Azimio La Umoja has rolled out plans to push the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to revert back to the manual voting system prior to the 2027 General Election.
Its flagbearer, Raila Odinga, is said to be advocating for the manual system he opposed after the 2007 polls as he come to terms with losing the presidency to William Ruto in the recently concluded election.
Speaking to the Nation on Saturday, September 17, Jubilee Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni revealed that the electoral technology used alongside the manual system in the concluded polls dominated the ongoing Azimio parliamentary Group meeting in Athi River.
He explained that the August 9 polls exposed that the electoral body's technology was prone to influence and attack by outsiders.
"There are many developed countries that started with the electronic election but reverted to manual after they realised the mess.
“Without any doubt, we will join hands to reform IEBC so that we don’t have a system that can be remotely controlled. Electronic voting can be manipulated but still present figures that look genuine," he stated.
It was revealed that Azimio will push to have the changes effected by the year 2024 - three years before the 2027 polls when Ruto is expected to defend his seat.
The revelation by Kioni comes a day after Raila unveiled measures Azimio will agitate for as they seek to enforce electoral reforms.
Raila claimed that the IEBC had been captured by the state adding that they would also advocate for judicial reforms.
In particular, he pinpointed the alleged involvement of Jose Carmargo in the polls maintaining that the results of the concluded polls were manipulated. The Supreme Court, however, nullified this claim and ruled that the IEBC servers were not hacked.
"We want to save the Judiciary which is offering itself to state capture, transforming IEBC to make it ready to hold a credible election and protecting the legislature from offering itself to state capture," he stated.
IEBC adopted the use of election technology in the 2013 polls following reforms adopted after the disputed 2007 General Election.
Raila and his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were at the forefront of the changes. The former Prime Minister alleged that the manual voting system was used to manipulate results in favour of the late President Mwai Kibaki.
In 2013, IEBC adopted the Biometric Voter Registration System (BVR) and the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) in 2017.
