The National Treasury has decided against implementing remote voting for the 2027 General Election, citing widespread public mistrust in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission as a major obstacle to using such technology.
In its draft 2026 Budget Policy Statement, the Treasury highlighted that introducing systems allowing voters to cast ballots remotely could face resistance and might not gain public support under the current circumstances.
“Current low trust in the IEBC may challenge successful implementation of technology-supported advanced voting systems that enable eligible voters to cast their ballots remotely,” the statement says.
The push for advanced voting technologies was recommended by Parliament in the 2024 Budget Policy Statement to make it easier for citizens to vote remotely. The Treasury, however, concluded that these plans cannot proceed at this time.
As the IEBC prepared for the 2025/26 financial year, it requested Sh61.74 billion to cover the 2027 election over three years. The budget assumed Sh55 billion from the National Treasury and formed the baseline for the commission’s election planning.
The commission proposed front-loading Sh15.3 billion in 2025/26 to cover pre-election activities, including voter registration and procurement of election technology hardware and software.
The National Assembly, however, approved only Sh9.33 billion, according to the first-quarter financial review for 2025/26 by Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakang’o, up from Sh3.82 billion the previous year.
The CoB report notes that the IEBC runs two major programmes: electoral management and review of electoral boundaries.
The electoral management programme includes administration, finance, voter registration, election operations, public education, partnerships, and election technology. The commission plans to spend Sh25.4 billion in 2026/27, followed by Sh21 billion in 2027/28.
Meanwhile, the boundary review may not be completed before the 2027 polls, despite Article 89 of the Constitution requiring periodic reviews. Any review must be finalised at least 12 months before a general election for Members of Parliament.
The Constitution mandates 290 constituencies for National Assembly elections and requires regular adjustment of the number, names, and boundaries of wards. Article 89(4) specifies that if a general election occurs within 12 months of a boundary review, the updated boundaries will not take effect for that election.
Constituency boundaries must reflect population quotas as closely as possible, while allowing for adjustments based on geography, urban centres, community interests, historical and cultural ties, economic factors, and communication access.
Separately, the Treasury reaffirmed its commitment to prioritise land compensation payments before government projects begin. This follows a National Assembly resolution calling for prompt payment to landowners whose property is acquired for public projects.
“The government will continue to prioritise payment of pending land compensation within the approved allocations in the 2024/25 financial year Budget,” the draft BPS states.
The Public Investment Management Regulations of 2022 require Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to secure land for projects before receiving approval and funding from the Treasury.
The Treasury also assured that all pending bills, including those owed by the IEBC to suppliers, will be settled under a sustainable financial framework to clear eligible outstanding claims.
