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Kenya's Largest Democracy Forum Kicks Off with Focus on 2027 Election Preparedness.

 

NAIROBI, March 3, 2026: George Mutua

 The Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD-Kenya) today announced final preparations for the 8th Edition of the People Dialogue Festival (PDF), a four-day national civic platform scheduled to bring together over 30 political parties, 50 civil society organizations, and key state agencies in what organisers describe as Kenya's most comprehensive democratic engagement forum ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking at a press briefing at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, CMD-Kenya Executive Frankline Mukwanja revealed that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will play a central role in this year's Festival, with IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon leading high-level reflections on elections preparedness.

In a significant move toward practical civic engagement, the Commission will activate voter registration services at the festival venue throughout the four days, enabling eligible Kenyans to register and update their details.

"This is not just another dialogue forum," Mukwanja stated. "We are building toward a national issue-based agenda that will guide democratic engagement beyond the event. The conversations we've convened since October 2025, from high-level policy dialogues to county town halls and campus engagements, have generated rich citizen-driven perspectives that will now culminate in this Festival."

The People Dialogue Festival, scheduled to run for four days, employs a unique blended methodology combining joint plenary sessions addressing national issues such as elections preparedness, governance reforms, and political accountability, alongside thematic dialogue areas known as "Gumzos."

These stakeholder-specific spaces allow deeper engagement on specialized themes including electoral integrity, political party reforms, governance accountability, and gender equality and social inclusion.

"This blended methodology ensures both broad national consensus-building and focused, solutions-oriented conversations," Mukwanja explained.

Elections Preparedness Takes Centre Stage

With the 2027 General Election cycle approaching, this year's Festival places elections preparedness at the core of its agenda. Deliberations will address voter registration and inclusion, electoral integrity and technology, political party preparedness, dispute resolution mechanisms, and civic education and public trust.

The participation of over 10 state agencies, including the IEBC, reflects what organisers describe as a "whole-of-society approach to democracy" recognizing that credible elections and effective governance require collective ownership.

Mukwanja emphasized that these convenings form part of a sustained national effort to institutionalize issue-based politics in Kenya's democratic culture rather than a one-off event.

"These engagements will not end with the festival," he affirmed. "They build trust, enhance accountability, and shift political discourse toward practical solutions that improve governance and electoral integrity."

CMD-Kenya, established as Kenya's premier multiparty dialogue platform, bringing together political parties across the political divide, positions the Festival as a platform for all Kenyan leaders and citizens alike to shape the country's democratic future through respectful, issue-based engagement.

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