Chiloba: Kenya could be set for failure if politicians do not build trust

Ezra Chiloba, the chief executive officer and commission secretary of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, at Kenya School of Government in Nairobi on January 10, 2017. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • He said politicians will always want to pursue short-cuts to realise their goals, even if it means breaking the law.

  • Mr Chiloba added that such an attitude where the law is no longer a guiding principle is not good for development.

  • Mr Chiloba said most politicians are scared of watertight systems that would result in credible election results where the loser congratulates the winner, opting to fight another day.

Kenya could be set for failure if politicians don’t build trust and rally Kenyans towards respecting institutions ahead of the General Election, the electoral agency boss has said.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) executive officer Ezra Chiloba blamed politicians for the high level of mistrust about the electoral process in Kenya.

He said politicians will always want to pursue short-cuts to realise their goals, even if it means breaking the law.

Mr Chiloba added that such an attitude where the law is no longer a guiding principle is not good for development. “When they want something, you can only play catch-up. In politics, there is nothing much you can control. You rely only on the rule of law,” he said.

Mr Chiloba said most politicians are scared of watertight systems that would result in credible election results where the loser congratulates the winner, opting to fight another day.

“I am almost persuaded that no politician wants a free and fair process,” Mr Chiloba said during a presentation on ‘National Elections Case Study’ to graduates of the Presidential Digital Talent Programme at the Kenya School of Government.

The programme aims at inculcating technology skills to university graduates from the 47 counties, as Kenya works to realise Vision 2030, the national economic blueprint.

Mr Chiloba said certain processes cannot be compromised, lest we undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

'MUST ENSURE'

“We may not get it 100 per cent right in some of our processes. But we must ensure the level of efficiency is right, so that anybody who comes to audit our system will say we got it right,” Mr Chiloba said.

He said although technology is good, it must be acceptable to its users. Mr Chiloba cited lndia, saying the electronic system used there, though successful, might not work in Kenya due to high levels of mistrust.

He defended the elections law passed by Parliament, saying it doesn’t advocate for a manual system as many Kenyans have been made to believe.

Instead, he said, it creates room for a simple, accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable and transparent alternative in case of system failure. “The law doesn’t say we go manual. The term manual is political and journalistic. But we are thinking of a procedure that will ensure your vote matters,” Mr Chiloba said.

The commission has the discretion to determine which method will be used in the event of system failure. “Our duty is to ensure every eligible voter is allowed to vote. I hope in the next few years our country will make progress in this field of technology and elections,” Mr Chiloba said.

He faulted those equating M-Pesa transactions with a system meant to manage an election, saying no approach can promise miracles, unless Kenyans are ready to trust those in-charge to deliver an outcome that is a true reflection of the people’s will.

ARE OBSESSED

Mr Chiloba said Kenyans are obsessed with technology yet, if not well managed, it is also subject to manipulations.

“If you don’t understand the code behind the process, how do you know if what is getting in is what is getting out,” Mr Chiloba said, emphasising that the gadgets are handled by human beings who can make mistakes. This view is supported by Deputy Senate Speaker Kembi Gitura (Murang’a) and Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), who have maintained that it is unfair to dupe Kenyans that a manual system will lead to rigging.

“Manual has been made a bad word. Yet you can rig more effectively using electronic devices. The opposition is just playing games and creating unnecessary tension over a non-issue,” Mr Murungi said.

Mr Gitura, who criticised the opposition for always resorting to threats of violence whenever they failed to get what they want, underscored the importance of trusting public institutions.

Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki said stiff competition can make those sensing defeat to look for scapegoats, including claiming they don’t trust the referee.

Cord wants the complementary mechanism in the recently passed election law defined, saying letting IEBC decide how to interpret the provision can result in a manual method.

Mr Chiloba said the commission is considering adopting the Ghanaian system of dealing with voters who cannot be identified by biometric voter identification systems.