Deputy President Kithure Kindiki speaking during the 15th Development Partnership Forum at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi, on September 16, 2026/ DPCS
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has assured development partners and the international community that Kenya will hold free, fair and verifiable elections in 2027, saying the government will adhere to the Constitution and electoral laws.
Kindiki said the presidential and general elections would be held on schedule and without shortcuts as required by the country’s constitutional order.
“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.
He spoke on Wednesday when he co-chaired the 15th Development Partnership Forum with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Garry Conille and Germany’s Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, representatives of international and humanitarian agencies and members of independent offices and commissions also attended.
Kindiki urged development partners interested in supporting democracy and elections to engage through established procedures and channels.
“There will be no compromise on the credibility of the election,” he said.
Kindiki said partners could support the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, civil society organisations or participate as election observers.
He also maintained that Kenyans would continue to enjoy constitutional freedoms as the country approaches the polls.
“Kenya is a very vibrant democracy. We take a lot of pride in our democratic credentials,” Kindiki said, adding that the country allows open engagement through traditional and social media.
Mudavadi backed the assurance, saying Kenya had an established tradition of holding elections within the constitutional timetable.
“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.
Kindiki’s latest remarks come after a series of assurances from senior government officials on the conduct of the 2027 election. In May, he said President William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration would not interfere with the electoral process and that the decision of voters should be respected.
The Deputy President has also recently said the government would seek to retain power in 2027 based on its development record, as political activity around the election intensifies.
Beyond the elections, Kindiki asked development partners to support preparations for forecast El Nino rains expected from October.
He said the government had established a multi-agency preparedness team and would engage partners on ways of strengthening efforts to minimise losses and damage.
“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.
The forum focused on youth and development, with Kindiki calling for development partnerships to translate into employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, access to finance, innovation and participation in the digital economy.
He cited government programmes including National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement, Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation, Kazi Kwa Ground, Kazi Mtandaoni and Kazi Majuu as initiatives supporting youth employment and enterprise opportunities.
“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.