Senior Gender Journalist

What you need to know:

• In their declaration, they pledged to prepare party lists that comply with constitutional requirements on gender and the representation of special interest groups.
• They also committed to review nomination fees and procedures that create financial or practical barriers to participation.

Seventy-four political parties, including ODM, UDA, Jubilee, and Wiper, have pledged to remove barriers that prevent women and other underrepresented groups from participating fully in politics ahead of Kenya's 10 August 2027 General Election.

In their declaration, they pledged to prepare party lists that comply with constitutional requirements on gender and the representation of special interest groups.

They also committed to review nomination fees and procedures that create financial or practical barriers to participation.
Act against violence

“Act against violence, intimidation and harassment of candidates, including technology-facilitated abuse of women candidates, and hold our members and supporters to the Electoral Code of Conduct,” the parties said.

The parties also committed to developing nomination rules that guarantee the fair participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, older members of society, and minority and marginalised communities within the timelines set for the 2027 General Election.

The declaration was signed on October 14 at a meeting in Nairobi convened by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

This was done in the presence of NGEC chairperson Rehema Dida Jaldesa, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Vice-Chairperson Fahima Abdallah and Assistant Registrar of Political Parties Agatha Wahome.

The commitments come as political parties prepare for a key electoral milestone on November 26, when the IEBC is expected to issue compliance certificates to parties that meet the legal requirements for participation in the election.

To qualify, parties must submit nomination rules certified by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and reviewed by the IEBC for compliance with electoral laws, including adherence to the constitutional two-thirds gender principle.

Enforcement of two-thirds principle

Speaking during the forum, IEBC Vice-Chairperson Fahima Abdallah said the commission had developed proposals aimed at implementing the two-thirds gender principle through political party nomination rules ahead of the 2027 election.

The push for compliance is backed by a 2017 High Court ruling that affirmed political parties must abide by the constitutional gender requirement.

In a petition filed by Katiba Institute against the IEBC, Justice Chacha Mwita ruled that the Commission must “reject any nomination list of a political party for its candidates for the 290 constituency-based elective positions for Members of the National Assembly and the 47 county-based positions for Members of the Senate that do not comply with the two-thirds gender rule.”

Efforts to enforce the requirement have faced legal challenges before.

In 2022, then IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati directed political parties to ensure their nomination lists complied with the gender principle, including candidates selected during party primaries. The directive was later suspended after being challenged in court.

Tribunal warns against opaque nominations

Political Parties Liaison Committee Chairperson Evans Misati said transparent nomination procedures were necessary to prevent aspirants from being unfairly excluded after participating in party primaries.

He also criticised political zoning and intolerance within parties, saying aspirants should be given a fair opportunity to compete. Candidates who incite violence, he added, should face disqualification under the applicable rules.

Political Parties Disputes Tribunal Chairperson Innocent Muganda said the credibility of a party's democratic processes depended not just on the existence of rules, but on whether those rules were fairly applied.

“The real test of democratic maturity is not whether a party has rules written in its constitution; it is whether those rules are known to be fair and are consistently applied,” he said.

He urged parties to publish nomination rules, fees, eligibility criteria and timelines early enough to allow aspirants to prepare. He also called for the maintenance of verifiable membership registers, meeting minutes, voting tallies and written reasons for decisions.

“A nomination is not a personal favour. It is a structured political and legal process that must inspire confidence among contestants, members and the wider public. A credible nomination process begins before the voting takes place," he said.

NGEC Chairperson Rehema Jaldesa said the nomination stage remained the biggest determinant of women's electoral success.

"In 2022, Kenyans elected seven women governors, more than double the number in 2017. Yet women won only 29 of 290 constituency seats, three of 47 elected Senate seats and 115 of 1,450 ward seats. Most of these outcomes were settled at nomination, before a single vote was cast," she said.

She reminded political parties that Article 91 of the Constitution requires them to respect the rights of minorities and marginalised groups and promote gender equality.

She added that the Political Parties Act, 2011, requires that no more than two-thirds of the members of a party's governing body be of the same gender, with eligibility for funding from the Political Parties Fund tied to inclusive governance.