Poll losers in the 2027 General Election could benefit from the 12 National Assembly and 20 Senate nomination slots if a proposed amendment becomes law ahead of next year’s polls.

📋 Breaking It Down

Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda seeks to have the electoral law changed to allow outfits submit their party-lists after the General Election.

Under the current law, parties are required to submit their lists before the polls. The provision means that those who participate in elections are disqualified from having their names submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for consideration for the slots.

Amending the law implies that those who unsuccessfully run for various seats would still have a fighting chance for the nomination slots. In the Senate, there are 12 slots: 16 reserved for women, 2 for youth (one man and one woman), and 2 for persons with disabilities (one man and one woman).

📌 What You Need to Know

The 12 seats in the National Assembly are reserved for special interests, including youth, persons with disabilities and workers. The distribution of the seats is guided by the principle of proportional representation, meaning parties with more elected members grab more slots.

More nomination slots are in the 47 county assemblies. The country currently has 772 nominated Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). The number is determined by two-third rule, meaning more nomination slots in the event the requirement is not met in the 1450 directly elected MCAs.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson, Erastus Ethekon.

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“I am proposing a straightforward reform to the timing of party-list nominations for Members of Parliament, Senators and County Assembly representatives.”

“In simple terms, all party-list nominations should be conducted and the final names submitted after the General Election,” says Mr Jhanda.

📰 Source: Nation Africa