NAIROBI, Kenya, July 19 — The newly constituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is scheduled to hold its first official media briefing exactly one week after assuming office.
According to a media invite by the Commission’s Communications team, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon will lead the briefing, where he is expected to outline the Commission’s immediate priorities as it begins its constitutional mandate.
The Chairperson will speak on the Ethekon and six commissioners were appointed amid heightened public expectations for a credible and independent electoral body.
The IEBC is expected to announce dates for by-elections in at least 22 electoral zones including six in the National Assembly, one in the Senate, and 15 Member of County Assembly (MCA) positions.
The poll agency is expected to roll out a series of stakeholder engagement forums and capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing voter confidence and improving service delivery ahead of the 2027 elections.
The media engagement comes on a week that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi warned the new poll agency chiefs must adopt austerity measures to curb ballooning election expenses.
While appearing before the Senate Devolution Committee on Thursday, Mbadi said the government would not support wasteful procurement practices and urged the IEBC to re-use equipment such as ballot boxes and biometric kits instead of buying new ones for every electoral cycle.
The 2022 General Election cost the country around Sh36 billion, with the IEBC accounting for Sh34.5 billion. With 22.1 million registered voters, the per-voter cost stood at roughly Sh2,000.
