Why IEBC's Sh30b budget for polls raises eyebrows

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plans to spend Sh30 billion as the 2017 General Election nears.

But critics say, huge budgetary allocation does not necessarily guarantee free and fair elections. The Law Society of Kenya has urged the commission to fast restore public confidence in the process following revelations of alleged graft in the purchase of electoral material for the 2013 General Election.

Tanzania only spent a mere Sh8 billion to run an election in which 23 million voters participated. Kenya expects to register only 11.4 million voters where only five to six million would actually cast the ballot.

Still, Nigeria, the most populous nation in the continent, held its polls last year but with 68 million voters spent only about Sh46 billion to conduct the exercise yet she received a fair grading according to international observers in Abuja then and likewise was the exercise carried in South Africa which only cost Sh12 billion.

Analysts have criticised IEBC and Kenya for the huge budget where only 10 per cent of the funds are expected from donors and the Treasury would fund the balance. The commission had reportedly requested for Sh25 billion but only Sh17 billion was awarded.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich says the IEBC budget could come down once it is subjected to rationalisation.

But IEBC insists it will conduct a fair poll if the Treasury avails the Sh30 billion.

The commission says between now and next year, it will spend Sh7.1 billion on 15 projects, including laying ground for an effective legal framework for the electoral process and an enabling environment for effective liaison with political parties. It will also spend the money on voter education and registration and ICT integrated in electoral processes and management. The funds will go towards public relations, risk management in commission operations, improving of structures, procurement, warehousing and logistics and research. Between 2016 and 2017, the commission plans to spend Sh8.8 billion and Sh14.3 billion between 2017 and 2018.