National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi speaking before the Senate Devolution Committee.
Mulembe Times
NAIROBI, Kenya — July 17, 2025
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is facing a major budget shake-up ahead of the 2027 General Elections, as the National Treasury pushes for a more cost-efficient approach to managing Kenya’s notoriously expensive electoral processes.
Appearing before the Senate Devolution Committee this week, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said Kenya can no longer afford the ballooning cost of elections, and directed the IEBC to find ways to cut down expenditure — particularly by reusing election materials such as ballot boxes and surveillance equipment.
“We’re going to ask tough questions,” Mbadi told senators. “The IEBC must be efficient. The cost of elections in this country is simply too high. There are things that you buy and you don’t dispose of immediately. Why do you buy them every election cycle? Even ballot boxes?”
His remarks follow growing concern within government about the financial sustainability of Kenya’s electoral process. The country spent an estimated Ksh. 36 billion on the 2022 General Elections, with Ksh. 34.5 billion used directly by the IEBC and the rest on security and logistics. With 22.1 million registered voters at the time, the cost per voter amounted to around Ksh. 2,000, placing Kenya among the most expensive democracies in Africa.
Mbadi’s proposal comes at a politically sensitive moment, as the IEBC prepares to conduct by-elections for 22 vacant electoral seats, including six National Assembly seats, one Senate seat, and 15 Member of County Assembly (MCA) positions. These mini-polls are widely seen as early battlegrounds for the country’s top political players ahead of the 2027 contest.
“We have no option,” said Mbadi. “We must run elections in 2027 and even the by-elections, so we have to realign our budgets. I know IEBC is complaining, but they must be efficient.”
While Mbadi confirmed that funding will still be availed for the by-elections and the 2027 polls, he signaled that the Treasury will no longer sign blank cheques without demanding accountability. He stressed that the IEBC must adopt long-term planning strategies, including maintaining a stock of reusable electoral materials and improving logistical coordination.
The development adds to pressure on the IEBC, which has already faced criticism over its transparency, procurement practices, and the disbandment of its previous leadership following the fallout from the 2022 presidential results. The new team, once fully constituted, will be tasked not only with rebuilding public trust but now also with doing so on a tighter budget.
Election observers have long called for cost-efficiency reforms within Kenya’s electoral commission, arguing that ballooning costs are unsustainable and often prone to abuse. Several reports by both local and international bodies have noted that Kenya’s election budgets far outstrip those of comparable democracies — often without a proportional improvement in electoral integrity or delivery.
Critics say the challenge will now be striking a balance between cost-saving and ensuring credible, secure elections. “You can’t compromise on democracy just because you want to save money,” said one senator during the session. “But you also can’t afford extravagance in a struggling economy.”
The IEBC is yet to issue an official response to Mbadi’s remarks, but insiders indicate that the commission will seek more structured dialogue with Treasury officials in the coming weeks, particularly regarding the timeline and logistics of the upcoming by-elections.
As Kenya braces for the 2027 political showdown, the conversation around election budgets is only expected to intensify. With the Treasury drawing the line on runaway costs, the IEBC must now innovate — or risk a funding crisis that could threaten the credibility and timeliness of the country’s most critical democratic exercise.
