The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)
faces a Sh34 billion funding shortfall ahead of the 2027 General Election.
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This is after the National Treasury committed only Sh41 billion for the electioneering period.
The electoral agency is in a race against time to complete preparations for the elections, including the acquisition of election technology.
IEBC has also lined up a second mass voter registration exercise and plans to conduct voter education. It also has logistics to handle and election materials to procure.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, the commission said the poll requires Sh74.4 billion. The House team approved the request.
The money was expected to be available by June 2027 to enable the commission to complete preparations and conduct the polls.
However, the Draft 2026 Budget Review and Outlook Paper shows that Treasury’s provision for the commission during the electioneering period will amount to only about Sh41 billion.
This leaves the electoral agency with a shortfall of nearly Sh34 billion against the budget approved by Parliament. This has raised fresh questions about whether IEBC will be sufficiently resourced for the polls.
Treasury says IEBC will receive Sh16.4 billion in the 2027-28 financial year and another Sh29.2 billion in the subsequent year.
The commission has already been allocated Sh24.9 billion in the current financial year.
Taken together, the allocations amount to Sh70.5 billion, which is still below the Sh74.4 billion IEBC requested.
Treasury’s projections indicate the commission’s total allocation over the budget period will remain below the required amount.
IEBC could be forced to seek additional resources to meet its full election budget, since much of the election preparation has to be completed before polling day.
The commission has stated over time that it requires money well in advance to procure election materials, prepare and test election technology, and recruit and train temporary election officials.
“Timely funding is critical to the electoral process and we must strive to ensure there is no delay, and no accumulation of pending bills,” Elog National Coordinator Mule Musau said Thursday.
Most of the billions are to go towards the new Kenya Integrated Election Management System kits, with the existing equipment set to be replaced after years of use.
The commission plans to undertake the total replacement of 45,353 kits that were purchased in 2017, with the 14,000 purchased in 2022 to be reused in the 2027 General Election.
IEBC told MPs that the total number of required KIEMS kits is 59,352, comprising 55,393 for polling stations and 3,959 for training. With no clear budget, IEBC’s bid to retire the old kits is in limbo.
Besides the Sh9.3 billion for KIEMS kits, MPs also approved Sh2.7 billion for ballot papers and statutory forms.
MPs also approved an additional Sh2.7 billion for voter registration and biometric verification, and Sh5.2 billion for hiring temporary poll officials, including clerks, presiding officers and other poll officials.
Transport and field mobility received Sh1.5 billion, while public communication and citizen engagement was allocated an additional Sh1.7 billion.
The Treasury position now puts pressure on Parliament to find additional resources for the commission before the election.
In what points to the looming trouble, the government is already facing a tight fiscal environment, with the Draft BROP projecting a Sh1.321 trillion deficit in the 2027-28 financial year.
Treasury expects to finance the deficit through Sh1.085 trillion in domestic borrowing and Sh235.9 billion in external financing.
The fiscal pressure could make it difficult for IEBC to secure additional funds without cuts elsewhere or by seeking a supplementary allocation.
The CS John Mbadi-led Treasury itself acknowledges that the 2027-28 budget is being prepared within a constrained resource envelope, highlighting the need for discipline and cuts.
Kenya’s election is regarded as among the most costly compared with its peers. In 2013, taxpayers spent Sh25 billion, most of it on buying kits.
In 2017, the figure rose to Sh49 billion, while the 2022 election cost Sh44 billion despite some election kits being reused.
Ahead of the 2022 election, IEBC spent Sh4.2 billion on election technology, including 14,100 new kits supplied by election technology firm Smartmatic.
At the time, the commission maintained that more than 41,000 older KIEMS kits were still operational. Now, IEBC says up to 45,352 kits require replacement.
