Columnist Gabrielle Lynch (Saturday Nation, January 3) alleged that not much has been done to fix the problems experienced in past elections.
She suggests that the 2013 General Election was largely peaceful due to luck or that some benevolent forces conspired to propel our sail. If we attribute failures to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), why not the successes too?
Contrary to popular belief, the IEBC, with the support of partners and stakeholders, had deliberate strategies to ensure that the election environment was conducive to free, peaceful, fair, and credible elections.
Indeed, we had challenges, this being the first six-ballot election in the country. The problems we encountered did not compromise the outcome of the election. The technological hitches with the transmission system only delayed the broadcasting of provisional electronic results; it did not alter the outcome.
While we sincerely appreciate all concerns and positive criticism, we wish to make it known that gains have been made in the effort to make future elections more robust, efficient, and pleasant.
NEW CEO
We have just recruited the commission secretary/CEO, Mr Ezra Chiloba, who will lead an experienced secretariat. Recruitment and capacity-building in areas such as ICT, finance and procurement, and voter education are going on.
A mid-term strategic plan and timelines have been developed and will be shared with stakeholders before their rollout in June this year. The first thing on the electoral calendar is to review, evaluate, and audit the election processes and systems. This has been done and IEBC has a clear way forward.
Although we are not shouting from the rooftops about what we have introduced since the last elections, strides have been made to address the shortcomings and gaps identified during the post-election evaluation. The commission has incorporated various reports, including those from observer groups.
The last-minute procurement of election materials was probably the greatest challenge in the last election. It had serious consequences, especially on training and logistics. The General Election budget is being finalised with the National Treasury and the strategy is to get funding for items that can be acquired in advance to avoid lumping all the costs in the election year.
On ICT, we are developing a system to audit online results transmission to remove human error and enhance transmission protocols. Error-free tallies have been realised right up to the polling station, as witnessed during the by-elections we have conducted so far. A system to map potential diaspora voters will be launched next month.
MAKE AMENDMENTS
It is critical that amendments are made to the election laws and regulations so that they are synchronised and made clear and easy to implement. The current law does not address a range of issues such as party-hopping, the education qualifications of candidates, the two-thirds gender requirement, supervision of party primaries, and dispute resolution. The legal proposals to address these concerns are with the Kenya Law Reform Commission for drafting.
Another major problem we encountered was the issue of rejected votes, which were substantially high in the last General Election. In the past, we encouraged a youth-driven process, but we have since realised that we also need opinion leaders. This approach has worked well, as witnessed in subsequent by-elections.
In addition, a new policy on voter education will promote inclusiveness and will be conducted in schools, among persons with disabilities, and marginalised groups.
The mix-up of names and photographs of candidates on ballot papers will be a thing of the past as the software used at the nomination stage will put all data together and the ballot paper design will be ready and verifiable at the close of the exercise.
The IEBC is alive to the magnitude of its mandate and responsibility. Expectations are high and resources constrained. We are committed to improving our services and our road map to realising this is clear. People should not be in a hurry to lynch the commission. Give us the benefit of the doubt as you interrogate the facts.
By AHMED ISSACK HASSAN
Mr Hassan is chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. (ahmedissack786@yahoo.com)
