Kiambu County Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa has strongly criticized Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei for his recent defense of extending term limits for elected officials.
Cherargei introduced a controversial bill aimed at increasing the term limits for the president, members of parliament, governors, and members of county assemblies (MCAs).
On October 28, 2024, Cherargei argued that extending term limits would decrease the frequency of elections, ultimately saving the country money. He pointed out that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) spends billions to organize each election, stating that the costs reached Kes.35.8 billion for the 2022 elections, leaving the commission with Kes.2.05 billion in pending bills.
Cherargei emphasized that this expenditure means the last election cost approximately Kes.2,000 per voter, which he called the highest election cost in the world.
“Kenyans, are you aware that in the 2022 General Elections, Ksh35.8 billion—translating to Ksh2,000 per voter—was used, with an outstanding pending bill of Ksh2.05 billion by IEBC? This is the most expensive election cost in the world,” Cherargei stated.
Cherargei argued that the high costs of conducting elections motivated his push for extending term limits. He believes the funds used for elections every five years could instead support development projects across the country, potentially allowing each county to receive up to Kes.1 billion for these initiatives.
“That’s why we don’t need to hold elections regularly; these funds could be allocated for development projects nationwide. Imagine approximately Ksh1 billion per county for development expenditures or equitable shareable revenue allocations,” he asserted.
In response, Senator Karungo likened Cherargei’s proposal to asking a pregnant woman to prolong her pregnancy simply because someone cannot afford the delivery costs.
Karungo suggested that if the country aims to save money on elections, it could use the same approach implemented during Gachagua’s impeachment. He noted that Gachagua’s public participation process was rushed and conducted with almost no budget.
“What the senator is suggesting is like asking a pregnant person to prolong their pregnancy because you can’t afford the delivery. Riggy G’s public participation was completed in record time—just half a day—across the entire country, and it was done with almost zero budget. Why not apply the same approach to elections?” Karungo posed.
