Kenya’s electoral commission has confirmed that a university degree is no longer required to run for president, county governor, or a parliamentary seat.
This comes amid renewed debate over qualifications for top political offices ahead of Kenya’s 2027 elections.
A commissioner at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Ann Nderitu, told Kenya’s Citizen TV in an interview on 23 August that the matter has been settled.
Nderitu said Kenya currently “does not have the degree requirement”.
But this is the result of a legal battle, not simply a new policy announced by the IEBC.
University degree clause
Under Kenya’s 2011 Elections Act, a university degree was required for presidential, parliamentary, and gubernatorial candidates. The requirement applied to the 2013, 2017, and 2022 elections.
The university degree clause was introduced to improve the quality of governance, but faced court battles for limiting citizens’ rights to vote and seek elective office.
Then, in 2022, Kenya’s High Court declared the degree requirement unconstitutional, and subsequent legal decisions meant the electoral commission could no longer enforce it.
The electoral commission’s official said the court had argued that fewer than 4% of Kenyans held university degrees, and that the university degree requirement was discriminatory.
Now, the requirement is out and Kenya’s political history makes that particularly interesting.
The East African country gained independence from colonial Britain in 1963 and has had five presidents.
Their academic backgrounds have never been uniform.
Unclear specification
While Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the current President William Ruto acquired university degrees, Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi did not.
Ruto later went on to obtain a PhD in Plant Ecology.
Now, the minimum academic qualification to be Kenyan president is not explicitly clear.
Commissioner Nderitu hinted that the electoral body intends to ask Parliament to establish clear minimum academic qualifications for elective offices.
The academic qualification debate may continue.
But Kenya is not alone. Across Africa, several countries do not require a university degree to become president, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
For Kenya’s 2027 elections, candidates must still meet the other constitutional requirements, including being a Kenyan citizen by birth.
