Campaign spending law to prevent graft IEBC

Campaign spending law to prevent graft  IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has defended its decision to set a ceiling on campaigns spending by parties and aspirants in elections.

Speaking to Radio Citizen on Tuesday, IEBC Director of Campaign Funding, Salome Oyugi, said the move is aimed at curbing graft, ensuring openness on the part of political parties as well as giving all the aspirants equal chances in the polls.

“What the Constitution was seeking to address was giving equal opportunity to all persons who are eligible to run or participate in election and by doing so, providing a level playing field for all political actors; be it candidates or political parties, and also, in some way, prevent corruption which is often seen through use of illicit funds,” Oyugi said.

According to the law, presidential aspirants will not use more than 5.2 billion shillings in their political campaigns, with Governors, Senators and ward representatives expected to use less than 432 million shillings.

The move has already elicited mixed reactions from the political class with leaders in the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) claiming that it will result in the misuse of money, especially by their Jubilee coalition counterparts in the run up to the August 8, 2017 General Election.

Many others have argued that the high figures set as maximum amounts for parties and individuals will perpetrate corruption and lock out those who are not well endowed financially.

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