NAIROBI, Kenya- Presidential candidates in Kenya’s 2027 General Election will be allowed to spend up to Sh6.11 billion during the campaign period, while candidates seeking county-level elective positions in Nairobi will face a spending ceiling of Sh181.3 million, under new limits set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The spending limits come as Kenya enters the final year before the August 10, 2027 General Election, with the IEBC moving to enforce a tighter framework governing campaign expenditure, contributions and use of campaign funds.
The commission’s election plan had scheduled the publication of expenditure limits for August 10, 2026, exactly one year before the General Election. The campaign-financing framework covers presidential, parliamentary and county-level contests as well as political parties.
Under the new limits, a presidential candidate will be permitted to spend a maximum of Sh6,112,543,133 during the prescribed expenditure period.
The money may be used for authorised campaign activities including hiring venues, publicity materials, advertising, campaign personnel, transport and communication. Other permissible costs include nomination fees, security, accommodation and administrative expenses.
Political parties have been allocated a significantly higher aggregate spending ceiling of Sh24,450,172,531.
The limits are anchored in the Election Campaign Financing Act, which requires the IEBC to prescribe spending limits while considering factors such as population, geographical features, urban centres, the type of election and communication infrastructure in an electoral area.
Nairobi gets highest county-level ceiling
At the county level, the IEBC has applied different spending limits based largely on population and the geographical characteristics of each county.
Nairobi County has the highest ceiling at Sh181,312,885, meaning candidates contesting the positions of governor, senator and county woman representative will each be subject to the same limit.
Turkana follows with a ceiling of Sh142,072,389, while Marsabit has a limit of Sh127,022,462.
Wajir and Kiambu complete the top five, with ceilings of Sh120,758,077 and Sh110,961,257, respectively.
At the lower end, candidates in Lamu will have a ceiling of Sh28,693,735, followed by Tharaka Nithi at Sh32,302,217, Elgeyo-Marakwet at Sh35,659,941, Vihiga at Sh36,683,540 and Nyamira at Sh38,115,302.
The approach means that candidates competing for the same county-level offices will face different financial limits depending on the county in which they are campaigning.
North Horr gets highest MP spending limit
The geographical and logistical challenges of some constituencies are reflected in the limits for National Assembly candidates.
North Horr Constituency has been assigned the highest MP campaign spending ceiling at Sh100,424,301.
It is followed by Wajir South at Sh73,016,747, Turkana North at Sh59,745,774, Laisamis at Sh59,449,850 and Turkana West at Sh56,377,048.
The constituency with the lowest ceiling is Wundanyi, where an MP candidate will be allowed to spend up to Sh15,430,114.
Tetu follows at Sh15,773,355, Kengema at Sh15,819,299, Mukurweini at Sh16,162,242 and Othaya at Sh16,326,164.
The wide differences underline the IEBC’s consideration of geographical coverage and other factors when setting campaign-financing limits.
MCA campaigns also capped
The spending controls extend to ward-level contests.
A candidate seeking the MCA seat in Turbi Ward, Marsabit County, will have the highest ceiling at Sh22,095,682.
Other wards with relatively high limits include Maikona in Marsabit at Sh20,923,284, Lokori/Kochodin in Turkana at Sh20,366,726, Cherab in Isiolo at Sh19,784,736 and Garen West in Tana River at Sh19,232,323.
At the bottom of the scale is Ziwani/Kariokor Ward in Nairobi, where the ceiling is Sh3,630,884.
Changamwe Ward in Mombasa follows at Sh3,633,365, while Werugha and Mahoo wards in Taita Taveta have ceilings of Sh3,693,605 and Sh3,753,275, respectively. Nairobi Central Ward has a limit of Sh3,770,545.
What the limits mean for candidates
The new ceilings are intended to prevent campaigns from becoming unrestricted spending contests and to promote greater accountability in the financing of elections.
The law also provides for reporting where a candidate or political party exceeds the prescribed limit because of unforeseeable or exceptional circumstances.
Failure to report expenditure beyond the prescribed ceiling constitutes an offence.
The framework comes as political parties and prospective candidates begin positioning themselves for the 2027 contest, with fundraising, mobilisation and early campaigning already intensifying across the country.
The challenge for the IEBC will now be enforcement.
With political campaigns increasingly relying on digital advertising, large rallies, transport networks and extensive grassroots mobilisation, monitoring expenditure across thousands of candidates and political actors will be a major test of the campaign-finance regime.
For voters, the limits offer a formal benchmark against which campaign spending can be assessed.
