The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has raised alarms over a Sh13 billion shortfall in its budget for the 2027 General Election, warning that the gap could disrupt preparations for the polls.
The warning comes as lawmakers push for the operationalisation of the IEBC fund, a mechanism meant to ensure the commission’s financial independence and reduce reliance on discretionary disbursements from the National Treasury.
Documents presented by IEBC CEO Hussein Marjan to the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Implementation Oversight (CIOC) show that the shortfall could affect payment of election officials, which alone requires Sh7.63 billion.
The commission also has accumulated Sh5.75 billion in pending bills, mostly for legal fees from previous elections. “These pending bills have been accumulating over time and will adversely affect operations of the commission in conducting the 2027 elections,” the IEBC stated.
The CIOC, led by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, highlighted in its report to the National Assembly that the deficit “threatens the commission’s ability to discharge its constitutional mandate effectively” and urged the Treasury to address the shortfall.
The committee recommended that a clear schedule for fund disbursement be provided to ensure that electoral activities proceed on time. It also noted that settling pending bills would restore supplier confidence and strengthen IEBC’s operational capacity.
The IEBC, which is responsible for conducting elections, referenda, voter registration, constituency delimitation, civic education, and management of election technology, requested Sh61.74 billion across the 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28 financial years.
The Treasury, however, committed Sh55 billion as a baseline for preparations. IEBC proposed front-loading Sh15.3 billion to the 2025/26 financial year to fund pre-election activities, including voter registration and procurement of election technology, but Parliament approved only Sh9.33 billion, up from Sh3.82 billion in 2024/25.
The 2026/27 allocation stands at Sh25.4 billion, while Sh21 billion is planned for the 2027/28 election year. IEBC intends to acquire 59,352 Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits, including 3,959 for training, replacing older kits from 2017. Only 14,000 kits purchased in 2022 will be retained.
The devices capture biometric information and enable electronic results transmission, powered by high-capacity batteries and portable power sources.
The commission expects to register an additional 5.7 million voters, mostly youth, and gazette 55,393 polling stations, up from 46,229 in 2022. Election management expert Koki Muli suggested reducing the number of polling stations to allow roughly 2,000 voters per station, a move IEBC can implement administratively.
Treasury CS John Mbadi did not respond to requests for comment but previously acknowledged the high cost of elections and urged the commission to use public funds carefully.
Earlier, the Treasury rejected IEBC’s request for an expanded budget of Sh62 billion, including Sh7 billion for new KIEMS kits. The commission’s proposal allocated Sh55 billion as baseline, Sh6.7 billion to cover the overall deficit, and Sh3.8 billion for pending bills.
IEBC also requested that funding be spread over three financial years: Sh15.3 billion for 2025/26, Sh25.4 billion for 2026/27, and Sh21 billion for 2027/28.
In addition to the kits, the IEBC aims to register 5.7 million new voters through continuous voter registration and gazette 9,164 additional polling stations. Treasury has allocated only Sh45.3 billion, with Sh9.3 billion for this financial year, Sh24.9 billion for 2026/27, and Sh20.4 billion for 2027/28.
The budget covers Sh26 billion for elections, Sh1.9 billion for voter education, Sh12.7 billion for ICT, and roughly Sh100 million for boundary delimitation.
The funding gap of Sh16.5 billion is expected to pose a serious challenge as the country prepares for elections in 19 months. The Justice Committee had earlier proposed Sh57.3 billion for the polls.
During public participation on the draft 2026 Budget Policy Statement, IEBC raised concerns about limited resources. “It was noted that some agencies have been allocated limited resources, yet they provide key services in the country, such as EACC, IEBC and NPS,” the document stated.
IEBC requested Sh38 billion for election management, Sh6.5 billion for voter education, Sh12 billion for ICT, and Sh369 million for boundary delimitation.
The commission stressed that adequate resources are vital to fulfilling its mandate. It described civic education for voter registration as “a crucial but costly endeavour that demands significant resources” and said it is engaging development partners and stakeholders to fill the budget gap.
“Further, the general election is near, and therefore, there is a need for adequate preparations, which require resources,” IEBC added.
IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon expressed concern that budget cuts could limit staff deployment at polling stations and the national tallying centre, potentially disrupting the election process.
He noted that over 423,000 officials were deployed in the last election, which involved 16,098 candidates, and numbers are expected to rise in 2027.
“The cuts will affect the level of deployment,” he said , adding that KIEMS kits are also compromised. “We need to buy new kits with more advanced technology,” he explained, stressing that those used in 2017 and 2013 are no longer usable.
