IEBC responsible for a peaceful Kenya through credible elections, Governor says

The stability of the country rests in the hands of the Independent Electoral and boundaries Commission (IEBC) by presiding over credible election next year, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka has said.

Mr Luasaka said it was vital for the IEBC to partner with the ministry of ICT while procuring Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits to be used in the 2017 polls.

He said, this would cushion the country from a repeat of the 2013 situation where vote rallying was switched from digital to manual due to system failure.

Speaking on the sideline of the 8th Connected Summit at Leisure Lodge Hotel in Diani on Monday, Mr Lusaka said the issue is of great concern to leaders who are aspiring to vie for different positions.

“We want to have a free and fair election which will be acceptable by all people and not a situation where we will be forced to move from digital to manual,” he said.

Mr Lusaka explained that the forthcoming general election is going to be a matter of do or die across all levels of leadership hence the need for the electoral body to be prepared.

He expressed his fear that should any unexpected incident occur during the election period, violent activities just like what happened after the disputed 2007 presidential results may recur.

“As you have seen already in some parts of the country there is a lot of tension and that is why we are asking IEBC to conduct a credible election which is acceptable by all,” he said.

The governor said the concern does not necessary mean that they are afraid of losing the election following the declaration by a number of senators to compete with them.

He noted that as governors they are fully prepared to face any form of opposition but the most important thing is for them to have a level ground by having better election tools.