The Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is one of the sectors set out to benefit from the budgetary adjustments done by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani.
IEBC will receive an additional Ksh.8.8 billion ahead of the August 9, 2022, general elections.
In the current financial year, Treasury had allocated Ksh.26.3 billion which was a deficit of Ksh.14.6 billion from their budgeted plan of Ksh.40.9 billion for registration of voters, verification and audit of the voter’s register, training of police officers and IEBC staff, statutory documentation and settling pending election-related bills which the IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati said they were underfunded and urged the parliament to increase the allocation.
“It is worth noting that the 40.917 budget requirement is the bare minimum as per the electoral activities in the Election Operations Plan which are governed by the existing legal framework. We urge the National Treasury to provide sufficient funds as requested,” said Chebukati.
The Ksh.8.8 billion extra funding is meant to recruit more staff, provide meals to officers and IEBC staff during the elections and to improve the judiciary’s Information Technology Infrastructure.
The Treasury is planning to allocate a total of Ksh.126 billion across different ministries as supplementary budget which must first be approved by the National Assembly.
“We are in this regard seeking the approval of the expenditure adjustments which are beyond the 10 percent threshold in accordance with regulation 40 (9) of the PFM regulations, 2015,” CS Yatani explained to Members of Parliament.
With the country gripped by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the extra-budgetary allocation will see also favour the Ministry of Health in preparation to counter the spread of the disease in the wake of looming political campaigns across the country.
“This increase (Ksh126 billion) is largely on account of increase in appropriation in aid, provision for Covid-19 expenditure, security-related expenditure, and support to state-owned enterprises,” said Yatani.
