The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Tuesday, February 25, revealed that Ksh61 billion will be needed 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.
“The commission projects an additional 5.7 million new voters to have a total of 28 million in the 2027 election,” Keitany remarked.
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 advisory from the courts.
IEBC Finance Director Osman Ibrahim 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.
“There will be a total replacement of 45,352 KIEMS kits, except for the 14,000 bought in 2022. In total, 59,352 kits are required,” said IEBC Finance Director Osman Ibrahim.
Ibrahim explained that KIEMS kits become obsolete after 10 years and that the total cost of replacing them is Ksh7 billion, going by the Ksh65,000 cost of each.
The Commission added that 14 by-elections were still pending with a projected cost of Ksh480 million needed to conduct the mini-polls.
The latest figure released by IEBC supersedes the amount used in the previous 2022 elections, which were the most expensive in the world. The elections involved 22,120,258 voters to the tune of Ksh44.6 billion.
The IEBC, which needs budgetary approval from Parliament to secure the funds, explained that the only remaining stumbling block was the reconstitution of commissioners. The reconstitution would clear the way for the commission to begin groundwork for the upcoming polls.
President William Ruto recently approved the names of the IEBC reconstitution panel that were submitted to him after a long impasse occasioned by a legal battle. His approval cleared the way for the panel to be sworn into office and begin the process of vetting commissioners.