The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) will spend at least Sh160 million to monitor the August 2022 polls.

The commission said it will adopt a four-phased approach to influence respect for civil liberties in the General Election and to foster political accountability and democracy.

Of the Sh160 million, Sh20 million will go towards monitoring campaigns with a similar amount going towards monitoring the elections.

“Compromised General Election results will lead to a violation of human rights and constitutional provisions,” Commission Secretary Bernard Mongesa said yesterday.

Speaking during the launch of the strategy at a Nairobi hotel, Mongesa cited limited financial resources and enforcement of Covid-19 protocols as some of the factors that may have an impact on the polls.

KNCHR also intends to spend Sh15 million to monitor political parties’ primaries, Sh6 million to monitor accountability and redress processes of the primaries while Sh8 million will be used for civic education and public awareness campaigns on party nominations.

Further, some Sh25 million will be used to operationalise and equip the commission’s monitoring systems and hub, while another Sh15 million will be used to monitor post-poll scenarios and a similar amount to carry out investigations into human rights violations.

Mongesa noted that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s succession had “heightened the political premium of the seat” adding that there is already some interference of the electoral body operations.

According to the commission, the monitoring will map out the various institutions and organisations carrying out election work and form partnerships where necessary to complement the process.