The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has blamed lack of trust and fraud for the high cost of elections in Kenya.
IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati said Kenya must procure sophisticated election materials and transmission equipment to avoid fraud.
Speaking in Mombasa when he met members of the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, Mr Chebukati said that the agency needed Sh40.9 billion to conduct the 2022 General Election and has a deficit of Sh4 billion.
“In other countries, a single ballot can cost as low as Sh20 but in Kenya it costs Sh35. Many are asking why, but I can tell you if we go to the cheapest ballot, we will have many ballots which the commission cannot account for,” he said.
“We were first allocated Sh26.5 billion and later added Sh10 billion, hence we have a deficit of Sh4 billion, and we cannot change this because the budget is activity based and is legislated.”
During the session led by Kieni MP Kanini Kega, Mr Chebukati was asked to explain the procurement of ballots and companies that will help transmit election results as this was done when IEBC was not fully constituted.
“The commission has promised to share with us companies mandated to assist in providing election services next year and we shall scrutinise them and to confirm if they were not handpicked,” he said.
On mass voter registration, which ends on November 2, IEBC has maintained that because of budget constraints, it will not extend the listing after the 30-day period.
“After November 2, we don’t have any other money for the mass registration exercise. This is the trouble of budget expenses,” he said.
As of Tuesday this week, only about 800,000 Kenyans had registered as new voters against a target of 4.5 million.
Voter registration apathy is a growing concern, with key politicians eyeing various seats campaigning across the country and urging the masses, mostly young people, to register and take part in the next polls.
Mr Chebukati said IEBC needs Sh1.3 billion more for auditing the voter register and to cover other expenses.
He said the agency has pending bills of Sh2.2 billion arising from the 2017 General Election.
He urged lawmakers to conclude any poll-related laws and regulations by December 31 to allow the agency ample time to prepare for the 2022 polls. BY DAILY NATION