Kenya High Court rules on IEBC tallying legality and boundary reviews

The High Court of Kenya is addressing critical legal challenges regarding the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ahead of the August 10, 2027, General Election.

In one matter, the High Court is set to rule on February 25, 2027, regarding the IEBC's failure to conduct a mandatory review of constituency and ward boundaries. Petitioner Philip Kipkemoi Langat argues that the commission failed to fulfill its constitutional duty under Article 89, noting that the last review was gazetted in 2012 and the subsequent review period expired in March 2024. The court must determine if any resulting boundary changes can legally be implemented in time for the 2027 polls.

In a separate ruling, Justice Gregory Mutai dismissed a petition challenging the legality of the IEBC's national tallying centre. The petition, filed by political leaders including Okiya Omtatah and Kalonzo Musyoka, argued against the necessity of national aggregation. The judge upheld the centre's legality, stating that presidential elections require a national vantage point to verify the '50 plus 1' and '24 county' thresholds. However, the court barred the IEBC from altering constituency-level presidential results and ruled that if discrepancies arise, the results declared at the polling station level should prevail.