Jeremiah Kioni MP

If MPs approve a new Bill, candidates, including for the presidency, will no longer be required to provide receipts or keep a record of contributions paid in to their campaign funds.

The Election Campaign (Amendment) Bill would do away with the current rule whereby candidates and political parties receiving donations have to issue a receipt for any amount over Sh20,000.

The Bill will also get rid of the current requirement making it mandatory for candidates, political parties or other ‘authorised’ persons raising money through harambee, to keep a detailed record of the fundraiser, where it was held, the date it was held and how much was raised, which is currently required under section 16(1) and (2) of the Act.

The Bill before parliament sponsored by Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, comes just a month after MPs rejected a move by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to place a limit on spending in election campaigns.

The new Bill will surely only further opportunities for candidates to raise illicit funding for their campaigns, so no doubt it will receive the backing of MPs.