Members of Parliament have set strict conditions for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before approving a Ksh6.7 billion budget for the procurement of Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits. This comes amid growing concerns over the fate of the existing 45,000 kits, whose status remains uncertain.
This follows the approval of the funding request by the IEBC, despite concerns, by the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC), led by Tharaka Member of Parliament George Murugara.
The matter was revealed when the Murugara-led committee informed the National Assembly Liaison Committee of the approvals during the review of the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) and the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy (MTDS).
"During the presentations, the Chairperson of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Hon. George Murugara (Tharaka), apprised Members that his committee has considered a request by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for Kshs. 6.7 billion meant for replacing the KIEMS Kit," a statement from the National Assembly read in part.
In its conditions, the JLAC committee instructed the IEBC to conduct an assessment of the usability of the existing 45,000 KIEMS kits.
Additionally, IEBC was instructed to submit an expert report on the same in three months, so that the committee can establish the claims that they would not serve the next elections efficiently.
"The committee has instructed the Commission to submit an expert report in three months on the usability and salvage value of the existing 45,000 KIEMS kits."
This comes against the backdrop of a recent development where the commission told the National Assembly that it needed Ksh61 billion to finance the upcoming 2027 General Elections.
Appearing before a National Assembly Committee, IEBC Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Obadiah Keitany confirmed the figure adding that the commission would register an additional 5.7 million Kenyans as voters. This would bring the total figure of registered voters to 28 million.
Additionally, IEBC stated that the money would be used for a variety of activities ranging from boundary delimitation, kit replacement, allowances, ballot paper transport, and other miscellaneous costs.
“The commission projects an additional 5.7 million new voters to have a total of 28 million in the 2027 election,” Keitany stated.
The IEBC has confirmed that Kenya requires a total of 59,352 KIEMS kits, with reports indicating that the existing ones have a lifespan of 10 years. Based on the cost of Ksh65,000 per kit, the total replacement cost is estimated at Ksh7 billion.
