Kenya’s next General Election may face serious strain after the country’s electoral commission warned that deep funding cuts could hinder preparations and weaken public trust.

Erastus Ethekon, the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), said the commission is struggling to plan for the 2027 polls after Parliament reduced its proposed budget. Speaking during an interview with KBC on Tuesday, Mr Ethekon said the commission had asked for KSh61 billion, but the figure was lowered, leaving IEBC unsure how to maintain key operations.

“We dedicated a large part of the budget to deploying the personnel who oversee elections,” he said. “If you reduce the budget, it will affect the level of deployment.”

According to the commission, about 53 per cent of the election budget goes to staffing, including officers at polling stations and the national tallying centre. In 2022, IEBC deployed more than 500,000 staff members, a scale Mr Ethekon said is now in jeopardy.

Technology is another concern. Kenya’s voting system relies heavily on the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS), which supports voter registration, voter identification and results transmission. Mr Ethekon warned that without enough funding, the commission will struggle to replace old or obsolete kits.

“Our elections are largely technology-driven,” he said. “The kits we bought for the 2013 and 2017 elections, some became obsolete, and so we need to buy new kits with more advanced technology.”

He also pointed to recent legal changes that shifted the power to prosecute electoral offences from IEBC to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). While the law aims to strengthen accountability, Mr Ethekon believes the change may weaken public confidence in the commission.

“IEBC previously had the power to prosecute, and it worked efficiently because accountability was directly enforced,” he said. “However, after legal changes, the ODPP now handles these cases. This puts us at a disadvantage, as most cases remain unsolved.”

Despite the challenges, the commission has begun preparations for 2027. Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is underway countrywide, although registration has been suspended in constituencies scheduled for by-elections on 27 November. IEBC is urging unregistered Kenyans to visit local offices and sign up early.

With less than three years to go, the commission now faces growing pressure to deliver an election that is credible, well-run and trusted by the public — all while navigating limited resources.