Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has warned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) against reckless spending of its budget ahead of the upcoming planned by-elections.
While speaking before a Parliamentary committee on Thursday, July 17, Mbadi urged the Commission to utilise its budget amounting to billions of shillings, wisely, ahead of the over 20 pending by-elections and upcoming 2027 General Elections.
CS Mbadi revealed that oversight would be conducted on the IEBC over the use of its budget, warning that dire consequences awaited the electoral body if investigations revealed misappropriation of the funds.
“Even IEBC, we are going to ask questions. They are things that you buy and do not dispose of immediately. Why do you buy them in every election cycle?” Mbadi posited regarding the procurement of biometric kits.
“Even ballot boxes, these things, even if they look a bit old, who is fighting with them? Why must they be bought every election? A lot of savings can be realised,” he added.
In February, the IEBC Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Obadiah Keitany revealed that Ksh61 billion would be needed to finance the upcoming 2027 General Elections.
Appearing before a National Assembly Committee, 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.
The money would be used for a variety of activities, ranging from boundary delimitation, kit replacement, allowances, ballot paper transport, and other miscellaneous costs.
For boundary delimitation, Keitany informed the committee that the Commission’s budget was Ksh7 billion but this was still a matter that needed advice from the courts.
At the time, the Commission added that 14 by-elections were still pending, with a projected cost of Ksh480 million needed to conduct the mini-polls.
IEBC Finance Director Osman Ibrahim also stated that 45,352 Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits, which IEBC needs to electronically capture voters’ facial images, fingerprints, and civil data, would need replacing.
Even as he assured that his ministry would disburse adequate funds on time, Mbadi noted that the operational costs were still too high and called for austerity in the electoral body’s operations.
He added that the government would ensure that elections are conducted on time, assuring that all the necessary support would be given to the IEBC.
“We will run our elections in 2027 within the time required, and I do not think there will be any hitch,” he stated.
