The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson might soon not be the only person with the sole objective of announcing presidential election results, should a new proposal backed by President William Ruto and Raila Odinga sail through.
Speaking during a breakfast show on Citizen TV, Nyamira Senator Okong'o Omogeni pointed out that the legislative proposal was already on the floor of the Senate and that it would seek to have the responsibility shared with the 290 returning officers across the country.
According to him, the bill is part of the recommendations contained in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report. It seeks to simplify the results declaration process so that it is not solely handled by the IEBC chairperson.
“We want to eliminate the idea that the chairman of the IEBC is the only one who can declare the presidency. We have proposed that this responsibility be given to the 290 returning officers at the constituency level,” Omogeni stated.
He argued that decentralising the announcement of results would enhance transparency and minimise tensions during general elections and especially around the presidential vote.
Omogeni added that the reform would help curb legal and political disputes arising from perceived irregularities during the results declaration process.
Further, the legislator noted that within the proposal is a plan to prioritise the presidential election results. To achieve this, the returning officers would first be required to count, tabulate, and announce the presidential results before any of the other five elections.
This would then enable them to declare the results within a single day, allowing for quicker projections similar to what is observed in developed nations such as the US.
"The counting of the presidential election results will be the first task in all six elections. You have six elections, but yes, you start with the presidential. When you finish as the returning officer, you make a declaration so that we have the results by 11 am," he added.
He also noted that the IEBC must prioritise proper training for its officers, especially those tasked with critical electoral duties.
This, he said, should take precedence over the development and use of technology. According to him, if the issue of transparency is properly handled at the polling station level, then the overall results would be credible.
“The best way for IEBC to uphold the legal framework in place is to train its officers before the elections,” he added.
Further, he added that there was a need for the electoral system to integrate a team of international auditors to verify results as they come in.
He cited the case of South Africa, where the electoral agency recruited the services of an international audit firm to review results in real time. However, he clarified that this was just an opinion and the final decision rested solely with the IEBC.
