IEBC decries cash challenges for November 27 by-elections

The IEBC has issued a stark warning over its capacity to fulfil its constitutional mandate, citing a critical funding shortfall that threatens to derail the timely conduct of eight out of 24 pending by-elections.

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts committee chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, the commission’s leadership revealed that while it requires Sh1.046 billion to organise the polls, it has only secured Sh788 million from the National Treasury.

Led by chairman Erastus Ethekon and CEO Hussein Marjan, the commission outlined a prioritisation strategy, focusing first on by-elections for constituencies that have remained vacant the longest.

In this regard, 16 are already funded, while eight are awaiting Treasury funding.

“We have prioritised those that have taken longer than was anticipated,” Ethekon stated, while assuring the committee that the commission was in continuous dialogue with the Treasury to secure the remaining Sh258 million.

The session saw MPs raise a barrage of concerns, ranging from fiscal responsibility to national security.

Nominated MP Sofia Lesuuda pointed to the widespread public “anxiety over boundary delimitation,” questioning if the legally required review would occur before the next general election.

In his response, Ethekon placed the blame squarely on the “inordinate delay of reconstituting the IEBC” for the nation’s electoral preparedness crisis.

“Elections are not a one-day event,” Ethekon emphasised. He explained that the complex boundaries review has been severely affected, forcing the commission to triage its objectives.

For now, the immediate focus is on the pending by-elections—tentatively set for November—for a mass poll across all 24 constituencies.

“We thought that November 27 is sufficient… and we believe we will give a good election as a test run for 2027,” he added, framing the upcoming by-elections as a critical dry run for the next general poll.

On the operational readiness for these by-elections, Marjan sought to allay fears, clarifying that the actual execution lies with constituency-level returning officers.

“By-elections are conducted by returning officers of the constituencies. They were present when we asked whether they could proceed,” Marjan said.

However, he highlighted a significant procedural hurdle: that the commission had to formally gazette these officers before they could conduct the polls.

Operational challenges have also emerged regarding procurement, he added, citing the e-procurement debacle.

The commission disclosed delays in preparing for the polls due to the mandatory transition to the government’s electronic procurement system (e-GP).

While staff training is complete, the failure to secure a concession to use the older system has stalled the entire procurement process.

Beyond logistics and funding, MPs voiced concerns about election security, referencing the burning of Kiems kits in the last election.

They pressed the commission on its strategy to rein in political violence, not just in the upcoming by-elections but ahead of 2027.

The chairman conceded that the IEBC cannot act singularly. 

“Our prayer is that the country realises that IEBC alone cannot guarantee peaceful elections,” he stated, calling on the media and political class to lower the inflammatory rhetoric that often precipitates violence.

“We will, regardless, execute our mission with absolute precision,” he vowed.

The issue of boundary delimitation was also delved into and was passionately underscored by Wajir South MP Adow Mohamed.

He lamented the vast inequity in constituency sizes, noting his own “doesn’t even get to the size of Kiambu and Nairobi combined”.

In response, Ethekon acknowledged the gravity of the concern but tempered expectations, noting the review is “not an easy or cheap exercise,” requiring “massive budgets and technical support”.

He promised that once the commission deliberates in plenary, it will thoroughly interrogate the recent court ruling that returned the matter to them and publicly share its roadmap.

Amidst these pressing challenges, the commission announced a beacon of progress: the resumption of continuous voter registration slated for September 29.

The exercise will be conducted across all constituencies and 57 Huduma Centres, with an ambitious target of enrolling 6.3 million new voters, 70 per cent of whom are expected to be youth.