The government is tightening the noose on all monies coming in from abroad to support political campaigns with the opposition Nasa crying foul that its efforts to mobilise funds were being targeted.
The Sunday Nation has learnt that a multi-agency meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on Thursday at Harambee House resolved to closely monitor the interactions between the political parties and foreign donors, with more focus inevitably on Nasa.
Coincidentally, it happened while Nasa presidential flag-bearer Raila Odinga was scheduled to meet some of the potential financiers on the sidelines of his tour of Jerusalem.
The committee led by Mr Kinyua comprises officials from the Treasury, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and representatives from the Kenya Revenue Authority among others.
After Jerusalem, Mr Odinga travelled to Dubai. He returned to the country yesterday ahead of a Nasa rally in Nakuru today.
During the endorsement of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Jubilee candidates, Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale claimed that President John Magufuli’s government had offered to host the opposition’s parallel presidential vote-tallying centre.
He, however, did not provide any evidence.
CAMPAIGN BUDGETS
The foreign fundraising efforts, according to an individual with first-hand knowledge of Nasa’s presidential campaign budget, is meant to supplement what has been raised locally to facilitate what is expected to be one of the most expensive elections in Kenya’s history.
ODM treasurer and Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire, who sits in the coalition’s resource mobilisation team, said their projection may see external support account for up to 30 per cent of the campaign budget, which he declined to disclose.
“We will accept help from our friends abroad as long as it is done within the law. Whether such help comes or not, we are sure to mount one of the best-financed and organised campaigns in this part of the world,” he said.
Mr Kenyatta’s administration has reportedly given stern instructions to all financial institutions, including all the banks, to be on the lookout for any suspicious money that finds its way into the country.
