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With exactly a year to the next General Elections, the IEBC has gazetted the Elections Financing Act which provides guidelines for contributions and spending limits for political parties and candidates for the purposes of the 2022 General Elections.

According to the notice released by the IEBC and dated August 8, 2021, all presidential candidates should spend at most Ksh 4,456,565 in the forthcoming General Elections.

For gubernatorial candidates, Nairobi, Isiolo, Turkana are the only counties with limits exceeding Ksh100 million.

Lamu, Kirinyaga, Tharaka Nithi, Nyamira, Vihiga and Nyeri counties have the lowest expenditure limit which is below Ksh30 million.

The limit set for governors applies for, County Woman Rep and Senator.

For constituencies, Wajir South, Leisamis, North Horr, Turkana North have the highest expenditure limits which exceed Ksh50 million.

The notice directs that all political parties are required to spend a maximum of Kshs 17, 712,306,733 in the 2022 polls.

The commission has set a maximum expenditure of Ksh274,578,845 for publicity materials, Kshs780,949, 545 for advertising and media, Ksh1, 843,087, 307 for campaign personnel, 1,523,634,301 for elections agents.

Transportation has been given the highest limit cost of Ksh11,806,426,529, 98,270,933 has been allocated for communication, Ksh156, 537,770 is the limit set for nomination fees and charges, Ksh20,871,702 has been allocated for security, Ksh18,262,739 has been allocated for accommodation while Ksh945,951,950 has been allocated for administrative cost.

The act now means that political parties are legally required to operate within the set cost failure to which amounts to a punishable offence.

“The attention of candidates is drawn to the provisions of Section 18(7) of the Election Campaign Financing Act, 2013 that a candidate who or a political party committee which exceeds the prescribed spending limits and fails to report this fact to the Commission commits an offence,” reads the notice.

“The attention of candidates and political party committees is drawn to the provisions of section 23 and 24 of the Election Campaign Financing Act, 2013 that a person convicted of an offence under this Act for which no penalty is provided shall be liable to a fine not exceeding two million shillings or a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years or to both,” the notice adds.

According to the notice, a single source is limited to contribute only 20 per cent of the total expenditure costs.