The People’s Coalition on Electoral Reforms has called for five mandatory reforms to be implemented before Kenya’s August 2027 General Election, warning that electoral credibility must be secured before Kenyans go to the polls, not negotiated after the results.
The coalition, co-convened by UGM Party co-leader Hon.David Maraga, former Attorney General Hon. Justin Muturi and Hon. Caroli Omondi, brings together political parties, civil society, faith leaders, professional associations, youth and women’s groups around a common demand for a free, fair, transparent, verifiable and credible election.
The reforms are anchored in the Constitution, the Elections Act, the Elections Offences Act and relevant electoral jurisprudence, including the 2017 IEBC v Maina Kiai decision and the 2017 and 2022 presidential election petitions.
The Five Mandatory Reforms
1. No National Tallying Centre
The coalition is demanding an end to a centralised national tallying centre for presidential results. It proposes decentralised results management through all 290 constituencies and the diaspora vote, with results published transparently and simultaneously for public, media, candidate and party access. The proposed legal and regulatory changes are to be completed by November 30, 2026.
2. Integrity of the Register of Voters
The coalition wants an independent audit of the voter register and biometrics, followed by full public inspection and verification. It further proposes continuous biometric verification for at least six months before the election and mandatory biometric voter identification in 2027.
3. Amendments to the Elections Offences Act
The coalition proposes stronger legal consequences for specified serious electoral offences by IEBC officials, including a mandatory minimum five-year custodial sentence, subject to parliamentary enactment and due process. It also calls for prosecution and lawful disqualification of state officers who misuse public resources for partisan campaigning.
4. Transparent and Auditable Election Technology
The coalition is calling for a decentralised, modular electoral technology system rather than a vendor-locked model. It wants public disclosure of technology specifications, independent testing and certification, political-party participation in audits, stronger data-protection safeguards and full-scale public simulations before election day.
5. Integrity of IEBC Personnel and Administrative Processes
The coalition proposes open and competitive recruitment of Returning Officers and County Election Managers, with published shortlists, vetting and multi-party oversight. It also calls for independent audits of ballot printing and greater party participation in ballot and technology testing.
The People’s Coalition has called on Parliament, IEBC, the Executive, political parties, civil society, professional bodies, the media and Kenyans to treat these reforms as an urgent national responsibility.
Kenya must invest in electoral peace before the election, we cannot afford a repeat of the 2007/8 post-election violence.
Read the full statement; https://www.ugmparty.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/THE-PEOPLES-COALITION-ON-ELECTORAL-REFORMS-STATEMENT-ON-MANDATORY-REFORMS-BEFORE-2027-GENERAL-ELECTIONS.pdf