Kenya’s electoral commission is set to receive a hefty allocation for new vehicles following changes in the government’s mini-budget. The Treasury has sanctioned Sh168.6 million to purchase cars for the seven commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) who recently assumed office, according to supplementary budget papers now before Parliament.
The revised estimates show a dramatic jump in the IEBC’s funding for “purchase of vehicles and other transport equipment” for the current financial year ending in June. The allocation has climbed from an initial Sh5.6 million to Sh174.2 million, placing the commission among the State agencies registering the steepest increases in spending on vehicles.
In addition, the electoral body has been earmarked Sh1.3 million for routine vehicle maintenance under the revised budget, a line that had not been included in the original estimates. The funding request follows the swearing-in of a new team of commissioners on July 11, 2025, after Parliament had already approved the national budget. The group was formally installed by Chief Justice Martha Koome a day after a three-judge bench of the High Court cleared their appointments.
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The commission is chaired by Erastus Edung Ethekon, with Fahima Araphat Abdallah serving as vice chairperson. Other members are Ann Njeri Nderitu, Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, Mary Karen Sorobit, Hassan Noor Hassan, and Francis Odhiambo Aduol. Each will serve a six-year term at the electoral body.
The IEBC allocation forms part of broader adjustments in the supplementary budget that substantially expand government spending on transport fleets. Across roughly 16 State departments and agencies, funds set aside for vehicle purchases have surged from Sh165.4 million in the approved budget to Sh780.4 million in the revised estimates. Meanwhile, spending on routine maintenance of vehicles and other transport equipment across 34 government entities has more than doubled, rising from Sh500.7 million to Sh1.12 billion.
