According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), there are now insufficient funds to support a repeat for the August elections.
On March 15, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati stated that the commission hoped to have a clear winner at the conclusion of a consultation meeting with religious leaders.
“We do not have a budget for a re-run. We are not planning for a re-run. We are planning for general elections in August. In case of any eventuality, we will deal with them when they arise,” said Chebukati.
Chebukati asserted that the commission, having finished 90% of the acquisition of voting supplies such ballots, is well-prepared to oversee the next General Election.
The head of the IEBC also pointed out that low civic education this time around is a result of funding restrictions.
“As a commission we only got the election budget this year and we have done what we can with it even though we had a deficit. However, we have two civic educators in every ward,” he stated.
Analysts however fear that IEBC’s decision to overlook the current lack of funds might end up costing them in the case where they will be rerun.
Speaking on KTN’s Morning Prime, Director of the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, Dr. Hassan Khannenje, said it is important for the commission to prepare for such occurrences whether in parliamentary or general elections.
“It is shocking that that did not come to fall early on, considering just how delicate the situation was in 2017, and for us to wake up on August 10th in the same situation will be very challenging,” explained Khannenje.
A run-off can either occur if there is no clear winner in the election or, if none of the candidates achieve the required threshold to be declared winners, that is, 50%-1 of the votes cast.
Chebukati appealed to stakeholders to work together with the commission ro achieve its constitutional mandate during the August 9 polls.
The meeting was attended by various religious organizations including National Council of Churches in Kenya, The National Muslim Leaders Forum and The Hindu Council of Kenya among others.
