Pollsters demand talks over polls Bill

Pollsters want consultations with Parliament before it enacts a Bill seeking to regulate opinion polls.

Parliament concluded debate on the Publication of Electoral Opinion Polls Bill last week and it now awaits the Third Reading where MPs will propose amendments.

However, pollsters Infotrak Harris and Ipsos Synovate on Wednesday said they had not been consulted over the proposed law.

“Pollsters were not involved in drafting the legislation,” Ipsos Synovate managing director Maggie Ireri said.

Enrich proposed law

Ms Angela Ambitho of Infotrak said the Marketing and Social Research Association (MSRA) had standards that could enrich the Bill.

The two spoke at an opinion polling reporting workshop, which is part of the Internews Free and Fair Media project in Kenya.

The Bill was drafted by Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale who argues that electoral opinion polls in Kenya have been abused to mislead voters, affecting the quality of leadership.

The Bill compels the publisher to provide more information, including the wording of questionnaires, and sampling methods.

Clause 8 of the Bill makes it an offence to violate the law with a jail term of up to a year or a fine not exceeding Sh500,000.

Most pollsters have stated that they want self regulation.

Smart Octopus Research Company has sharply differed with fellow pollsters on self-regulation.

Managing director Samuel Thiari has dismissed the Marketing and Social Research Association as an “amorphous body” which cannot enforce regulations.

On Wednesday, Dr Khalwale said the intention of the Bill was to make opinion polls more professional.

He said the Bill had passed the constitutionality test with regard to freedom of the media and was properly before the House.