IEBC Disputes System Breach Reported Earlier in the Week

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati at the Constitutional Commissions & Independent Offices (CCIOs) on April 13, 2022.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati at the Constitutional Commissions & Independent Offices (CCIOs) on April 13, 2022.
Courtesy IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has now disputed reports that its system was breached and is vulnerable to attacks ahead of the August 9 polls.

Speaking during an interview on NTV on Tuesday, May 31, IEBC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Marjan Hussein Marjan, assured Kenyans that the system had not been tampered with as indicated in an internal memo by the commission earlier in the week.

While acknowledging that there were concerns among the Commission's officials over the illegal transfer of voters through the systems, the CEO stated that the system could only be accessed by returning officers and not outsiders.

An image of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marjan Hussein
An image of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marjan Hussein
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He stated that the electoral body had moved to address the anomaly, adding that the returning officers were asked to submit various voter transfer forms filled by applicants.

"If there is concern from people who are validating their details, then it is also a concern to us. What we need to do is to take this process to another level.

"We are confident in the system that we currently have. The access to the central server by the returning officers is through a private network and not a public network. Each returning officer has got access rights," he stated.

Earlier, through a letter to all returning officers, Marjan had directed the officials to reverse the transfers citing a system breach revealed through preliminary investigations that were done on the voter register.

“This is to instruct you to urgently and immediately reverse all transfers that are not supported by any documentation, including the application form and copy of identification document,” he stated then.

During the two mass voter registration exercises carried out last year and early this year, over one million Kenyans applied to change their polling stations.

Additionally, Marjan stated that the system would be protected during the transmission of the presidential results, adding that all the required forms will be transmitted to the National Tallying Center electronically.

"When it comes to results transmission, the Supreme Court asserted themselves on what is actually results and needs to be transmitted. It is very clear that what needs to be transmitted is the form (34 A) and not the text," he stated.

The CEO's sentiments came after the electoral body, in a statement, noted that an audit of the voter register was ongoing with a report expected to be released to the public in early June.

IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati and President Uhuru Kenyatta at the IEBC National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi, August 11, 2017, when Uhuru was announced winner of the presidential election.jpg
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati and President Uhuru Kenyatta at the IEBC National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi, August 11, 2017, when Uhuru was declared winner of the presidential election.jpg
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