Interior Cabinet Secretary Murkomen Promises Peaceful 2027 Elections and Highlights Shirika Plan Progress

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen told international partners on Monday that the government is putting in place measures to secure a peaceful and credible election in 2027, speaking at a gathering of Heads of Mission under the Refugee Donor Group and other foreign representatives in Nairobi.

He said the National Police Service is boosting its operational readiness to protect every phase of the electoral cycle, from campaign rallies through voting, counting, result declaration and the post-election period, and expressed confidence that the process will remain calm.

Murkomen noted that occasional incidents during campaigns sometimes receive disproportionate attention but remain manageable, and added that security agencies are working to neutralise any emerging threats before they can disrupt the election timetable.

The meeting also examined the implementation of the Shirika Plan, a twelve-year roadmap aimed at converting refugee camps into integrated, self-reliant municipalities, and Murkomen thanked the Refugee Donor Group for its continued partnership.

He highlighted progress in areas such as social protection, financial inclusion, health-insurance coverage and the establishment of municipal governance structures, and pointed out that refugees who hold official identification cards are now permitted to use M-Pesa services.

The Shirika Plan seeks to shift refugee management from a primarily humanitarian assistance model toward an integrated development approach that encourages self-reliance, economic inclusion and peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities, with Kenya hosting refugees from several neighbouring states and relying on international support for related programmes.