Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice chair Fahima Araphat Abdallah has promised that the commission is doing all it can to ensure that the 2027 general election will be a fair and transparent process.
Fahima made the promise during the 2026 Diaspora Trade & Investment Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The annual event is organised by the Association of Kenya Diaspora Organisations Incorporated (AKDOI).
“The IEBC strategic plan, which is a blueprint for delivering a transparent and inclusive and credible electoral process,” Fahima told the attendees.
“We know elections are not a one-day event; however, all the events from the voter registration to education, stakeholder engagement and dispute regulation must be done.”
“We will walk with you, and we request you to walk with us in order to ensure we get it right,” she added.
Fahima reiterated the commission’s plan to deepen democracy in the country and added that while doing this, they will include everyone in the process.
“The advantage that we have is that the chair has both public and private experience. We sat down as a team, and we said that we must come up with a very nice theme; democracy already exists in Kenya, but how are we going to deepen it?” she stated.
“Many a time, people look at our mandate of just conducting the elections, and we forget about boundary delimitations. However, we are ready and prepared to ensure that as we do everything, we are including everyone.”
Role of diaspora community
Fahima further reiterated the immense role the diaspora plays and said the community is expected to play a crucial role in helping Kenya achieve its democratic goals.
“The diaspora community is an integral part of our nation, not only in remittances and investment but also in our democratic governance,” the IEBC chief continued.
“You people here are exposed to a first-world country and economy, so we are looking forward to how we can be innovative and share the exposure and experience in improving systems back at home.”
The IEBC will be in the public limelight as the temperatures around the 2027 elections rise each day.
