The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has confirmed the official ballot paper colours that will be used in the 2027 General Election.
Images obtained by Vantage Ke on Wednesday, August 12, show that the six colours used in previous elections will remain unchanged in 2027. The decision means voters familiar with the existing system will not have to learn a new colour arrangement when they head to polling stations.
The Presidential ballot will retain its white colour, which has been used since the 2013 General Election and has become closely associated with the country’s highest elective office.
The Governor ballot will remain sky blue, while the Senator ballot will continue to be yellow. The Woman Representative ballot will retain its purple colour.
For Members of the National Assembly, the ballot paper will remain green, while the Member of the County Assembly (MCA) ballot will continue to use beige or brown.
Each ballot paper colour corresponds with a similarly coloured ballot box lid, allowing voters to identify the correct box for each elective position and minimise confusion during the voting process.
The colour-coded system was introduced following the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, which established additional elective positions under Kenya’s new devolved governance structure.
The arrangement has remained consistent across the 2013, 2017 and 2022 General Elections, helping voters distinguish between the six different ballots and reducing the risk of ballots being placed in the wrong boxes.
Before the 2010 constitutional changes, Kenya had a simpler electoral system with only three elective positions.
During the 2007 General Election, the then Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) used three ballot colours. The Presidential ballot was white or off-white, the Parliamentary ballot was green, while the Civic ballot used to elect councillors was blue.
The three-colour arrangement did not feature Governor, Senator or Woman Representative ballots because those positions had not yet been created.
The 2010 Constitution subsequently expanded the number of elective positions, requiring voters to handle six separate ballots during General Elections.
The colour system, however, will not be the sole means of ensuring accessibility for visually impaired voters. They will instead rely on assistive voting mechanisms, fixed ballot layouts and support from trained election officials to navigate the voting process.
Anchored in the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) Act 2025, the government has introduced special secret-ballot mechanisms, including tactile voting devices and cardboard overlays featuring raised numbers and Braille identifiers.
The measures are intended to enable visually impaired voters to cast their ballots accurately and independently as Kenya counts down to the 2027 General Election, with 363 days remaining to polling day.
