Chebukati says IEBC to introduce multiple servers for 2022 elections

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Tuesday launched its five-year strategic plan, providing a forum for disclosure regarding its 2022 elections plan.

Inside the launch of the five-year strategic plan, lies the elephant in the room, the 2022 General Election.

The electoral body now says it will introduce multiple servers in next year’s polls in a move aimed at rectifying the blunders that led to the nullification of the 2017 presidential election.

“We shall have multiple servers not just one server. But several available for media, candidates and political parties if possible. But a framework will be generated so that information being transmitted will be the same in all servers,” said IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati.

The commission says the plan to have multiple servers in place is to ensure results announced at polling stations are accurate and verifiable.

In the 2017 preseidential election petition filed by the NASA duo of Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, the server question was prominent with lawyer Paul Muite representing the commission sensationally claiming that the server backup was hosted in France and the operators were asleep due to time difference making it difficult to re-open the server which was part of NASA prayers before the David Maraga-led bench.

“Transmission should not be an issue that affects the elections in any way. The commission wants to partner with the media so that at every stage Kenyans know what are those results,” added Chebukati.

To sort out the mistrust of the server, Chebukati says in the August 2022 polls, results at the polling stations will be final.

“In 2022 we have addressed those issues. We shall work with media and we have lined up meetings so that election results are in the polling stations after counting in a polling stations those are the results,” said the IEBC Chair..

IEBC plans to start clearing the 2022 election hurdles including compliance with the recent High Court ruling over continous voter registration.

The electoral body now calls on the exchequer to quickly release the funding with the commission estimating that its ambitious 5-year strategic  plan will cost Ksh.81 billion.