Why is Kenya’s election so expensive?

More or Less: Behind the Stats

BBC

Business, Mathematics, Science, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2017

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

On Tuesday Kenyans go to the polls to elect members of parliament and the next president. A report in Quartz Africa has estimated that the cost of putting on the election by the Government works out at around $25 per head – $480 million in total. It also estimated that it cost Rwanda $1 a head, and Uganda $4 a head to lay on elections. Recently an expert on this programme estimated that the UK General election cost about $4 a head. We explore why there is such a difference in the amounts spent.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to more or less on the BBC World Service, your numbers guide to the news
0:08.3	around the world.
0:09.3	I'm Charlotte McDonald.
0:11.2	This week we're exploring the costs of the upcoming Kenyan election on August 8th.
0:16.9	The inspiration for this came from a tweet from a listener, Elizabeth, who had read a report
0:21.3	that estimated that it was going to cost $25 USD ahead.
0:26.6	She remembered that in the aftermath of the UK election this year, we've had an expert
0:30.9	throwing around a figure about the UK.
0:36.6	Now, listeners, Alistair Tom and Tony Holmes have asked us a question.
0:40.5	Now the election is over.
0:42.1	I wonder what is the true cost of putting it on?
0:47.4	David Cowling is Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Kings College London.
0:51.6	The ideal person to tell us how much a general election costs the national purse.
0:56.5	Fractual voters, it's about £3 ahead.
0:59.6	So remembering that everybody, of course, will vote, but yes, it's about £3 ahead.
1:04.1	So that's £25 USD versus £3, which works out at about $4 USD.
1:10.8	That does indeed sound like a big difference.
1:13.9	And to work out why, I spoke to the person who came up with a UK estimate
1:17.9	and the person who came up with a Kenyan one.
1:20.9	Before we get going, let's be clear.
1:22.8	We're looking at the amount of money each government has said it has spent on running the election.
1:28.1	Not the cost spent by parties or candidates campaigning.
	...

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