Economy

IEBC cuts entertainment budget by 94pc after polls

iebc

IEBC officials filling forms. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cut its entertainment budget by 94 percent to Sh53.8 million in the six months to December.

Data from the Controller of Budget (CoB) shows that the elections agency reduced spending in the period by Sh851.1 million from the Sh904.9 million spent in a similar period a year earlier.

The IEBC spent the Sh904.9 million on drinks and catering for its staff at a time the country held two presidential elections after the initial poll was nullified due to irregularities.

The prolonged election period started ahead of the August 8, 2017 General Election and continued to the end of November when Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner after the repeat October 26 presidential vote.

The Supreme Court nullified the August 8 poll over irregularities, triggering another round of political campaigns.

The General Election was the most costly in Kenya’s electoral history, gobbling up Sh46.2 billion spread over two financial years.

Besides the IEBC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is among ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that slashed their entertainment spend by more than half. In the six months to December, the Ministry cut its budget 64 percent to Sh89.3 million from Sh246.3 million spent the year before.

Expenditure on hospitality for the 73 MDAs dropped 27 percent to Sh1.9 billion compared to the Sh2.6 billion spent a year prior.

At Sh630.4 million, President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto’s entertainment spend accounted for a third of Sh2.6 billion that public offices spent on parties and receptions in the period.

The Judiciary went against the current, more than doubling its spend on parties in the period under review to Sh57.5 million from the Sh25.8m spent a year earlier.

The Ministry of Trade spent Sh16.5 million on entertainment in the period under review, from the Sh9m it spent the previous year.