The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has a major national assignment in 2027.
The looming polls will likely turn out to be one of the most hotly contested in the multiparty era.
The new commission, which will be presiding over the elections for the first time, has made every effort to get the budget it believes will enable it to deliver a credible and transparent election.
Though it is commendable to produce a result that will allay every fear, since Kenya is a country of conspiracy theorists, we must be careful under the present tough economic times to spend cash prudently.
We say this because the budget of IEBC for the 2026-27 financial year has been enhanced to a staggering Sh74 billion.
It turns out that the IEBC has a penchant for throwing away old technology and buying a new one with every poll.
The election gadgets of 2013 were discarded after only five years and the technology of 2017 suffered the same thriftless fate.
Financial prudence demands that public resources be spent with care, taking into account that the financial pressures facing the country are so enormous every opportunity to save cash must be exploited so government can save money and run a budget the public taxation system can afford.
Quote of the day: “I have always served the public to the best of my ability. Why? Because, like every other man, it is to my interest to do so.” —American shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794
