In 2022, Jasper Muthomi, popularly known as Mc Jesse, took the plunge into the turbulent waters of Kenyan politics when he decided to contest for the Imenti South parliamentary seat.
However, his short-lived political sojourn ended when he conceded defeat even before the IEBC announced the final results.
Speaking to bloggers on why he conceded defeat, he went on to reveal that he spent a whopping Sh 58 million in the campaigns.
Many people did not believe him, with some saying that 58 million was too much for an MP seat aspirant.
However, in a recent interview with Oga Obinna, Mc Jesse opened up on how expensive it is to run for a political seat in Kenya, providing a breakdown of how his costs amounted to 58 million.
This is his journey as told by WoK:
Jesse started by saying that contrary to popular belief, campaigning in major towns like Nairobi is less costly than campaigning upcountry.
“In Nairobi, one billboard can reach very many people because they are concentrated in one area. However, rural areas are sparsely populated and therefore you have to traverse all corners of the county to reach everyone. This can be very expensive in terms of logistics,” he said.
For instance, the South Imenti constituency has six wards.
Jesse had three campaign cars, which would constantly traverse the constituency, blazing his slogans. In one day, he said the vehicles would consume a total of at least sh 48 000 on fuel.
To add on costs, each vehicle had a driver and an Mc whose salaries and expenses amounted to sh 5 000 per day — totaling sh 15 000 per vehicle.
Posters were another major expense. According to the comedian, printing posters during campaign season is expensive, costing him approximately sh 20 per poster.
Jesse explained that posters typically have a short lifespan of around two weeks – due to rains and damage by opponents — further contributing to the need for repeated printing.
Throughout the whole campaign period, he printed about 1 million posters.
Other costs included branding T-shirts, flags, caps, branding vehicles, placards, and banners.
“You place the banners in boda boda stages and bus stops. You have to pay someone to put them in the morning and take them out in the evening, else they will be stolen overnight,” he said.
In the entire constituency, Mc Jesse had about 60 banners, which meant hiring 60 agents to put them up in the morning and take them down in the evening.
Besides these expenditures, there was the obvious cost of handouts.
It is common knowledge that an aspiring politician in Kenya is expected to attend churches, Harambee, and events like funerals where they are often expected to provide financial contributions.
Jesse also accounted for expenses related to election day. With 428 polling stations in South Imenti, he needed agents present at each location, costing him 5,000 shillings per agent.
Generally, according to his records, he said he spent sh 58 million throughout the entire campaign period.
Although he did not win the parliamentary seat, Jesse expressed that the money invested in his campaign did not go to waste.
He believes that his campaign experience was a valuable learning opportunity, allowing him to develop essential skills.
“Generally, I became a better person and a better leader. If today the president comes and wants to make me a Cabinet Secretary, I can deliver. I know what to do,” the comedian stated confidently.
