Less than two weeks after the tragic helicopter crash that silenced one of Kenya’s most electrifying MPs, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is already counting the cost of finding his successor.
Acting CEO Moses Sunkuli has formally asked the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) to set aside Sh59.38 million to conduct a by-election in Emurua Dikirr Constituency, the seat left vacant by the death of three-term Member of Parliament Johana Ng’eno Kipyegon.
Ng’eno perished in a helicopter crash in Mosop, Nandi County, on February 28, alongside five others.
The crash sent shockwaves across the country and triggered an outpouring of grief from constituents, fellow legislators, and political leaders alike.
But even as the nation mourns, the wheels of democracy must turn.
The Catch? No Writ, No Budget
Sunkuli noted that the commission is yet to receive a writ to hold the poll, and the Sh59.38 million allocation falls outside the current supplementary estimates, meaning the money hasn’t been formally budgeted for, and IEBC is essentially asking Parliament to find it from somewhere.
The timing adds another layer of complexity. The commission is already drowning in financial pressure.
Sunkuli told the committee that IEBC is sitting on pending bills of Sh4.99 billion, the bulk of which, Sh4.27 billion, are legal claims stemming from past elections, including the 2022 presidential petition, which alone accounts for Sh517.28 million.
“Note the pending bills and assist in securing additional budgetary allocation to facilitate settlement of the outstanding pending bills,” Sunkuli urged lawmakers.
The by-election isn’t just a political formality, it’s a fight to fill the shoes of a man who essentially built the constituency from the ground up.
Ng’eno first entered Parliament in 2013, representing Emurua Dikirr, a region whose interests he championed through decades of fighting neglect and structural inequality.
He went on to win in 2017 and again in 2022, becoming the only MP the constituency had ever known.
Speaker Moses Wetang’ula described him as a devoted legislator, a mentor, and a servant leader who always put his people first.
With 44,447 registered voters across four wards, Ilkerin, Mogondo, Kapsasian, and Ololmasani, the Narok County constituency covers 320.50 square kilometres of agriculturally rich but infrastructurally underserved land.
Whoever wins the seat will inherit both a legacy and a long list of unfinished battles.
The National Assembly must issue a by-election writ before IEBC can formally swing into action.
Once that happens, the clock starts ticking, and so does the spending.
The Sh59.38 million request signals that the commission is preparing now, even before the green light comes through.
For the people of Emurua Dikirr, who are still mourning their Ngong, the coming weeks will mark the beginning of a new and uncertain political chapter.
