The IEBC yesterday released revised financial limits that will guide political parties and candidates in the 2022 election.
This is a move in the right direction given the need to rein in unbridled campaign expenditures by rich and powerful candidates. However, the elephant in the room that the commission must address is the enforcement mechanism.
Although the Campaigns Financing Act, 2013, provides for a Sh2 million fine, five-year imprisonment, or both, major political parties and wealthy candidates have been splashing millions well aware that the IEBC has no teeth to bite.
The net effect has been that campaigns have become extremely expensive for the average candidate. Reports show a correlation between the high campaign costs and the high level of official corruption among elected leaders seeking to recoup their campaign expenses.
The IEBC must invest in a robust mechanism to track, monitor and detect breaches of the law on campaign ceilings.
There must be deliberate mechanisms that target funds channelled into campaigns through the backdoor so as to provide a level playground for candidates.
The commission must demonstrate capacity to have the offenders punished as a deterrence mechanism.
Quote of the Day: “Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.”
Herbert Hoover
The 31st US President was born on August 10, 1874
