NAIROBI, KENYA: The Independent Elections and Boundary Commission (IEBC) has revealed that over 20,000 Kenyans registered as voters twice.
IEBC chairman Issack Hassan says the commission detected the cases of double registration while cleaning up the voter register and was in the process of investigating to determine if those affected had committed an offence.
“Our experts are going through the list to establish if it was an error by the BVR machines or it was intentional by some voters to enlist more than once,” Hassan said.
The IEBC boss said the final voter register will be published on or before Monday next week in accordance to the law adding that all political parties will receive soft copies of the final register.
He said 56,000 Kenyans enlisted using passports while another 3,000 from the East Africa region were registered in the Diaspora.
Hassan was briefing journalists on Tuesday moments after meeting presidential candidates, their running mates and chief agents at a Nairobi hotel.
Five out of the eight presidential candidates attended the briefing where IEBC took them through the code of conduct which they have signed and its penalties, security, polling, logistics, status of register, voter education and electronic voter tallying.
Those present included Cord’s presidential candidate Raila Odinga, his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka, Amani’s Musalia Mudavadi and his deputy Jeremeiah Kioni.
James Kiyiapi of , RBK and his deputy Winnie Kinyua, Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua and Augustine Lotodo as well as Mohamed Dida and Joshua Odongo were present.
Safina’s Paul Muite, Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta and Eagle’s Peter Kenneth who were absent sent chief agents and party official to the meeting.
During the meeting, IEBC assured the candidates that they were well prepared to handle the electoral process from polling day to transmission of results.
“They (Candidates) gave us the assurance that they will promote peace and are ready to accept the results and incase of nay complaints will follow the judicial process and file petitions and we have also guaranteed them that the polls will be free and fair,” Hassan said.
Hassan was accompanied by IEBC CEO James Oswago and the eight commissioners. He announced that the commission has invited party experts to a demonstration exercise on voter tallying by IEBC on Wednesday.
He said unlike political parties which faced logistical nightmares in conducting the recent party primaries, IEBC was well equipped to ensure no technical hitches mar the electoral process on March 4.
IEBC has hired sufficient vehicles in addition to its own vehicles, has boats to deliver materials and officials to islands like Lamu and those in Lake Victoria and has also made air travel arrangements with leasing of choppers and charted planes to ensure smooth delivery of the materials.
He said that security agents and presiding officers will all spend the night of 3rd March in their workstations to ensure that voting begins as stipulated.
The IEBC has also acquired 5,000 electronic gadgets dubbed poll book which will identify voters in areas which are not supplied with electricity while those with power supply will use laptops with a fixed gadget to identify the voters.
If the voter turnout is high, polling stations will not be closed until the last person has cast his/her ballot while returning officers will be required to be back to Nairobi at least six hours after close of polling and tallying exercises in their respective jurisdictions.
“Those in areas within six hours drive to Nairobi will be asked to come by road while those in far flung areas will be transported either by commercial airlines, charted planes or helicopters so as to facilitate speed announcement of results,” the IEBC chair added.
On Monday, IEBC plans to hold a mock voting exercise in a simulation exercise slated to take place in all the 1450 county wards in Kenya; an exercise that will be used as part of voter education.
Source:standardmedia.co.k
