Presidential Candidates in the 2022 General Election will be allowed to spend a maximum of Ksh4.4 billion for their campaigns.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in a gazette notice on Monday, also limited the spending by political parties to Ksh17.7 billion. This, in a bid to ensure a fair playing field for political contests.
According to the IEBC, candidates and political parties in the 2022 General Election will also be barred from receiving contributions exceeding the set spending limits.
They are also required to report any spending exceeding the limits while those who contravene regulations supported by the Election Campaign Financing Act will be liable to a Ksh2 million fine, a jail term not exceeding five years, or both.
The Gazette Notice also indicates that a political party cannot receive more than 20% of its total contributions from a single source.
Spending limits for gubernatorial, senatorial and woman representative election campaigns were considered on a county-by-county basis, with Turkana County having the highest spending limit at Ksh123 million followed by Nairobi (Ksh117 million) and Marsabit (Ksh114 million).
Lamu County has the least spending limit at Ksh.21 million followed by Tharaka Nithi (Ksh.23 million), Elgeyo Marakwet (Ksh.25 million). Those seeking positions in the National Assembly and County Assembly also have their spending limits prescribed in the gazette notice.
The spending limit is guided by the geographical size and population of the specific region.
The campaign financing regulations gazetted by the IEBC will be subject to Parliamentary approval.
