Mombasa — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will need Sh40.9 billion to stage the 2022 general election.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on Monday said the funds will enable the agency conduct an election within coronavirus containment protocols while also ensuring polling stations do not exceed 700 voters, a threshold set out under the law.
Chebukati said the commission had a Sh14 billion deficit.
"Treasury has only allocated Sh26.3bn," Chebukati who spoke during a media sector working group meeting in Mombasa said.
"We are engaging the Treasury on it because it is our main source of funding," he added.
In case the funding does not materialize, the commission said it will have to cut down on several activities and take interventions including reducing number of ballot papers, the number of employees and scale down mass voter registration.
Marjan Hussein Marjan, acting IEBC CEO, emphasized that the cost of 2022 general election will increase at a reducing rate owing to the reduction of security features on ballot papers.
"We need to register 25 million voters by 2022. This means 5 to 6 million more voters than the current number. This process needs money and thus the issue of cost coming in," Marjan said.
"To reduce cost we need trust. Incorporate security features in ballot papers to ensure there’s no duplicate so as to secure integrity of election needs more money," Marjan emphasized.
Nairobi — Prices of teas from KTDA-managed factories improved marginally at the Mombasa Tea Auction this week, selling at an average of $2.43 per Kg compared to $2.29 at the previous auction.
At the auction held Tuesday 2nd August, KTDA managed factories offloaded 84% of all teas offered at the market, down from 87% sold the previous week as the market continues to positively embrace the minimum price regime that was introduced in July 2021.
The teas sold at $1.90 prior to the introduction of the minimum reserve price, indicating the market is warming to the new regime.The introduction of the minimum reserve price by the new KTDA Holdings board was informed by the need to improve farmers’ earnings that had for a long time taken a beating from low prices.In his market update last week, KTDA Holdings Acting CEO, Wilson Muthaura noted that the improvement in price and absorption of KTDA teas is welcome, and is a reflection that tea buyers appreciate the need for sustainable tea farming.Prices of tea at the Mombasa Tea Auction […]
