Kenya’s electoral history is one that has been marked by both triumphs and turbulence. While the country has made significant strides in entrenching democratic governance, its elections have often been overshadowed by disputes, questions of credibility, and at times, post-election instability. As the nation looks towards the 2027 General Elections, it is imperative that every tool available to strengthen transparency and integrity be deployed. Among these tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as a frontier technology with immense potential to address the perennial challenges that have afflicted our electoral processes.

Artificial Intelligence is best understood as the ability of machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as analysing data, identifying patterns, making predictions, and even engaging in natural language processing. Its utility in elections lies not in replacing human decision-making, but in augmenting the capacity of institutions such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to deliver a process that is efficient, transparent, and credible. The deployment of AI in the Kenyan electoral context can be considered across several dimensions.

A credible election begins with a credible register of voters. Past elections have been plagued by allegations of “ghost voters,” duplicate registrations, and questions over the accuracy of the roll. AI-driven biometric systems can enhance the integrity of voter registration by detecting anomalies, identifying duplicate entries, and continuously monitoring the register against civil registry databases. Machine learning algorithms can flag suspicious registrations in real time, thereby enabling the IEBC to clean the roll more efficiently and with greater accuracy. The IEBC should therefore invest in biometric platforms that integrate with existing civil registries, ensuring that the voter roll is continuously updated and subjected to independent verification.

A second area of focus lies in the digital ecosystem, where disinformation and hate speech have in past elections been weaponised to inflame ethnic tensions and distort public discourse. AI-powered tools can be deployed to monitor social media platforms, flag coordinated disinformation campaigns and detect instances of hate speech across multiple languages and dialects. Natural language processing algorithms can be trained on local vernaculars to identify subtle but incendiary rhetoric. For this to work effectively, the IEBC should forge partnerships with social media platforms, civil society, and fact-checking organisations to ensure that disinformation and hate speech are addressed quickly and transparently, without stifling legitimate political expression.

The logistical complexity of a general election in Kenya cannot be overstated. Ballot materials must be procured, distributed, and secured across 47 counties and over 40,000 polling stations. AI can be applied in optimising these supply chains, predicting bottlenecks, and monitoring the movement of sensitive electoral materials. Similarly, AI-powered predictive analytics can be utilised in security deployment by identifying potential hotspots of tension based on historical data, demographic information, and real-time monitoring of incidents. The IEBC should therefore consider adopting AI-powered logistics management systems that provide real-time visibility of the electoral supply chain, while working closely with security agencies to deploy resources to areas of greatest risk before tensions escalate.

The transmission and tallying of results remain the most contentious phases of Kenya’s electoral process. Here, AI can play a vital role in anomaly detection. Algorithms can be trained to identify irregular voting patterns, such as statistically improbable turnouts, sudden surges in results transmission, or discrepancies between polling station data and constituency tallies. Such systems would not replace human verification but would serve as a powerful audit tool that enhances confidence in the process. In addition, AI-powered blockchain solutions could provide immutable records of results transmission, reducing the risk of manipulation. The IEBC should pilot blockchain-backed transmission platforms integrated with anomaly-detection algorithms, ensuring that all stakeholders can independently verify the authenticity of transmitted results.

The electoral process does not end with the announcement of results. Inevitably, disputes are filed before the courts and tribunals. AI tools can assist the Judiciary in managing this deluge of litigation by streamlining case management, clustering similar issues, and even assisting in the rapid review of voluminous evidence such as polling station returns. While judicial decision-making must remain firmly human, AI can enhance efficiency and reduce the delays that have in the past undermined public confidence in the resolution of electoral disputes. The IEBC should therefore collaborate with the Judiciary to create structured, machine-readable repositories of electoral data, thereby ensuring that disputes are resolved on the basis of accurate and easily accessible information.

Of course, while the promise of AI is immense, its deployment must be approached with circumspection. There must be clear legal and regulatory frameworks governing its use to ensure that the technology itself does not become an instrument of manipulation. Data protection and privacy considerations must be paramount; AI systems rely on vast datasets, and without proper safeguards, sensitive personal information could be misused. Further, there must be public education and transparency to demystify AI so that citizens can trust that it is being used to strengthen rather than subvert their democratic will.

As Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Elections, it must confront the reality that traditional approaches to electoral management are no longer sufficient. The challenges of disinformation, logistical complexity, and entrenched suspicion demand new solutions. Artificial Intelligence, if deployed judiciously, offers a transformative opportunity to enhance the integrity of the process. For the IEBC, this will require targeted investment in AI-driven voter registration systems, collaborative frameworks for monitoring online disinformation, adoption of AI-powered logistics and results transmission tools, and close engagement with the Judiciary to ensure that disputes are adjudicated efficiently.

The task before the IEBC is therefore not merely technological but institutional and ethical: to ensure that AI is harnessed as a servant of democracy, not its master. If this is achieved, Kenya will not only secure a more credible 2027 election but also position itself as a continental leader in the fusion of technology and democratic governance.

This article was published in the Business Daily on 1 December 2025 and can be accessed here.