Kenya
East Africa · ke
Presidential republic with a two-round-contingent presidential rule: a first-round winner needs more than half of all votes and at least 25% in more than half of the 47 counties. Parliamentary and county seats use first-past-the-post plus constitutionally specified party-list seats.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
Kenyan voters choose six offices at a general election: president, National Assembly member, woman county representative, senator, governor and county-assembly member. IEBC manages biometric registration, paper ballots, electronic voter identification and transmission of result images. The Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction over presidential-election petitions.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Voter-initiated
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Not available
- Early voting
- Not available
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Citizens register in person using a national identity card or Kenyan passport and biometric data. Diaspora registration and voting are limited to designated countries and offices authorized by law; prisoners have also been registered for the presidential contest. There is no general postal or online ballot.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1963Expansion
Independence elections were conducted on universal adult suffrage.
Constitution of Kenya - 1991Expansion
The repeal of the one-party constitutional provision restored legal multiparty competition.
Constitution of Kenya - 2010Reform
The constitution created the current devolved electoral system, the IEBC and a strengthened presidential threshold and dispute framework.
Constitution of Kenya - 2017Reform
The Supreme Court annulled the August presidential result and ordered a fresh election, establishing that serious illegality and irregularity can invalidate a national result without proof that each defect changed the numerical winner.
Presidential Election Petition No. 1 of 2017
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Judicial challenge only
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
KIEMS devices identify voters, but marked paper ballots and polling-station forms are the primary records. Agents and observers may attend polling and counting, result forms are transmitted and published, and courts can order scrutiny or recount during petitions.
Worth knowing
- The 2027 general election is scheduled for 10 August, the second Tuesday in August in the fifth year as required by the constitution.Election Operation Plan 2025–2027
- The EU's 2025 follow-up mission found limited tangible progress at that point on its 2022 recommendations and identified several time-sensitive reforms for 2027.EU Election Follow-Up Mission final report for Kenya 2025
- The Supreme Court annulled the August 2017 presidential result for constitutional and legal noncompliance, then upheld the separately challenged fresh election held in October.2017 presidential-election judgments
Elections in the database
- 2027Kenya 2027 General ElectionElection Watch
- 2017Kenya 2017 Presidential Election and Fresh Election
People
- Election officialErastus Edung EthekonChairperson of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
- Party leaderRaila Odinga
- Head of stateUhuru KenyattaFormer President of Kenya
Sources
- Election Operation Plan 2025–2027— Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya
- European Union Election Observation Mission Kenya 2022 final report— European External Action Service
- Constitution of Kenya— Kenya Law Reform Commission
- Kenya 2017 General and Presidential Elections final report— The Carter Center