{"id":140933,"date":"2026-05-13T17:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/iebc-vows-action-against-electoral-code-violations-ahead-of-thursday-by-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T17:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:02:49","slug":"iebc-vows-action-against-electoral-code-violations-ahead-of-thursday-by-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/iebc-vows-action-against-electoral-code-violations-ahead-of-thursday-by-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"IEBC vows action against Electoral Code violations ahead of Thursday by-elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 \u2014 The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warned on Wednesday that it will take firm disciplinary action against any polling officials who violate the electoral code of conduct, as it confirmed full preparedness for the by-elections scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The polls will fill three vacant elective positions, including the Member of National Assembly seat for Emurua Dikirr Constituency in Narok County, as well as County Assembly seats for Porro Ward in Samburu County and Endo Ward in Elgeyo Marakwet County.<\/p>\n

The Emurua Dikirr seat fell vacant following the death of area MP Johanna Ngeno, who perished in a helicopter crash in Mosop on February 28.<\/p>\n

IEBC said all critical preparations for the polls are complete, including procurement and dispatch of election materials, receipt of ballot papers, gazettement of candidates and polling stations, and configuration and testing of KIEMS kits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge all stakeholders, including political parties, candidates, agents, the media, and voters, to respect the law, uphold peace before, during and after polling, and refrain from any actions that may compromise the secrecy or integrity of the vote,\u201d IEBC Chairperson Edung Ethekon said.<\/p>\n

The Commission added that election officials have already undergone training covering professionalism, integrity, voter assistance procedures, polling operations, and results management to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise.<\/p>\n

IEBC further confirmed that campaigns officially closed on Monday, May 11, at 6pm, in line with the electoral timetable, warning that any continued campaigning or voter engagement is strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n

On polling day procedures, the Commission said voting will begin at 6am and close at 5pm, with all voters in the queue by closing time allowed to cast their ballots.<\/p>\n

Biometric identification will be conducted using KIEMS kits, while the Register of Voters will be displayed at polling stations for public verification.<\/p>\n

\nIEBC secures Sh2.9bn in Supplementary Budget to pay pending bills<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

The electoral agency also reiterated strict rules governing conduct at polling stations, including a ban on photographing marked ballot papers, which it said constitutes an election offence punishable by fines of up to Sh1 million, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.<\/p>\n

Unauthorised \u2018super agents\u2019<\/h2>\n

IEBC further reminded political parties that each is entitled to one agent per polling station and one chief agent per candidate at tallying centres, warning against the use of unauthorized \u201csuper agents\u201d or the presence of unaccredited persons within polling stations.<\/p>\n

Voters requiring assistance will be allowed to choose one assistant, subject to official recording, while state and public officers who are registered voters must vote only at their designated polling stations and are barred from moving between stations.<\/p>\n

On security, IEBC said it will work with the National Police Service to deploy at least two police officers per polling station, with additional officers stationed at tallying centres to ensure law and order throughout the process.<\/p>\n

After polls close, Presiding Officers will count and tabulate results at polling stations in the presence of agents, observers, and the media, with results forms displayed publicly for transparency. Returning Officers will then verify, collate, and announce constituency-level results.<\/p>\n

IEBC emphasized that any polling official found breaching the electoral code or the Election Offences Act will face firm disciplinary action, underscoring its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.<\/p>\n

The Commission also urged all stakeholders\u2014including candidates, parties, agents, media, and voters\u2014to respect the law, maintain peace, and uphold electoral integrity before, during, and after the polls.<\/p>\n

The by-elections are part of a wider mid-term electoral cycle that has seen IEBC manage rising costs, with the Commission recently seeking an additional Sh59.38 million for the Emurua Dikirr contest, bringing total expenditure on recent and upcoming by-elections to hundreds of millions of shillings.<\/p>\n

IEBC reaffirmed its commitment to delivering peaceful, transparent, and credible by-elections across all three electoral areas.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 \u2014 The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warned on Wednesday that it will take firm disciplinary action against any polling officials who violate the electoral code of conduct, as it confirmed full preparedness for the by-elections scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026. The polls will fill three vacant elective positions, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140933\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}