Jasper Muthomi, alias Comedian Mc Jesse, ran for the position of Member of Parliament in South Imenti during the 2022 elections. He trod the murky political waters in Kenya before losing out on a UDA nomination ticket.
Subsequently, he vied under an independent ticket until elections before finally conceding to Dr Shadrack Mwiti Ithinji of the Jubilee Party.
In a YouTube interview with Oga Obinna, the media personality revealed that he spent well above Sh. 58 million in his campaign trail. Jessy noted that running for a political position in a rural area is considerably more costly than in an urban area.
He asserted that running for an MP seat in a densely populated city could cost approximately Sh. 30 million, while in a rural area, the expenses are almost double due to various factors like transportation.
“In Nairobi, 1 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.
Jasper Muthomi went ahead to give a breakdown of how he would typically spend his money during elections. South Imenti constituency has 6 wards.
He used three campaign vehicles to travel around the different Meru constituencies while promoting his slogans. On a daily basis, these cars would require at least Sh. 48,000 for fuel.
He also considered additional costs like paying his drivers and the emcee, who were still part of his team. He arranged to pay them per car, allocating Sh. 5,000 for each vehicle, totalling Sh. 15,000 daily.
Jesse also had to cover the expenses for campaign posters, which he found to be costly. He revealed that printing these posters during the campaign season is expensive, with each poster costing nearly Sh. 20.
These posters typically lasted for about 2-3 weeks before getting vandalised, rained on or opponents tampering with them. Therefore, he had to plan for reprinting. He said that he printed around 1 million posters during his campaign.
Other items he would have to include in his budget were T-shirt branding, flags, caps, branding vehicles, placards and banners. He also had to have some money to give the people during campaign trails or wazee wa baraza whenever he’d have a meeting with them.
“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, or else they will be stolen overnight.”
“When the wazee’s listen to you, don’t just leave like that. You have to use your brain. You need to respect the elders, whether they are giving you the vote or not. They gave you time and you are younger than them,” Jesse maintained, adding that he would give them at least Sh. 1,000 per person.
People running for political office are required to participate in church events, fundraisers (Harambees), and funerals, where they are expected to address the public and offer financial contributions.
As election day approached, Jesse went full throttle on spending. South Imenti constituency has 428 polling stations and a population of over 200,000 people. To have agents in his key areas cost him Sh. 5,000 per person.
However, despite losing the election, Jesse came to appreciate the power of friendships. He says that he made friends along the way who helped him campaign, and the money did not go to waste.
The millennial believes that he did not lose the election but rather his victory was postponed. He added that 2022 provided valuable lessons for him and allowed him to grow as a person, saying that it was not all about money.
“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,” Jesse confidently told Obinna.
