Election billions: High hopes dashed

Obadiah Kimani, Kajiado County Governor candidate address residents of Kiserian on Saturday. He used eight choppers to distribute campaign materials. [PHOTO: PETERSON GITHAIGA/STANDARD]

By Geoffrey Mosoku

KENYA: With just two weeks to what has been touted as Kenya’s most expensive elections, hope is fading among big-party candidates who were counting on the multi-billion-shilling campaign budgets to fund their campaigns.

The stark contrast between the flashy campaigns of the leading presidential contenders and those of other party candidates were in evidence last week at various party headquarters where the latter camped in the hope of getting money and materials to kick-start their campaigns.

“We have not received a single coin or even material from party headquarters. Most of us are relying on our own resources,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka, who is eying the Kitutu-Chache South parliamentary seat on an ODM ticket.

 Agriculture Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki, who is the Jubilee Coalition’s team leader for Meru region, also expressed frustration.

Mr Mbiuki said they only received campaign T-shirts and caps on the day the presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto toured the region.

“Apart from the materials, which bore the images of Uhuru, we only got Sh200,000 to hire tents, music system, chairs, and buy water during the rally,” he added.

Large number of candidates

Mbiuki said it was unlikely that the Jubilee Alliance secretariat will chip in to support their campaigns like PNU did in 2007 when all parliamentary candidates each received Sh500,000.

“My advice to colleagues will be to rely on whatever little they have and hope the goodwill of Jubilee in their regions will help them sail through,” added the Nithi parliamentary candidate.

The large number of candidates contesting the six positions up for grabs is partly cited as the reason parties are unable to provide financial and material support.

Also complicating matters for parties is the advent of coalition politics. While partner parties have pooled resources to finance the presidential candidate and running mate, the disharmony among other competing candidates within the coalition has not made matters any easier.

The rare exception is when presidential candidates tour their regions, hardly enough to sustain expensive and protracted campaigns. 

Consequently, with elections only two weeks away, campaigns for those unable to meet their costs are struggling to gain traction and, in extreme circumstances, are grounded.

The Standard On Sunday established that as late as last week, some candidates were still camping at their party headquarters in Nairobi with fading hopes of receiving money or campaign material.

Former Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton, who is defending his seat on an ODM ticket, said the party had not given them any money.

The only campaign material they got was distributed recently when Cord’s presidential candidate Raila Odinga toured the area.

Jubilee gubernatorial candidate for Nyamira County, Dennis Abincha, who had travelled to Nairobi to seek the materials, said their campaign was grounded.

Protests at party headquarters last week only yielded a hired truck for use during campaigns. “Most campaign activities are not taking place due to lack of adequate resources,” said Abincha.

On Saturday Cord presidential campaign leader Franklin Bett and his assistant Gideon Ndambuki confirmed that the issue had caused anxiety among its candidates.

“We are aware of the problem but something is being done,” Mr Bett said, explaining there was a delay in the acquisition of material expected to be distributed this week.

Mr Ndambuki added: “We have already ordered sufficient material that we will receive from Monday.” They declined to respond whether the aid includes cash.

UDF chairman Osman Hassan said the Amani coalition had no plans to supplement campaign budgets for its candidates.

Party strategy

“We did not factor in any money to allocate to our candidates but from the presidential campaign kitty, those candidates who require support may be considered,” Hassan said.

TNA Secretary General Onyango Oloo and his URP counterpart Davies Chirchir confirmed the Jubilee Alliance is yet to give out money to its candidates.

However, they clarified not all candidates will receive monetary support, explaining that most of the resources would be channelled to swing areas.

“We don’t have billions as some of our rivals have been claiming. Parties have strategies on how to win polls and we are not giving out money.

Everybody needs money like on Saturday but we are telling our candidates that where necessary and depending on what is available, we will subsidise their campaigns,” Mr Oloo said.

Chirchir said: “There are (stronghold) areas that you are certain your candidates are going through. And there are swing vote areas. We want to maximise the number of votes and seats in areas where we have focused to channel our resources to.”

Both Oloo and Mr Chirchir also conceded that they have been having challenges in distribution resources due to huge number of candidates.

With time running out, most candidates for the senate, governor, MP, women representative and county representatives have had to seek alternatives means to fund their campaigns.

Candidates for governor have hosted fundraising dinners to support their candidatures and the fact that some are holding them close to the poll date suggests financial constraints.

The hardest hit are candidates under two main coalitions: Cord (ODM and Wiper parties) and Jubilee (TNA and URP), which coincidentally have fielded the highest number of candidates.

And it was claimed that the discontent could undermine presidential campaigns in certain quarters where candidates have vowed not to campaign for their coalition’s presidential candidate.

A senior member of Cord feared that rivals may seek to exploit the discontent to fund candidates on condition they market their rival’s presidential bids.

 “Although candidates are being ignored, the presidential candidates ought to understand that even as we campaign for our cause, we are equally mobilising votes for them and thus support for us will go a long way in ensuring they clinch majority of votes,” Abincha added.

In the past, parties have supported their candidates either through provision of cash or materials such as campaign posters, T-shirts and caps.

Yet the March 4 election is billed as among the most expensive.

A report by the Coalition for Accountable Political Financing (CAPF) detailed campaign expenditure in the 2007 elections amounted to Sh5.6 billion.

The CAPF report estimated the average expenditure per parliamentary candidate in the 2007 elections was Sh7 million, translating to a total of Sh1.4 billion.

The figures are expected to be higher in this election and candidates for governor and senate will incur even higher expenses considering they are campaigning across several constituencies that make up a county.

Expenditure involves cash handouts that account for a huge proportion, publicity, campaign materials such as posters, campaign personnel, travel and logistics, personal security, rallies, campaign agents and polling station agents. 

The candidates also paid huge fees for nomination.

The number of candidates has soared considering the six positions on offer. In 2007, 2,548 candidates competed for 210 parliamentary seats and next month’s elections has a record number considering an additional 90 constituencies.