2012 elections set to cost you Sh48 billion

By John Oywa

The General Election, whose exact date is the subject of a heated legal debate among experts could, cost the taxpayer a whopping Sh48 billion.

A seven-year strategic plan drawn by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) says the electoral body would use Sh19.78 billion to finance preparatory activities, including voter registration, voter education, and capacity building, this year.

It plans to spend a further Sh28.25 billion next year, when Kenya goes into the polls to search for the fourth President, under the new Constitution.

The 2011-2017 Strategic Plan seen by The Standard On Saturday will cost an estimated Sh64.59 billion to implement, if the country has to have a revamped electoral system.

"The bulk of the requisite funds, particularly those relating to recurrent expenditure, are expected to be financed from domestic sources, while development partners are expected to part-finance some of the activities," says the document.

But the document paints a rocky road map into the implementation of the Strategic Plan, citing a highly charged political environment.

It says that although the commission enjoys support from Kenyans, certain political developments could affect the implementation of the strategic plan.

Political changes

"These challenges include the political changes occasioned by the promulgation of the new Constitution, possible breakages of existing coalitions and political alliances, developments in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the unresolved issues relating to the 2007 post- election violence and the hurdles encountered in the implementation of Agenda Four," says the document.

It adds: "The establishment of the county as a political unit places new demands in the management of elections. The widened scope of the elections, including election of senators, governors, and women leaders represent, such a challenge."

A fundamental aspect of the strategic plan is the establishment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which replaces IIEC. A Bill to facilitate the formation of the IEBC has been drafted and is waiting tabling in Parliament.

Yesterday, The Standard On Saturday, however, learnt that internal wrangles at the IIEC were already jeopardising the implementation of the strategic plan.

A senior manager, who did not want to be named because the strategic plan had not been made public, said some commissioners were ‘sabotaging’ the implementation of the strategic plan by issuing contradictory statements.

"The truth is that what some of the commissioners are telling the public are contradicting our strategic plan," said the manager.

He added: "An example is the release of an election road map by a section of the commissioners early this week. They have disregarded the strategic plan, which has cost a lot of money to develop."

The IIEC, reliable sources said, had started implementing the plan in the regions where co-ordinators and other staff were being trained on how to validate it ahead of the elections, due next year.

Such meetings have been held in Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyeri.

The IIEC Chief Executive Officer, James Oswago, declined to comment on the strategic plan, and instead wondered how The Standard On Saturday had obtained the document.

Asked about allegations of internal wrangling at the commission, Mr Oswago referred this reporter to the Commission Chairman, Isaack Hassan, who is abroad on official duties.

The strategic plan also sought to factor in lessons from the disputed presidential election that sparked post-election violence in 2007.

They also borrowed from the outcome of the Independent Review Commission, popularly known as the Kriegler Commission

Policy-making structure

The commission recommended a new or transformed Electoral body with a lean policy-making structure and a professional secretariat.

The IIEC has issued a road map, indicating that the next elections will be held in December 2012, and not in August, as earlier assumed.

The chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution Charles Nyachae insists the election will be in August as enshrined in the Constitution.

The commission registered 12.4 million voters last year, which represents 62 per cent of the total eligible voters. It is targeting to register 90 per cent of all eligible voters by next year. Majority of unregistered voters are the youth and special group of citizens who include people living with disabilities.