IEBC, candidates meet has set good precedent

It’s good that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has agreed to presidential candidates’ demand for the use of manual voters register as backup to the digital roll, ending weeks of squabbling between them.

IEBC yesterday dropped its hard stance as regards the opposition to its plans to solely deploy the electronic voters register to identify voters, using their biometrics, in the August 9 General Election. At a consultative meeting with the four presidential candidates, it agreed to make the manual register available for use during voting, as demanded by political parties, but as the last resort in case of technology failure.

The clarification by the UDA candidate, Deputy President William Ruto, that his Kenya Kwanza Alliance was only rooting for the provision of the manual register to complement the electronic one and did not have an issue with the electronic roll if the IEBC puts sufficient safeguards to the system to avoid irregularities, is welcome.

The demand by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party through its flagbearer, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, that there be a manual register so that stakeholders can counter-check how many voted in a polling station are valid.

As he said, there is a need for a backup register to complement the electronic one should the systems fail.

Inasmuch as IEBC is keen to use legally allowed technology during voting—as it did for voter registration, transfers and verification—it would not hurt to have the manual system in place, just in case there is a need to use it.

Also worth praise is IEBC’s assurance that it will deploy satellite modems to ensure that it has connectivity in polling stations that don’t have 3G coverage and also share the coordinates of polling stations with political parties. That will enhance transparency and prevent speculation.

The meeting, also attended by the Roots Party presidential candidate, Prof George Wajackoyah, and Agano Party’s Mwaure Waihiga, was a good sign that political actors are willing to ensure that the elections are peaceful and the electoral agency wants to conduct a free, fair and transparent election.