Back to reality: From helicopters to merchandise, elections business boom ends 

For months the Kenyan airspace had been filled with helicopters as politicians took to whirlwind campaigns to woo voters ahead of the General Elections tomorrow.

With their high convenience for speed and maneuverability, the choppers became a hotcake during the campaigns—presenting a booming business opportunity for owners, hire firms and oil marketers, and service and spare part firms.  

Several politicians own choppers, which they lease out or use during an electioneering period.

But with the official closure of the campaign window at 6 pm on Saturday by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the boom has finally ended with estimations that the political campaign teams sunk billions into the helicopter hire business.

A spot check around Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, which hosts the bulk of helicopter firms and hangars, showed minimal activity yesterday as the law barred further campaigns.

For months until yesterday, the airport had been registering buzzing activity amid back-to-back take-offs and landings by choppers either picking campaign teams.

“The blitz is over for now with the end of campaigns,” an official at Wilson Airport told Nation on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the airport manager, Kenya Airports Authority.

Market estimates show that it costs about Sh150, 000 to hire a helicopter for an hour in Kenya—an indication of the business boom that has been registered during this year’s high stake elections.

Official data by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority showed that new helicopter registration rose by 41 last year as politicians ventured into the general election campaign period.

The number of registered planes increased by 47, excluding those owned by the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces, to 782 last year.

Apart from choppers, road show truck owners and dealers in merchandise such as flyers, T-shirts, and posters also had a boom during the campaigns.

Enquiries showed that it costs about Sh100, 000 a day to hire a large roadshow truck fitted with quality public address systems.

“Business has been good over the months, especially in Nairobi where competition for various seats is quite tight this time and politicians targeted at reaching every corner of the city” Peter Njoroge, a driver of a roadshow truck said.

Producers of merchandise including T-shirts, aprons, caps, scarves, flyers, and posters also registered a boom over the months as politicians went over to woo voters through various strategies.

Kenyan election campaigns have become a high-spending exercise for candidates, translating to big business for service and merchandise suppliers.

Last August, MPs rejected a proposal by the IEBC seeking to cap presidential campaign spending at Sh4.4 billion and political party budgets at Sh17.7 billion.

Currently, a presidential candidate is allowed to spend up to a maximum of Sh5.2 billion, while governors, senators, and female representatives get a limit of Sh433 million.