Kenya’s upcoming by-elections will serve as a key test for the country’s newly appointed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners, Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss has said.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak on Tuesday, Boss described Kenya’s electoral system as “the safest” in the country. She argued that the mini polls give the new team a practical opportunity to refine operations and identify areas for improvement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We have a new IEBC, a new set of commissioners. I think by-elections are a good way of actually testing the new commissioners and also for them it’s a learning experience,” Boss said.
She commended the commission for enforcing strict measures in the recent Kasipul parliamentary by-election. Two candidates were fined Ksh. 1 million each, and both signed peace agreements after clashes between supporters led to the deaths of two people.
“During my time, it happened when we had the Makadara elections, when Mike Sonko vied for the first time. We had the same situation. And we said to them, we’re going to cancel the elections if we hear any more violence,” Boss said.
She added: “It is your responsibility to ensure that your supporters are not violent. And the moment you do that, it changes the game.”
Boss dismissed concerns about the vulnerability of the electoral process to rigging. She explained that the KIEMS kits used in polling are geo-mapped and cannot be used outside their assigned stations. Biometric identification, she said, prevents impersonation or multiple voting. All voter IDs and result entries are verified by party agents.
“If you don’t have fingers, you still have the pupil of your eye, you still have your facial features, to use that as an identification. It has to be confirmed by all the agents when that is done, and it has to be noted in the book,” she said. “So, actually, Kenya has the safest electoral system.”
The Deputy Speaker also highlighted the transparency of QR-coded results forms and ballot papers, which are scanned and uploaded to the public portal immediately after counting. This system allows the media and public to independently verify results even before official announcements.
The by-elections will take place on November 27, covering 24 seats across the country. These include one Senate seat in Baringo County, six parliamentary constituencies, and 17 MCA positions. Constituencies voting for new MPs include Kasipul, Mbeere North, Ugunja, Magarini, Banissa, and Malava.
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