IEBC Outlines Strict Rules for Independent Candidates Ahead of 2025 By-Elections

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines for the upcoming by-elections scheduled for Thursday, November 27, 2025.
In a press statement released by IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethokon, the Commission outlined that the campaign period for the by-elections will officially commence on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, and end on Monday, November 24, 2025, just 48 hours before polling day.
IEBC further noted that campaign activities during this period will strictly run from 7am to 6pm daily. The Commission urged candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and in line with electoral laws.
Kenyans seeking to contest the mini-elections as independent candidates will be required to obtain and submit a clearance certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties. The certificate must confirm that they have not been members of any political party for at least three months before the by-election date.
Independent candidates will also be required tosubmit their preferred name and symbol to the Commissionon or before Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
“The submission is to be made in the prescribed Forms 11N and 11P of the schedule to the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012, in an electronic and print format, and shall be delivered at Anniversary Towers, 21st Floor, between 8am and 5pm (templates attached),” Ethukon directed in part.
According to IEBC, the submissions should be delivered to Anniversary Towers, 21st Floor, between 8am and 5pm.
“The Commission shall, after approval of the symbol submitted by an independent candidate, publish in the Gazette the approved symbols at least 14 days before the nomination or registration of candidates,” the statement read.
The Commission has also scheduled a pre-nomination and registration meeting with all aspirants for Friday, October 3, 2025. The meeting will be convened by the respective Returning Officers to provide further clarification on nomination requirements.
For those contesting Senate by-elections as independent candidates, they will be required to present a duly filled nomination form, a list of at least 2,000 registered voters from the county with theirsignatures and identification details, and copies of the supporters’ national identity cards.
Candidates eyeing National Assembly seats will be required to submit a duly filled nomination form, a list of at least 1,000 registered voters from the constituency with their signatures and identification details, and copies of their identity cards.
In the case of County Assembly by-elections, independent candidates are expected to present a duly filled nomination form, a list of at least 500 registered voters from the ward with their signatures and identification details, along with copies of the supporters’ identity cards.
Additionally, all independent candidates are required to submit the names of their agents at least 14 days before the by-election date. This will allow IEBC sufficient time to process the details and train the agents.
IEBC further emphasised that the Electoral Code of Conduct shall apply from the date of publication of the by-election notice until the swearing-in of the elected candidates.
The Commission’s dispute resolution committee will handle disputes between October 8 and October 17, 2025, while the Electoral Code of Conduct Committee will determine cases relating to breaches of the Code until the gazettement of elected leaders.