Kenya’s electoral commission has been ordered to revise its multibillion-shilling election technology tender after a procurement review found that parts of the bidding document were unclear and could undermine fair competition.
The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) directed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to correct and clarify the disputed sections before issuing a new tender for the Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS).
The ruling follows a challenge by Galadirel Investment Limited, which questioned several aspects of the procurement process. The dispute comes less than a year before Kenya’s 2027 General Election, placing renewed attention on how the technology that will support the vote is acquired.
Board flags gaps in tender requirements
The tender, identified as IEBC/OIT/01/2026–2027, covers the supply, installation, testing, commissioning, support and maintenance of the IEMS, along with related hardware and equipment.
The review board found problems with some of the technical requirements and evaluation criteria, including provisions concerning hardware and technology ownership.
Recent reporting on the decision also identified incomplete instructions and uncertainty over how some technical requirements would be scored.
The board said tender documents must give bidders a clear understanding of what is required and how their proposals will be assessed.
It warned that uncertainty in the process could affect the constitutional principles governing public procurement, including transparency, fairness, equality and competitiveness.
IEBC must issue a fresh tender
The board did not order the commission to scrap the procurement altogether.
Instead, it directed IEBC to review, correct and amend the document before publishing a compliant tender. Potential bidders must then be given enough time to study the changes and prepare their submissions.
That period cannot be shorter than seven days, according to the ruling.
The board also allowed IEBC to seek technical assistance from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) during the review.
But it made clear that the electoral commission remains responsible for determining the technical specifications of the election system.
Challenge came amid claims of a preferred supplier
The tender had already attracted political and industry scrutiny, with allegations that its specifications could favour South Korean election technology company Miru Systems.
IEBC has rejected those claims. Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the specifications were generic and performance-based and that no company had been selected because the procurement was still at an early stage.
The review board also stopped short of finding that the tender had been designed to favour Miru Systems. It upheld some of Galadirel’s complaints while rejecting others, including challenges relating to the tender security and alleged preferential treatment.
New scrutiny of preparations for 2027
The procurement dispute adds another challenge for IEBC as it prepares for the August 2027 election.
The commission has said the technology procurement is part of preparations to support the electoral process, while critics have called for greater transparency around the systems that will handle sensitive election data.
IEBC has also confirmed that the disputed technology tender was temporarily halted following the request for review.
The latest ruling allows the process to continue, but only after the identified shortcomings have been addressed.
The focus now shifts to how quickly IEBC can amend and reissue the tender without compromising the time needed to procure, install and test the election technology before voters go to the polls.
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