- IEBC says university degrees are currently not required for presidential, parliamentary and gubernatorial candidates in 2027.
- Enock Okong’o welcomes the position as inclusive, arguing academic papers should not determine Kenyans’ political rights.
- But he maintains that sound education remains a major advantage when leaders confront increasingly complex governance challenges.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has clarified that Kenyans without university degrees will be allowed to contest for President, Governor and Member of Parliament in the 2027 General Election.
IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu said the Commission cannot enforce a degree requirement because courts declared the relevant provisions of the Elections Act unconstitutional.
“As we start now, there is no requirement for a degree for anybody. That’s the situation we are in,” Nderitu said during an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, August 23.
This is a welcome and democratic decision.
The court based its reasoning partly on Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination. Nderitu, explaining the judgment, also cited 2019 Census data indicating that only about 3.5 per cent of Kenyans held university degrees.
According to the Commissioner’s explanation, requiring degrees would potentially exclude the remaining 96.5 per cent from contesting the affected elective positions.
“According to the ruling then, it means that the rest of the Kenyan 96.5% cannot participate in elections for governor, for president and for Member of Parliament. Meaning then, that is discriminatory,” she said.
Leadership is not about papers alone. It is about character, vision, integrity and connection with the people. Some of our most effective leaders in the past had little formal schooling but understood the problems of mwananchi better than professors.
The ruling protects the political rights of Kenyans, including young people, farmers, traders and artisans, to offer themselves for leadership, subject to other constitutional and statutory qualifications.
Education still matters
However, while the decision is democratic, we must be honest that having sound education is a serious added advantage in modern governance.
Look at Kenya. President William Ruto holds a BSc, MSc and PhD from the University of Nairobi. Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Governor of Kisumu, has extensive academic training in political science, while Siaya Governor James Orengo’s legal education underpinned a long career in law and constitutional politics.
Prof Kivutha Kibwana, former Governor of Makueni, similarly brought extensive legal scholarship and academic experience into public leadership.
These examples demonstrate that advanced education can provide leaders with intellectual and professional tools useful in governance.
The wider world proves the same point.
Barack Obama of the United States graduated from Columbia University and later earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.
His legal education provided an intellectual foundation for navigating the complex policy and constitutional questions that confronted his administration.
In Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia studied public administration at Harvard. When she became Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state in 2006, she inherited a country emerging from years of devastating conflict.
Her background in economics and public administration became part of the experience she brought to rebuilding Liberia’s institutions and economy. She subsequently shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
In Asia, Dr Manmohan Singh of India studied economics at Cambridge and Oxford. Before becoming Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, he served as India’s Finance Minister and played a central role in the country’s landmark economic reforms beginning in 1991.
These leaders show a pattern. Voters may elect candidates they trust, with or without a degree, as the current legal position allows. But once in State House, Parliament or county government, the job requires dealing with complex budgets running into trillions of shillings, climate change, healthcare, technology, legislation and international treaties.
Sound education can help a leader understand complex information, interrogate policy, engage experts and make informed decisions.
But academic qualifications alone do not guarantee good leadership. A degree cannot substitute for integrity, judgment, accountability or commitment to public service.
Inclusivity should not mean mediocrity
Therefore, the IEBC decision should not be seen as a licence for mediocrity. It should be seen as inclusivity.
Let those without degrees contest, but let political parties invest in training their candidates. And let voters, especially Kenya’s young population, interrogate both character and competence.
The current position is also not necessarily the final word on educational qualifications for elective office.
Nderitu explained that Parliament could legislate educational requirements afresh, provided the process complies with the Constitution, including the requirement for meaningful public participation.
The underlying court decisions are important. The High Court found the statutory university-degree requirement for governors unconstitutional insofar as it imposed qualifications inconsistent with the constitutional eligibility framework. In a separate judgment concerning presidential eligibility, the court similarly held the degree requirement unconstitutional while the earlier parliamentary ruling remained in force, with the declaration taking effect at the next General Election.
Article 38 of the Constitution protects political rights, including the right of qualified citizens to be candidates for public office or office within a political party.
The IEBC has clarified the present legal position. But as we head towards 2027, we must still value sound education as an undeniable added advantage.
READ ALSO: KNEC releases 2025 KPSEA and KJSEA school-specific reports for download
The ballot should remain accessible to eligible Kenyans regardless of whether they possess a university degree. Ultimately, voters should determine whether the person seeking their support possesses the character, competence, knowledge and judgment required for the office.
By Enock Okong’o
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