IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu has urged Kenyans to reject attempts to recruit or hire them to perpetrate electoral violence ahead of the 2027 General Election, saying preventing violence requires collective responsibility beyond the electoral agency and security agencies.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Sunday, Nderitu said Kenyans should refuse to be used to harm others, arguing that electoral violence is often carried out by citizens who are mobilised for that purpose.
“This virus is not perpetrated by strangers or people coming outside this country,” she said.
“It’s a young person here and there, another person not necessarily young who is mobilized actually to cause violence.”
Her remarks come as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission activates key electoral rules following the gazettement of the electoral period and timelines for the 2027 General Election.
Nderitu said the gazettement had placed the country in a “heightened period” of election-related activity and would require institutions to step up preparations for the polls scheduled for August 10, 2027.
She said the activation of the electoral period also means the Electoral Code of Conduct is now in force, allowing the commission to intensify enforcement against those who breach its provisions.
“Therefore, we shall be more keen. We shall be more intentional. We shall activate all our gears and everything that needs to be activated to make sure that we are getting to the bottom of people who are actually breaching the electoral code of conduct,” she said.
She called on Kenyans to take personal responsibility and resist political actors who seek to exploit them during the election period.
“Why can’t we also vow and say, I am not going to be hired to cause any violence. I am not going to be involved in causing electoral violence or any violence because this is my country, and I also want a peaceful election,” she said.
Nderitu said IEBC could not prevent electoral violence on its own and called for cooperation between citizens, security agencies and other institutions responsible for maintaining peace.
“We cannot leave it to IEBC alone. We can also not leave it to the security agencies alone,” she said, adding that Kenyans should “call each other out” when they witness attempts to organise violence.
She said the commission was working with security agencies through its Election Security Arrangement Programme to identify potential threats and act before violence occurs.
Nderitu said early warning systems would be critical in preventing attacks, explaining that information about planned violence should trigger measures to “abort the missions of people who want to cause violence”.
She added that where violence amounts to a criminal offence, perpetrators should face prosecution, noting that such acts violate not only electoral laws but also citizens’ rights.
On whether violence could lead to an election being stopped or cancelled, Nderitu did not announce a blanket cancellation mechanism.
She said the commission's focus was on early intervention, security coordination and enforcement of the Electoral Code of Conduct to ensure elections proceed peacefully.
Under Kenya's electoral law, the IEBC has powers in specified circumstances to postpone an election where election offences make it impossible to proceed or where there is reason to believe a serious breach of peace is likely.
The Electoral Code of Conduct also allows sanctions against political parties, candidates and other participants involved in violence or intimidation, including possible cancellation of a political party's right to participate in an election or disqualification of a candidate by the relevant authority or court.