Kenya will conduct its 2027 presidential and general elections within the constitutional timetable and without shortcuts, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has told development partners, as the government seeks to assure the international community of a credible electoral process.
Kindiki said the government would respect the Constitution and electoral laws, insisting that there would be no compromise over the credibility of the elections.
“There will be no compromise on the credibility of the election,” he said.
The Deputy President gave the assurance on Wednesday during the 15th Development Partnership Forum held at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi, where he co-chaired the meeting with United Nations Resident Coordinator Garry Conille and Germany's Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth.
“We want to assure our partners that the Government of Kenya under President Ruto believes in democracy, rule of law and all the other things that underpin our constitutional order. We want to assure the world that Kenya will have free, fair and verifiable elections next year,” Kindiki said.
The forum brought together Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, representatives of international and humanitarian agencies and members of independent offices and commissions.
Kindiki encouraged development partners seeking to support Kenya's democratic and electoral processes to use the existing procedures and channels.
He said such support could be directed towards the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, civil society organisations or election observation activities.
The Deputy President also assured Kenyans and the international community that constitutional freedoms would remain in place as the country heads towards the polls.
“Kenya is a very vibrant democracy. We take a lot of pride in our democratic credentials,” Kindiki said, noting that the country provides room for open engagement through traditional and social media.
Mudavadi said the government's position was consistent with Kenya's established practice of holding elections within the period provided for by the Constitution.
“We have had a tradition of ensuring our elections are held on schedule. We do not intend to breach the tradition we have already established. We will have elections on schedule and will be constitutional,” he said.
The remarks come as political activity around the 2027 elections gathers pace, with senior government officials continuing to give assurances about the electoral process.
In May, Kindiki said President William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration would not interfere with the elections and that the choice made by voters should be respected.
The Deputy President has in recent weeks also said the administration would seek another term in 2027 by pointing to its development record.
Kindiki's message to development partners also extended to disaster preparedness, with the Deputy President seeking assistance ahead of forecast El Nino rains expected from October.
He said the government had formed a multi-agency preparedness team and would work with its partners to strengthen measures aimed at limiting losses and damage caused by the rains.
“I call upon the development partners to see whether they can re-programme some of their resources around humanitarian and resilience programmes to help us converge efforts on preparations to mitigate loss and damage,” he said.
Youth development was another key issue at the forum, with Kindiki calling for partnerships that would help young people secure employment, start businesses, gain skills, access financing, embrace innovation and participate in the digital economy.
He pointed to National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement, Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation, Kazi Kwa Ground, Kazi Mtandaoni and Kazi Majuu as some of the government programmes intended to expand employment and business opportunities for young people.
“We are advancing an employment strategy designed to equip young people with relevant skills, expand access to jobs and enterprise opportunities, and position them to participate meaningfully in Kenya’s economic transformation,” Kindiki said.