CMD-Kenya sets stage for 8th People Dialogue Festival with focus on election preparedness

The Centre for Multiparty Democracy Kenya (CMD-Kenya) has announced final preparations for the 8th edition of the People Dialogue Festival (PDF), a four-day civic forum that will centre on elections preparedness ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, CMD-Kenya Executive Director Frankline Mukwanja said the festival seeks to entrench issue-based politics and strengthen democratic culture through structured engagement.

“CMD-Kenya exists to strengthen democratic culture through dialogue over division, and issues over personalities,” Mukwanja said.

He noted that in a rapidly evolving democracy, structured dialogue remains essential in building trust, enhancing accountability and steering political discourse toward practical solutions that improve governance and electoral integrity.

The festival brings together more than 30 political parties across the political divide, over 50 civil society organisations, learning institutions and key state agencies. Among the institutions expected to participate is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Mukwanja said the four-day forum will culminate months of engagements that began in October 2025, including high-level policy dialogues, county town hall forums and school and campus dialogues aimed at amplifying grassroots and youth voices.

“These engagements have generated rich citizen-driven perspectives that will culminate in the People Dialogue Festival,” he said.

He added that stakeholders will deliberate and ratify a consolidated, issue-based national agenda to guide democratic engagement beyond the event.

This year’s theme focuses on elections preparedness, with the Chairperson of the IEBC, Erastus Edung Ethekon, expected to lead key reflections on voter registration, electoral technology, political party readiness, dispute resolution mechanisms and civic education.

“In a significant step toward practical civic engagement, voter registration services will be activated at the festival venue throughout the four days,” Mukwanja said.

CMD-Kenya has called on the media to amplify the outcomes of the festival and encourage broad public participation in conversations shaping the country’s electoral future.