IEBC says no to voter register amendments

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has ruled out amending both the gazetted candidates list and audited voters’ register, amid calls by the National Super Alliance (NASA) demanding a cleanup of the voters’ list.

This comes even after the opposition coalition, NASA, has demanded for the recall of parliament to a special sitting to discuss the audited report by global firm KPMG, accusing the electoral agency of refusing to implement its recommendations.

NASA insists that there are a total of 968,558 dead voters in the voter register yet IEBC has only removed 80,000 dead voters, something that the Raila Odinga-led coalition says that will be used to rig in a preferred candidate of the commission.

However, IEBC insists that with the technology which will be used in the August polls i.e. the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS), the so called scenario of ‘dead voters waking up from their graves, vote and return back to their graves’ is impossible.

“KIEMS will have an integration of the Biometric Voter Register, the biometric voter identification and the transmission of results systems. The system is tamper-proof and the votes cast should not be more than the registered voters in a particular polling station,” explained IEBC ICT Director, Chris Msando.

In a note of re-assurance, IEBC Chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, also said that the gazzetted list of candidates who will be on the ballot will not be amended, despite numerous nomination-related cases pending both at the law courts and at the Political Parties’ Dispute Tribunal (PPDT).

“With 32 days to the General Election, we are on course.  We are however concerned about the pending cases in court and the PPDT over nominations. The commission has resolved that no further amendments to the list of candidates because all these will affect our preparations,” said Mr. Chebukati.