IEBC says internet shutdown would affect results transmission

The electoral body has warned that any attempt to shut down the internet over the election period would cripple its ability transmit and announce results.

This came out Friday at a conference of election observers, human rights defenders and journalists, when a media participant expressed fears that the government might be planning to shut down electronic communication channels—such as television and radio broadcasts, social media and chat platforms or even the entire internet.

In response, an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) official revealed that they had raised similar concerns with the relevant authorities.

Mr Linus Onyango, who is in charge of election security, told the conference that IEBC will be relying on electronic data transmission to relay election results, as a well as a web portal for announcing and displaying the results.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Any attempts to shut down the internet under the guise of cracking down on offensive social media activity would therefore hamper the IEBC’s capacity to function.

The IEBC also challenged anyone with proof that police and other security officials are being employed as election officials to forward the evidence so that action can be taken.

Electoral Commissioner Roselyne Akombe told the conference at Nairobi’s Hotel InterContinental that the IEBC had provided all political parties with lists of all its election Presiding and Returning officers by polling station and the parties were at liberty to check for names any police officers.

Ms Akombe was referring to claims by opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party had enlisted a group of 42 police officers to serve as IEBC polling officials and Jubilee election agents for the purpose of rigging elections.

He had released a list of names and force number of officers from various units, who he said had their force service identity cards withdrawn and given national identity cards so they could undertake ‘special duties’ under the guise of civilians.

TECHNOLOGY

But responding the same day, Police Spokesman Charles Owino dismissed Mr Odinga’s claims as false.

He admitted that the list of officers circulated was genuine, but said that was a group recruited by the National Intelligence Service, and therefore had to be formally discharged by the police service.

Jubilee, through Secretary-General Raphael Tuju, also dismissed the allegations.

On Friday, Ms Akombe said all the election technology and material was in place or being delivered.

The printing of presidential election ballot papers that had been delayed by a court case, she said, had started the previous night.

She said testing of the technology to be used for voter identification and results transmission will commence on July 31, with live field simulations from various polling stations across the country.

CYBER SECURITY

She said that the Commission insists on high integrity for all its employees. Noting that all election officials had been reminded that by law, they were as individuals criminally liable for any breaches of the Election Offenses Act.

On the risk of hacking that has affected many elections around the world in recent times, Ms Akombe revealed that IEBC had brought in cyber security experts from leading global technology firms such as Oracle, Dell, and IBM to help with counter-measures against any attempts to infiltrate its systems.

Participants at the conference however expressed concern over the IEBC’s readiness to hold flawless elections on time.

They also cited impediments being put in the way of election observers, journalists, human rights workers and other independent stakeholders who worked while facing continuing obstruction, and even violence, from government officials, political parties, and State security agents.