IIEC work cost taxpayer Sh16 billion

By Stephen Makabila

An estimated Sh16.88 billion was spent to sustain the Interim Independent Electoral Commission for the two years it managed elections.

Major expenses, according to a report, were on last year’s constitutional referendum, by-elections and the voter registration.

These expenses are spread across three financial years — 2009/2010, 2010/2011, and 2011/2012.

The report says expenses on regions took the lion’s share of Sh8.1 billion, local merchants (Sh7.7 billion), foreign merchants (Sh872 million), staff payments (Sh65 million) while KRA Customs Duty and VAT went with more than Sh53 million.

The cost of registering the 12.4 million voters ahead of the referendum last year was Sh6.627 billion. A comparison of this cost against the total voters gives an average of Sh528.17 as the cost incurred to register a single voter.

Best practice

According to the IIEC report, the cost of voter registration is expected to reduce in future if the new commission incorporates best practices.

The commission’s budget for 2009/2010 was Sh6.851 billion and the actual expenditure was Sh6.78 billion. The net surplus therefore was Sh78.5 million.

The major expenditures during the period were personnel emoluments, parliamentary and civic by-elections and materials for the referendum held on August 14, 2010.

For the period July 21, 2010 to June 20, 2011, the commission received exchequer funding of Sh7.096 billion. The IIEC got funds to establish its secretariat and was allocated its own vote (Vote R33) in accordance with the Government financial regulations and procedures.

Salaries and allowances of commissioners are directly charged on the Consolidated Fund under the Constitutional Offices Remuneration Act. Other staff remuneration costs and operational expenses are funded by Treasury and development partners.

Commission fund

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act, 2011 provides in section 18(1) that monies of the commission shall be held in a fund to be known as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Fund.

The IIEC report says the existing system for management of funds requires strengthening. This entails establishing requisite financial systems and building the financial skills of staff.

"Agitation for expenses to be a charge on the Consolidated Fund has borne fruit in the new Constitution whereby all commission expenses are charged on the fund – a radical departure from the conventional mode of financing semi-autonomous Government agencies," reads the report.

The IIEC is credited with having introduced reforms in the electoral process.

Some of the notable accomplishments include having successfully conducted the referendum on the Constitution and managing various by-elections.

During the referendum, a record voter turn out of 72 per cent was achieved. The commission also embraced information technology.

Chairman Isaack Hassan says although integration of ICT in the electoral process is still in its nascent stage, its potential to enhance efficiency, particularly in the transmission of election results, has been demonstrated.

"It must be noted that speedy transmission of election results is one area in which the expectations of Kenyans have been heightened following the repeated successful performance," said Hassan.