Murkomen unveils election security preparations for 2027 polls
By Faith Lagat, May 15, 2026Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has outlined a raft of security and administrative measures aimed at ensuring peaceful, credible, and verifiable elections ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
Speaking after a consultative meeting with officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Murkomen said the Ministry of Interior and National Administration had intensified preparations through coordinated voter registration support, security planning, and conflict management initiatives.
“The Ministry and IEBC have a standing inter-agency coordinating mechanism that ensures effective voter registration and the delivery of peaceful, credible and verifiable elections,” Murkomen stated.
Strengthening voter registration
Murkomen said the ministry had already supported the IEBC during the recently concluded Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration (ECVR) exercise, which registered more than 2.3 million new voters across the country. He added that the ministry also facilitated successful by-elections through support from security agencies and National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs).
The Interior CS noted that the ministry remains responsible for critical election-related functions, including registration and issuance of identification documents, maintenance of law and order during campaigns and polling, and logistical support during elections.
He further announced that the National Election Security Plan (NESP 2027) had already been developed and was awaiting formal adoption.
“We will also fast-track registration and issuance of ID cards before the next mass voter registration exercise, strengthen conflict management and peace building initiatives and intensify crackdown on criminal gangs,” Murkomen said.
The high-level meeting brought together senior officials from both the Ministry of Interior and the IEBC as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
Murkomen was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Raymond Omollo of Internal Security and National Administration and Belio Kipsang of Immigration and Citizen Services.
Others present included Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Deputy Inspectors General Eliud Lagat of the Kenya Police Service and Gilbert Masengeli of the Administration Police Service, as well as Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin.
The IEBC delegation was led by Chairperson Erastus Ethekon and Vice Chairperson Fahima Araphat Abdallah. Acting Chief Executive Officer and Commission Secretary Moses Sunkuli, commissioners, and senior staff also attended.
IEBC warns politicians
The meeting comes amid growing concerns over election-related violence and the mobilisation of criminal gangs during political activities.
“As a country we are faced with challenges… like the issue of our young people sometimes participating in this phenomenon called ‘goonism’ and joining these criminal gangs and being mobilised by political actors,” he said.
He said the commission would address both political leaders recruiting gangs and the economic vulnerabilities exposing young people to exploitation.
“We as IEBC are clear on this issue… we need to deal decisively with this issue,” Ethekon added.
The IEBC chairperson said the commission was prepared to invoke its constitutional powers against individuals linked to violence to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The Interior Ministry and IEBC reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration as the country prepares for the 2027 polls, with both institutions emphasising the need for peaceful campaigns, secure voting processes, and credible election outcomes.