NAIROBI, Kenya – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is banking on adequate funding from the Treasury to execute critical pre-election activities ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election, including voter registration and acquiring new electoral kits.
In the 2025/26 budget statement tabled on Thursday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi allocated Sh47.7 billion to the governance and justice sector, from which the IEBC will receive its share.
However, the commission had proposed a Sh57.4 billion budget to facilitate the upcoming polls, revealing a looming financing gap that may affect its preparedness.
Among the commission’s key plans is registering 6.3 million new voters to add to the 22.1 million currently on the roll.
It also seeks to replace 45,352 of the 59,352 electronic kits required for voting and training, most of which were procured in 2017 and have since aged.
IEBC’s projected budget includes Sh5.12 billion for various pre-election activities and Sh3.7 billion for routine operations.
Another Sh788 million is earmarked for pending by-elections in the upcoming financial year.
Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chair Gitonga Murugara told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that IEBC’s costs have been inflated by factors such as high election transmission costs, emergency airlifting of election materials, and currency losses.
Legal obligations—many arising from court-ordered reruns or procurement disputes—have further pushed the commission’s pending bills to Sh3.799 billion, with legal fees alone accounting for Sh2.65 billion.
“My committee has directed the IEBC to submit primary documents to support these pending bills, particularly legal fees, so we can determine if a special audit by the Auditor General is warranted,” said Murugara.
Registrar of Political Parties Faces Own Budget Strain
Meanwhile, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) is also facing budgetary constraints.
Murugara noted that the office has requested an additional Sh6.98 billion, including Sh6.19 billion for the Political Parties Fund.
This is against a current allocation of Sh1.428 billion, far below the Sh7.618 billion required by law.
The ORPP says the shortfall is hampering preparations for 2027, alongside day-to-day operations and its legal workload, which includes disputes filed in court and the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.
Mbadi presented a Sh4.2 trillion national budget, with the government targeting Sh3.3 trillion in revenues—Sh2.7 trillion from taxes and Sh560 billion from other levies.
The deficit of Sh900 billion will be plugged through Sh592 billion in domestic borrowing, Sh284 billion in external financing, and Sh46.9 billion in grants.
