The Elections Observation Group (ELOG) has renewed its calls for an independent audit of the Register of Voters (RoV), urging the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to grant access to the voters' roll.
In a statement released on Wednesday, March 19, ELOG stressed the need for an audit due to discrepancies identified in the 2012 and 2017 audit reports.
The non-profit organisation also appeared to reference revelations by SK Macharia, who recently cast doubt on the accuracy of the current RoV and claimed that elections from 2007 to 2022 were marred by serious flaws, underscoring the need for reforms.
"It is evident that while the due process of registering, compiling, updating, auditing, cleaning, and certifying the Register of Voters has been a consistent feature towards safeguarding its integrity, there have been persistent errors and anomalies that are very concerning," the statement read.
According to ELOG, an audit revealed 143,530 errors in the voter register in 2012, while 169,646 duplicate records were discovered in 2017.
The organisation also raised concerns over the possibility of deceased voters remaining on the register, increasing the likelihood of anomalies during elections.
"While part of the problem with dead voters can and has been addressed by the use of KIEMS kits through biometric registration and identification of voters, we observed that there were cases which necessitated the use of manual identification methods," ELOG further noted.
Despite a formal request supported by a sworn affidavit submitted to the Office of Data Protection, ELOG was unable to conduct an independent audit of the 2022 elections.
Amid concerns over the credibility of upcoming elections, the organisation is now urging the incoming IEBC to prioritise cleaning the voter register or overhauling it entirely.
ELOG also emphasised the need for meaningful public participation in the audit and verification process, arguing that this would enhance transparency in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the new IEBC selection panel has shortlisted 11 candidates from 37 applicants for the position of chairperson of the commission.
The panel has narrowed down the list of qualified candidates to 105, with interviews for the crucial job set to begin on March 24 and run until April 24.
