No Degree Required to Run in 2027
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IEBC Clarifies Degree Requirement Won’t Apply to 2027 Candidates

September 2026

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says Kenyans without university degrees can still run for president, governor or Member of Parliament in the 2027 General Election. IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu made the clarification during a Sunday night interview on Citizen TV, ending days of confusion over academic qualifications for elective office.

Nderitu said the position follows a court decision striking down the degree clause in the Elections Act. “As we start now, there is no requirement for a degree for anybody. That’s the situation we are in,” she said.

Why the Court Struck It Down

The dispute traces back to a petition filed before the 2022 election challenging Section 22B(1) of the Elections Act, which demanded university degrees from presidential, parliamentary and gubernatorial hopefuls. Nderitu explained that judges found the rule shut out the vast majority of citizens. She said the ruling effectively meant “the rest of the Kenyan 96.5 per cent cannot participate in elections for governor, for president and for member of parliament”, which the court deemed discriminatory.

Beyond the numbers, Kenyans.co.ke’s report adds that the court also found the process used to introduce the degree rule failed to meet the public participation threshold required under Article 10 of the Constitution. That procedural gap, not just the fairness question, is part of why judges threw the requirement out.

Nderitu was careful to note this isn’t necessarily permanent. She told Citizen TV that a degree requirement could return, but only through proper legislation with genuine public participation. Aspirants would still need to meet other constitutional and statutory conditions, such as citizenship and age, to qualify.

A Fight IEBC Has Had Before

This isn’t the first time the commission has wrestled with this exact question. People Daily’s coverage recalls that when IEBC first tried enforcing degree requirements years back, the directive sparked outrage among politicians, particularly senators, who accused the electoral body of trying to lock out ordinary Kenyans from leadership. That backlash pushed Parliament to pass the Elections (Amendment) Bill of 2021, sponsored by then-Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, which stripped out the MP and MCA degree threshold with strong Senate support.

Lawmakers at the time argued that voters, not academic certificates, should decide who leads. Some senators went further, arguing the requirement penalised capable leaders from communities with less access to higher education. That same argument is resurfacing now, with the added twist that this time the courts, not Parliament, forced the commission’s hand.

Education Advocates Push Back

Not everyone welcomes the clarity. IEBC’s own National Steering Committee Chairperson Evans Masiti has previously pressed lawmakers to set clear, transparent academic standards for candidates rather than leave the field open. Education-focused outlets argue the ruling risks sending the wrong message about the value Kenya places on education, especially given the scale of responsibility handed to lawmakers and governors.

Supporters of the no-degree stance counter that leadership skill and academic paper are not the same thing, and that barring millions of citizens from contesting office undermines the constitutional right to political participation. Neither side has produced fresh polling on where ordinary voters stand, and neither Nderitu nor Masiti has proposed specific new wording for a future bill.

What Happens Next

For now, aspirants without degrees can start organising campaigns without fear of being cleared out at nomination stage. Kenya Times notes that the Constitution does not itself prescribe a university degree but leaves room for Parliament to set educational requirements through legislation, meaning the door isn’t permanently closed.

Whether Parliament actually takes up that invitation before nominations open remains the open question. Given how quickly the 2021 attempt collapsed under political pressure, anyone watching this space should expect another round of the same argument long before ballots are printed for 2027.

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