Revealed: Why IEBC will not conduct voter registration
The continuous voter registration exercise is uncertain due to a significant budget cut to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEBC) as part of the austerity measures implemented by President William Ruto.
On Wednesday, the electoral agency informed the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs that a Sh870.5 million budget reduction will affect its ability to maintain the Kenya Integrated Election Management Kits (Kiems Kits) and licenses, crucial for voter registration and by-elections.
The Sh4 billion Kiems tender was awarded to the Dutch company Smartmatic, covering the maintenance of software, hardware, and accessories for the voting kits.
This move might not sit well with Gen Z, who are eager to register as voters, recall MPs, and participate in the 2027 general elections.
The commission’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hussein Marjan also mentioned that pending by-elections in the Banisa constituency and three wards in Western, along with voter registration and preparations for the 2027 General Elections, are jeopardized due to budget cuts.
Key areas affected by the budget cuts include communication supplies (Sh42,702,613 cut), domestic travel (reduced by Sh135,120,392), printing and information (cut by Sh15,576,613), routine maintenance-ICT contracts (election technology slashed by Sh111,410,470), and foreign travel (reduced by Sh6,280,000), among others.
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Mr. Marjan expressed concerns that these budget cuts will impact critical areas and hinder the commission from fulfilling its core mandate.
Other affected areas include voter education, delimitation of boundaries, staff medical insurance, office construction, and vehicle fueling in constituency offices.
“The net effect is that the commission will not be able to deliver on its mandate as it is dependent on the line items affected by the supplementary budget cuts,” Mr. Marjan informed the committee.
“The commission therefore requests exemption from the reductions and adequate funding for activities, including pending upcoming by-elections,” the CEO stated.
The electoral agency also informed lawmakers that due to budget cuts, it cannot settle pending bills amounting to Sh3,895,907,466 from the August 2022 General Election.
These pending bills, mostly legal fees for the General Election, including a presidential election petition of Sh502 million, also include Sh399 million owed to the Postal Corporation of Kenya for transport and logistics during the polls.
The agency mentioned it cannot settle court awards against the commission amounting to Sh401,778,417, which continues to accrue interest monthly.
Mr. Marjan informed MPs that settling some pending bills from the previous financial year will also be affected.
“This negatively impacts the commission’s activities as they have to be scaled down completely,” Mr. Marjan said.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u, in a circular to all accounting officers, stated that only pending bills from the previous Financial Year 2023/2024 will be prioritized, and no new tenders should be awarded.
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The commission urged MPs to reinstate Sh149 million for staff medical insurance, Sh111,410,470 for routine ICT equipment and license renewal costs, and Sh24.32 million for the development vote to complete their warehouse and reduce rent costs.
The commission also complained that membership, dues, and subscriptions to professional bodies have been completely removed, significantly impacting staff in legal, accounting, procurement, and human resource departments.
The law requires such professionals to be fully subscribed members of professional bodies and in good standing.
“The staff usually provide professional advice to the commission secretary, sign legal documents, or represent the organization in court petitions. We, therefore, request the reinstatement of the membership fees, dues, and subscriptions to professional bodies,” Mr. Marjan told MPs.
The 2024/24 Financial Year budget was to be funded through additional revenue measures amounting to Sh344.4 billion as outlined in the Finance Bill, 2024.
However, following sustained protests over the Bill and rejection by various stakeholders, President Ruto declined to assent to it, creating a gap of a similar amount.
President Ruto has since announced extensive measures to raise the money, including scrapping 47 State corporations and reducing advisors by half, who have been consuming billions of taxpayers’ money.
Revealed: Why IEBC will not conduct voter registration
