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Treasury rules out tech upgrade for elections amid low IEBC public trust
An IEBC official displays a KIEMS kit during a simulation process in the past.
The National Treasury has ruled out the possibility of implementing advanced voting technology that would allow eligible voters to cast their ballots remotely, citing low public trust in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as a major obstacle.
In its draft 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), the Treasury noted that Parliament’s resolution requiring the IEBC to adopt such technology is currently not feasible.
“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 draft BPS states.
The National Assembly had recommended in the 2024 BPS that the IEBC adopt advanced voting technologies to allow remote voting. However, the Treasury says this cannot be achieved under the present circumstances.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon.
During preparations for the 2025/26 financial year, the IEBC requested Sh61.74 billion to fund the 2027 General Election over three financial years 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28. The budget, which assumes Sh55 billion funding from the National Treasury, served as the baseline for planning the 2027 polls.
The commission proposed front-loading Sh15.3 billion to the 2025/26 financial year to support pre-election activities, including voter registration and procurement of election technology software and hardware.
Sh9.33 billion approved
However, only Sh9.33 billion was approved by the National Assembly, according to the Controller of Budget (CoB) Dr Margaret Nyakang’o’s review report for the first quarter of 2025/26. This compares to Sh3.82 billion allocated in the 2024/25 fiscal year.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o.
The CoB report highlights that the IEBC manages two main programmes: electoral process management and delimitation of electoral boundaries.
Under the management of the electoral process programme, there is administrative planning and financial services, voter registration and electoral operations, voter education and partnership and electoral information and communication technology.
In the financial year 2026/27, the commission has budgeted for Sh25.4 billion, while the 2027/28 fiscal period it has Sh21 billion.
The delimitation of electoral boundaries may not take place ahead of the 2027 general elections despite Article 89 of the Constitution mandating that the IEBC shall review the names and boundaries of constituencies at intervals of not less than eight years, and not more than 12 years, but any review shall be completed at least 12 months before a general election of members of Parliament.
The Constitution stipulates that there shall be 290 constituencies for the purposes of the election of the members of the National Assembly and that the IEBC shall review the number, names and boundaries of wards periodically.
“If a general election is to be held within twelve months after the completion of a review by the Commission, the new boundaries shall not take effect for purposes of that election,” Article 89 (4), states.
Land compensation
“The boundaries of each constituency shall be such that the number of inhabitants in the constituency is, as nearly as possible, equal to the population quota, but the number of inhabitants of a constituency may be greater or lesser than the population quota in the manner specified in clause (6) to take account of-(a) geographical features and urban centres, (b) community of interest, historical, economic and cultural ties, and (c) means of communication.”
The Treasury, through the 2026 draft BPS, also promised to implement the House resolution that requires it to prioritise payments for land compensation in the budget estimates before they are submitted to the National Assembly.
The National Assembly had recommended that, going forward, no government project should commence before the owners of such land are compensated.
The House resolved in the 2024/25 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) that in view of delayed compensation for land acquired from individuals by the government for various projects, the National Treasury should prioritise payments for land compensation in the estimates, before they are submitted to the National Assembly.
“The government will continue to prioritise payment of pending land compensation within the approved allocations in the financial year 2024/25 Budget,” the Treasury said in the draft Budget Policy Statement (BPS).
“To ensure compliance with this requirement, the Public Investment Management (PIM) Regulations, 2022 was enacted and require Ministries, Departments and Agencies to avail land for any project as a prerequisite before such projects are approved and funded by the National Treasury.”
The Treasury has also committed to pay all pending bills within a sustainable fiscal framework, including those that the IEBC owed to suppliers, with a view to settling the eligible pending bills.
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