The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) Chair Elizabeth Kalunda has called for a major overhaul of penalties for election offences, arguing that the current Ksh1 million fine imposed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is too lenient to deter misconduct especially violence that leads to injuries and loss of life.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Thursday, December 11, Kalunda said the country cannot continue treating serious electoral offences as minor infractions.
“From a financial integrity standpoint, several election offences were linked to misuse of funds. The current fine of Ksh1 million is not equivalent to the losses experienced,” she said.
Kalunda noted that such a penalty allows wealthy politicians to simply pay and walk free, escaping accountability even in situations where violence has erupted.
“You can imagine paying Ksh1 million, yet lives have been lost. Politicians with financial muscle can easily pay and move on,” she added.
Violence During By-elections Highlights the Gap
Her concerns come in the wake of fresh statistics from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which reported that three people lost their lives, and several others were injured during violence linked to the November 27 by-elections. Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma was among those attacked, sustaining injuries during the Kasipul polls.
Kalunda questioned why politicians continue to commercialise democracy and weaponise financial power, despite Kenya having a fully funded electoral body mandated to run credible and peaceful elections.
Push for Legal Reforms Before 2027
The ICPAK Chair urged lawmakers to urgently review the electoral legal framework to ensure a fair playing field and protect voters from politically motivated violence. She also emphasised the need to curb the involvement of public officers in campaigns and election activities.
“We saw a lot of government machinery involved in the election, and looking at the country’s current financial status, that was a misuse of resources that must be checked,” she stressed.
Kalunda further appealed to the IEBC to strengthen enforcement mechanisms ahead of the 2027 General Election. She said steeper fines, combined with aggressive voter education especially targeting political candidates would help restore integrity in Kenya’s electoral processes.
Additionally, she called for closer collaboration between the IEBC and other oversight agencies and proposed setting up a special judicial team dedicated to handling election-related offences.
Such steps, she said, would send a clear message that electoral violence and misconduct will no longer be treated lightly in Kenya.
