The IEBC has frozen the procurement of ballot papers and other election materials after a bidder or other interested party moved to challenge the tender before the public procurement review body.
Acting IEBC Commission Secretary and CEO Ruth Kulundu said the commission stopped the process on September 29, 2026, following a request for review filed at the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board.
The tender involves the production and supply of ballot papers, tactile folders, the register of voters and statutory forms that will be used in declaring election results.
“Proceedings for the aforementioned tender have been suspended until further notice following a notification of request for Review filed at the Public Procurement Administration Review Board.”
The commission has not named the party behind the review or given details of the complaints or issues it has raised over the procurement.
The decision comes at a time when IEBC is working on several preparations for the 2027 General Election. The procurement of materials is one of the steps that must be completed ahead of polling, as the items have to be prepared, produced, checked and moved to polling centres across the country.
The suspension means the companies interested in supplying the materials will have to wait for further communication from the electoral agency as the review process continues.
Kulundu asked prospective suppliers to keep checking the official platforms for information on the tender.
“Prospective bidders are advised to regularly monitor the Public Procurement Information Portal and the Commission's website for any further updates or communication regarding the tender,” Kulundu said.
A request for review filed before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board can stop a procurement process while the dispute is being handled.
IEBC has not indicated when the tender will resume or when a decision will be made on the next stage of the procurement.
Ballot paper specifications
The suspended tender includes the production of ballot papers with security measures intended to make them difficult to fake, copy or replace.
IEBC estimates that as many as 180 million ballot papers may be needed for the 2027 polls covering the six elective positions.
The commission expects the number of polling stations to rise from 46,229 recorded in 2022 to about 55,000. The number of registered voters is also projected to reach 28.4 million.
Seven categories of ballot papers are provided for in the specifications, including a referendum ballot if one is required.
The presidential ballot will have a white background, while National Assembly papers will be green. Senate ballots will be yellow, MCA ballots brown, county woman representative ballots purple, gubernatorial ballots sky blue and referendum papers grey.
Candidates’ passport-size photographs and referendum symbols will be required to measure at least 20mm by 20mm.
The ballot papers will contain a number of security features. These include a watermark placed in the paper during manufacturing and an IEBC logo that can only be seen under ultraviolet light.
The papers will also be designed to show the word ‘Copy’ across a reproduced ballot if it is photocopied or scanned.
Other features listed in the tender include guilloche patterns made from complex lines, micro-text, embossed details and unique QR codes carrying variable information.
The papers will further have tapered serial numbers printed using multi-coloured ink and will be perforated.
Their size will depend on the number of candidates contesting a particular seat.
Presidential and gubernatorial ballot papers will be A4 where there are between two and six candidates, with larger sizes provided for contests involving more candidates.
The ballot papers for Senate, National Assembly, county woman representative and MCA positions will also increase in size depending on the number of candidates.
Each ballot booklet will contain papers matching the number of registered voters at the polling station.
Apart from ballot papers, the tender covers tactile folders intended to assist voters with visual disabilities, the register of voters and statutory election result declaration forms.
The register will be used to identify voters eligible to take part in the election, while the statutory forms will be used during the declaration and transmission of results.
The suspension now places the procurement on hold as the review process is considered, with the 2027 elections less than 10 months away.