Speaking during an interview with KBC , Ethekon said that despite proposing a budget of Ksh61 billion to Parliament for the upcoming election, it was reduced, a factor that might, in turn, cripple the commission’s ability to oversee the elections.
According to the IEBC boss, reducing the election budget means the commission will be forced to cut the number of officers at polling stations as well as the national tallying centre, who spearhead the process.
IEBC says about 53 per cent of the election budget goes to the deployment of officers. In the 2022 General Elections, the commission deployed more than 500,000 staff members, according to the chairperson.
Since the election will be heavily dependent on technology, Ethekon noted that the lack of enough funds might also affect the effectiveness of the Kenya Integrated Elections Management system (KIEMS), which is used by the commission to manage various stages of the election.
The system integrates several Key technological components, including Biometric Voter Registration (BVR), Electronic Voter Identification (EVID), and Electronic Results Transmission System (ERTS).
“Reducing the resources we need will definitely have a big impact on the elections. When you look at the breakdown of the budget, a huge part of it was dedicated to the deployment of the personnel who will oversee the elections. If you reduce the budget, it will affect the level of deployment,” Ethekon said.
“Our elections are largely technology-driven. The kits that we bought for the 2013 and 2017 elections, some became obsolete, and so we need to buy new kits with more advanced technology,” he added.
Ethekon also noted that the recent legal changes that gave the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (ODPP), rather than the commission itself, powers to prosecute individuals involved in electoral malpractices might also reduce the public confidence in the commission, since most cases remain unsolved.
“Under the Election Offenses Act, IEBC previously had the power to prosecute, and it worked efficiently because accountability was directly enforced,” Ethekon said.
“However, after legal changes, the ODPP now handles these cases. This puts us at a disadvantage, as most cases remain unsolved, potentially giving Kenyans the impression of impunity,” he added.
The commission has already commenced preparations for the 2027 General Elections. The commission is currently conducting the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in preparation for the highly anticipated polls.
Kenyans are being encouraged to visit the nearest IEBC office to register themselves as voters. Voter registration has, however, been halted in areas that are set for by-elections, which are expected to be held on November 27.
By James Kisoo
