The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has revealed the official ballot paper colours that will guide voters during the 2027 General Election.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Through images obtained by  Kenyans.co.ke on August 12, the same six colours used in previous elections will remain unchanged come 2027. This means voters already familiar with the system will not need to relearn anything new at the polling station.

The Presidential ballot will remain white, a colour Kenyans have grown accustomed to since 2013. It has become almost symbolic, representing the highest office in the land during every election cycle.

The Governor ballot follows, and it maintains the sky-blue colour, while the Senator ballot remains yellow. The Woman Representative ballot will still be purple, keeping the pattern voters have used for over a decade.

📌 What You Need to Know

Meanwhile, the Member of the National Assembly (MP) ballot continues to be green, and the Member of the County Assembly (MCA) ballot remains beige or brown.

In this regard, this means that during the voting process, each colour will be matched to its corresponding ballot box lid to avoid confusion.

This colour-matching system has been in place since the promulgation of the new Constitution in August 2010. It was designed specifically to help voters identify the right box for the right seat, since the new constitutional dispensation introduced more seats that Kenyans had to be familiarised with.

Between 2013 and 2022, these six colours were used consistently across three general elections. The consistency helped reduce stray votes, especially in areas with lower literacy levels.

However, before 2010, Kenya's electoral landscape looked very different, with only three elective positions instead of six. The devolved system had not yet been introduced, meaning fewer seats and fewer ballots to manage.

For instance, during the 2007 General Election, the then Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) used only three ballot colours. The Presidential ballot was white or off-white, the Parliamentary ballot was green, and the Civic ballot for councillors was blue.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke