Treasury says March 4 General Election cost Sh32.1 billion

The March 4 General Election cost the taxpayer a whopping Sh32.1 billion, overshooting the original budget by Sh3.5 billion, the Treasury said.

Treasury secretary Henry Rotich says in a report released on Thursday that the actual cost of the election stretched beyond the budgeted ceilings as agencies took measures to improve security and encourage mass participation in the democratic process.

This was by far the most expensive poll since Independence, involving several layers of government.

Security, registration and inauguration of President Uhuru Kenyatta are some of the items that breached their limits, the Treasury’s Post-Election Economic and fiscal report 2013 shows.

“Most of the election-related expenditures catered for direct activities but there was also marginal expenditure for indirect and related expenses,” said Mr Rotich.

The report is expected to reignite debate on the cost of the March polls that was marred by logistical and technical glitches – now under anti-corruption and parliamentary investigations.

It reveals that foreign governments bankrolled the election to the tune of Sh3.2 billion. So far, focus has mainly been on the Sh25.2 billion allocated to IEBC in 2012/3 – including Sh6.7 billion for procurement of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Machines – as the direct costs borne by taxpayer.

Out of the electoral expenditure, the IEBC alone spent a total of Sh30.9 billion, exceeding its approved expenditure level for the polls by a total of Sh4.045 billion.

Mr Kenyatta’s inauguration cost the taxpayer Sh204.2 million or Sh25.2 million more than Sh178.97 million allocated to the cabinet office for the purpose.

Mr Rotich says cases resulting from boundary review and general election expenses pushed up IEBC’s legal fees to Sh754 million.

The electoral agency also spent Sh249 million to comply with the provisions of the new constitution, Sh820 million on transportation and Sh393 million on security, the  report says.

Other notable expenditure items related to the March election are listed as Sh876 million for training, Sh469 million for publicity, Sh189 million for by-elections and Sh235 million on “simulation” and materials.

Apart from the specific amount allocated to IEBC for security registration and polling stations, equipment and personnel, the provincial administration spent additional Sh800 million on polls-related activities like campaigns, nomination of candidates by political parties and other disturbances.

Treasury says a total of Sh1.995 billion was spent on election-related security to ensure that citizens were “not compromised as they exercised their constitutional rights.”

“The electoral system was more than registration, polling station and equipment as there were heightened activities in the run up to elections,” says Mr Rotich.

The preparations for the March elections also saw the Immigration ministry being handed an additional Sh156 million to speed up issuance of national identity cards by taking services closer to citizens through field visits.

Some of these measures may have paid off as the country held one of the most peaceful elections with citizens turning up in record numbers to choose leaders.

On average, a record 86 per cent of the 14.3 million registered voters cast their ballots in the March general elections, according to data from IEBC.

The electronic transmission of results, however, failed and presidential candidate Raila Odinga disputed the results that declared President Kenyatta the winner in the first round.

A total of 188 cases were also filed with the Judiciary by Senate, National Assembly and county aspirants who expressed dissatisfaction over the March Polls. Siaya governor Cornell Rasanga has already lost his case through a petition.

“The fact that only five out of the 188 cases have been nullified so far shows that elections were generally free and fair,” says IEBC chief executive James Oswago.

Despite the massive expenditure that violates its own ceilings, the Treasury maintains that the government is committed to maintaining fiscal discipline throughout the transition period.