Nairobi:The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has commenced nationwide public participation forums to discuss the Draft Election Campaign Financing Regulations, 2026. These sessions are intended to gather stakeholders’ views ahead of the 2017 General Election and have proposed spending limits, rules on campaign contributions, authorized expenditures, financial disclosures, and monitoring.
According to Kenya News Agency, a session held in Kakamega town saw stakeholders demand that laws on campaign financing be strictly enforced to ensure transparency, accountability, and a fair electioneering process. The stakeholder engagement forum brought together representatives from political parties, civil society organizations, and members of the public.
Participants were taken through the draft Election Campaign Financing Regulations, campaign expenditure limits, reporting requirements, electoral dispute resolution, and challenges facing the Commission ahead of the 2027 General Election. The proposed campaign spending limits were drawn up based on the population, size of the electoral area, and the cost of running a campaign in each electoral area.
Under the proposed limits, the Commission has capped expenditure by political parties at 17.7 billion Shillings. The spending limit for presidential candidates has been proposed at 4.44 billion Shillings. The proposals consider higher costs associated with campaigns in geographically expansive counties, allowing candidates in those areas to spend the highest amounts, capped at 123 million Shillings.
Candidates contesting in similar positions in other areas have also been capped separately, with those in Nairobi allowed up to a limit of 117.3 million Shillings and Wajir allowed to spend up to 113.8 million Shillings. Participants noted that candidates will have to explain their expenditures and present financial reports as per the timeframe provided by law.
While welcoming the proposals, participants questioned how the Commission would monitor campaign expenditure and ensure all candidates adhere to the regulations. Sadam Ali, a resident, inquired about IEBC’s actions to prevent incumbents from using state resources for campaigning. Deborah Khasandi raised concerns about the monitoring of social media and online campaigns.
IEBC officials clarified that the body does not accept donations from foreign governments and that expenditure on paid digital ads or paid bloggers must be reported as campaign expenditure under the Election Campaign Financing Act. Voluntary online support would not be considered a campaign expenditure.
The IEBC affirmed its commitment to enforcing the Electoral Code of Conduct to ensure political parties and candidates adhere to good campaigning practices. The Commission also emphasized its dedication to fair and impartial resolution of electoral disputes, highlighting the importance of a well-functioning dispute resolution mechanism in fostering public trust and peaceful democratic practices.
Participants urged the Commission to enhance monitoring tools on the expenditure of incumbents to establish a clear and fair system of campaign financing before the 2027 General Election.
