The Election Observers Group (ELOG) has praised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for holding free and fair by-elections across the country on Thursday 27 November 2025.
This is according to the ELOG preliminary report released on 28th November 2025 that highlighted both strengths and areas needing attention in the by-elections.
ELOG, together with other partners under the Technical Working Group on Elections, deployed 100 trained roving observers across the country on Thursday during the elections.
The report rated 93.4% of polling stations to have had good or very good conduct, a figure described as encouraging but not sufficient for full credibility.
ELOG reported that 83% of people started voting in majority of the polling stations, at or before the scheduled hour, while the others experienced delays.
The election observers also noted that 1.6% of the polling stations experienced challenges with electronic KIEMS kits.
ELOG reported that voters had challenges while voting in 42% polling stations; this included instances where voters presented themselves at the wrong stations, missing names in the register, or lacking identification documents.
The observers have called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to provide timely information during elections, enforce assisted voting procedures, and intensify voter education.
ELOG has also tasked IEBC to address the influence of high-profile individuals at polling stations.
The election observers also encouraged the National Police Service to investigate incidents of violence and any other breaches witnessed in the by-elections.
The group has asked IEBC to address the incidents of election violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
