IEBC Warns Funding Cuts Could Disrupt 2027 Elections

IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon has warned that reduced funding could hinder preparations for Kenya’s 2027 General Elections, affecting staffing, technology, and overall preparedness.

Ethekon told KBC on Tuesday, 18 November, that the commission had requested Ksh61 billion from Parliament for the upcoming polls, but the allocation was later cut. He said the reduction could limit the IEBC’s ability to conduct credible elections, noting that most of the funding was intended for personnel deployment.

During the 2022 elections, the IEBC hired more than half a million temporary staff for polling stations and tallying centres. With about 53 per cent of the budget assigned to staffing, Ethekon warned that any cuts would reduce the number of officers available to manage voting and tallying. 

He cautioned that this could slow down key operations and weaken oversight at crucial stages of the process. He also highlighted the commission’s increased dependence on technology, specifically the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS), which supports voter registration, identification, and results transmission. 

Many KIEMS kits purchased for previous elections, including in 2013 and 2017, are now outdated. Ethekon said new equipment is required to maintain reliable systems and that insufficient funding would make this difficult.

The IEBC chair further raised concerns about recent legal changes that transferred the authority to prosecute electoral offences from the commission to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. While the IEBC previously handled these cases under the Election Offences Act, the shift has led to a backlog of unresolved matters. 

Ethekon warned that this could undermine public confidence if cases remain pending. Despite the financial and legal challenges, the commission has begun preparations for 2027. Continuous Voter Registration is ongoing, although it has been temporarily halted in constituencies where by-elections are set for 27 November.