IEBC Breaks Silence on Reports It Will Stop Live Election Coverage in 2027

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed reports that it plans to stop the live streaming of election results during the 2027 General Election.

IEBC Chairman Erastus Ethekon said the commission has neither made a decision nor submitted any proposal to Parliament seeking to stop the live streaming of election processes.

Speaking during a public participation forum on the Draft Election Campaign Financing Regulations 2026, Ethekon said the reports were misleading and could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

Ethekon said the commission remains committed to transparency and accountability and would not restrict the media from monitoring and reporting on election processes.

“I would like to assure the people of Kenya that there is nothing like that whatsoever,” Ethekon said.

He added that the IEBC would be the last institution to make a decision that limits the media’s ability to scrutinise its work.

“At IEBC, this commission stands for transparency and accountability, and we will be the last people to make any decision or any proposals to stifle the freedom of the media to check what we are doing, including live streaming of the election processes,” he said.

The chairman challenged those behind the reports to explain the source of the information.

“Whoever manufactured that story, we need to know where they found those stories from,” he said.

IEBC Defends Partnership With Media

Ethekon said the IEBC has continued to work closely with media organisations to promote public awareness and transparency during elections.

He recalled that the commission recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kenya Media Sector Working Group, which brings together organisations including the Kenya Union of Journalists and the Kenya Editors Guild.

According to Ethekon, the partnership allows the media to scrutinise the commission’s activities and help educate Kenyans about the electoral process.

“We signed an MOU in front of the media that, among other things, enables us to collaborate and partner with the media, for the media to scrutinise, for the media to work with us to ensure that we educate and inform Kenyans on all the processes that we are undertaking as a commission,” he said.

He said the media had also played an important role during recent by-elections by covering activities at polling stations and tallying centres.

“The media has been there, and they have been a very important partner to us in informing and showing Kenyans every process,” Ethekon said.

He assured the media that it would continue to have access to election processes under the current commission.

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The Commission Begins Final Consultations on Campaign Financing

The chairman spoke as the IEBC began what he described as the final stages of public participation on the Draft Election Campaign Financing Regulations 2026.

The regulations are intended to operationalise the Election Campaign Financing Act, which has been in place since 2013.

Ethekon said the commission is required to finalise, approve and gazette the regulations before they can be implemented ahead of the 2027 General Election.

“We are gathered here for the public participation; I think the final stages of public participation on the draft election campaign financing regulations 2026,” he said.

He explained that the consultation will also consider proposed contribution and spending limits for political parties and candidates.

New Rules to Track Campaign Money

The proposed regulations seek to provide a clear framework for how political parties and candidates raise, receive, spend and report campaign funds.

Ethekon said candidates and political parties would be required to have specific campaign financing accounts to allow the commission to monitor the resources used during campaigns.

The regulations will also provide a framework for recording and reporting contributions and donations received by candidates and political parties.

The IEBC also intends to strengthen the disclosure and auditing of campaign finances so that Kenyans can know how much money was raised, where it came from and how it was spent.

The proposed framework will further provide mechanisms for compliance, enforcement and dispute resolution.

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New Spending Limits Proposed for 2027 Elections

The commission is also consulting stakeholders on proposed contribution and spending limits.

Ethekon said the limits are aimed at promoting fairness, transparency and accountability while creating a level playing field for candidates and political parties.

“These limits also seek to ensure that electoral outcomes are determined by the free will of the people rather than by the disproportionate influence of financial resources,” he said.

He explained that excessive campaign spending could influence voters and undermine the constitutional principles governing elections.

“If we let money distort the will of the people, then we will be running against the Constitution and the principles enshrined in that Constitution,” Ethekon said.

However, he noted that the limits should not prevent political parties and candidates from effectively communicating their policies, programmes and manifestos.

Open Consultation Promised Ahead of 2027 Elections

Ethekon said the proposed regulations and spending limits remain in draft form and that the commission had not made a final decision.

“We are here with an open mind,” he said, adding that the IEBC was seeking views from political parties, candidates, civil society, religious organisations, the media and other stakeholders.

The chairman said the commission would consolidate the views collected from different parts of the country before finalising the regulations.

He said the IEBC must strike a balance between allowing candidates to conduct meaningful campaigns and preventing money from having a disproportionate influence on electoral outcomes.

“We don’t want to constrain them, but at the same time we don’t want them to overwhelm the electorate with perhaps a lot of money to influence the electoral outcomes,” he said.

August Deadline Set for Campaign Financing Rules

Ethekon said the commission is working within a tight timeline as the 2027 General Election approaches.

He noted that the current commissioners have been in office for about one year and two weeks and that the election is now less than a year away.

Once the consultations are completed, the IEBC plans to approve the regulations, gazette them and submit them to Parliament’s Committee on Delegated Legislation.

The commission will then prepare for their implementation ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We hope that this time, through this process, we shall overcome those challenges and we shall implement these regulations in the coming elections of 2027,” Ethekon said.

He urged Kenyans and other stakeholders to participate openly and constructively in the consultations, saying their views would help the commission develop a practical and credible campaign financing framework.

Election Misinformation Condemned Ahead of 2027

Ethekon also condemned what he described as misinformation and propaganda surrounding the commission’s election plans.

He warned that information that undermines confidence in the integrity of elections should be treated seriously.

He maintained that the IEBC remains committed to working with the media and other stakeholders to ensure Kenyans are informed about the electoral process.

The chairman said the commission would communicate to Kenyans on how results would be accessed and transmitted when the time comes.

“Our result transmission, when the time comes, we will communicate to Kenyans on how they will get their results, and they will be there with us as partners,” he said.

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Photo collage of Chief Justice Martha Koome and Other Stakeholders during the attendance to the meeting chaired by IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon in Mombasa on July 28
PHOTO/IEBC