Kenya MPs Question IEBC Over Proposed Sh13 Billion Increase in 2027 Election Budget

Members of Parliament have asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to justify a proposed budget increase of more than Sh13 billion ahead of the 2027 general election. The electoral agency appeared before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to defend its 2026/2027 budget estimates.

Officials said the additional funds would support expanded polling stations, more voter registration centres, diaspora voting and new election technology. The commission is seeking to raise its budget to Sh74.8 billion from the Sh61.7 billion requested in the previous cycle.

Officials attributed the increase to plans for nearly 55,000 polling stations, up from about 46,000 used in the 2022 election. They project the voter register will grow to 28.5 million from 22.1 million registered in 2022. A commissioner told the committee that each polling station would serve approximately 500 voters in 2027 compared with 480 in the last election.

The additional allocation would also support an enhanced voter registration exercise planned for December 2026 and January 2027. In the most recent registration drive concluded last month the commission added 2.6 million new voters.

Of the recent additions 267,249 voters were registered through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted between September 29 2025 and April 2026. The commission defended spending on diaspora voting noting that about 1.4 million Kenyans live abroad with more than 700,000 registered with missions.

Currently diaspora voting is limited to 12 countries and largely restricted to embassy premises. Officials requested a review of legislation to open additional polling stations outside embassies in countries with large Kenyan populations including the United States the United Kingdom Canada South Africa and East African Community member states.

One commissioner noted that in the UK only one voting station exists in London requiring some voters to travel long distances.

The commission faced questions over its proposal to buy new election technology kits while an audit of the existing Kenya Integrated Election Management System kits continues. Officials said more than 41,000 of the current kits are over 10 years old and present reliability risks for a national election.

They argued that a single kit failure on election day would create a serious problem. Procuring an entirely new integrated system would reduce compatibility issues between old and new devices and support multiple future election cycles the officials said.

They warned that procurement timelines are tightening and that the technology must be acquired tested and simulated well before the 2027 polls. One commissioner stated that if it were up to the commission the tender would be floated immediately because the election is approaching quickly.