In a dramatic showdown that has sent shockwaves through Kenya’s electoral machinery, Parliament has flatly rejected the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) aggressive push to balloon the 2027 General Election budget from Sh43 billion to a whopping Sh63.95 billion.
The rejection, delivered today during presentations to the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC), underscores growing parliamentary impatience with ballooning public spending amid Kenya’s razor-thin fiscal space.
IEBC Acting CEO Moses Sunkuli tabled the commission’s 2026 Budget Policy Statement, boldly declaring: “The total resource requirement for the 2027 General Election is Sh63.95 billion.”
But MPs were having none of it.
“Sh43 billion allocated by the Treasury is sufficient,” they insisted, shutting down any hope of extra cash for the August 10, 2027 polls.
The commission’s eye-watering breakdown reveals ambitious – and expensive – plans:
– Wages for poll officials (including statutory deductions): Sh12.38 billion
– Voter registration (targeting 6.3 million new voters): Sh6.9 billion
– KIEMS kits replacement: Sh6.2 billion (45,352 units declared obsolete)
– Recruitment and team building: Sh1.77 billion
– Staff welfare: Sh1.36 billion
– Media campaigns and bulk SMS: Sh2.94 billion
– Stakeholder engagements & legal petitions: Sh2.35 billion each
– Vehicle maintenance and purchase: Sh438 million
– Plus Sh1.5 billion for land and initial construction of the new Uchaguzi Centre
The commission also flagged Sh5.63 billion in pending bills from previous cycles, warning that unpaid suppliers could walk away and derail operations.
Voter projections paint a massive operation: 28.63 million registered voters (up from 22.3 million in 2022) across 55,393 polling stations – a jump of over 9,000 stations from the last election.
Parliament didn’t stop at the budget. Lawmakers immediately halted procurement of new KIEMS kits and demanded an independent expert report proving the existing units cannot be reused or upgraded.
The 14,000 kits bought in 2022 will stay, but only after costly upgrades at Sh175,000 each.
This latest clash comes weeks after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon warned of a Sh22.9 billion funding gap threatening voter registration, which is set to kick off in March.
The rejection aligns with repeated parliamentary warnings that agencies must “tighten their belts” as debt servicing swallows over 68% of ordinary revenue. With the country staring at a record Sh4.73 trillion budget for 2026/27 and a Sh1.1 trillion deficit, MPs are in no mood for election-year extravagance.
Critics inside and outside Parliament argue the IEBC must first clear past inefficiencies before asking for more taxpayers’ money.
The IEBC must now rework its plans around the Sh43 billion ceiling or risk operational chaos as the 2027 polls draw closer. Front-loading of election funds across multiple fiscal years – a strategy already floated by Treasury and some MPs – could ease the pressure, but today’s verdict leaves little room for manoeuvre.
For millions of Kenyans, the message is clear: Parliament is watching the purse strings closely. Whether this saves money or compromises the credibility of the 2027 vote remains the burning question as the country gears up for what promises to be its most expensive – and most scrutinized – election yet.
Story updated with latest committee proceedings. Watch this space for reactions from IEBC and political parties.
This isn’t just another budget spat – it’s a direct warning shot to every state agency: justify every shilling, or prepare to tighten your belt. Kenya’s 2027 election just got a lot leaner.
