There are many flaws in need of rectification before election

From left: IEBC Vice Chairperson Consolata Maina, Chairman Wafula Chebukati and Commissioner Paul Kurgat in Nairobi on June 9, 2017 at an event for the release of the KPMG report on the audit of the electoral register. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • What should ultimately matter more is not just the individuals in the commission but the integrity of electoral systems and procedures that should work flawlessly irrespective of who is in charge.

  • The overhaul of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission that put in place the present office was supposed to also ensure installation of the systems requisite to delivery of free and fair elections.

A central tenet of democracy is that the people have an opportunity to choose their leaders at set intervals.

It follows that for democracy to be strong and sustainable, the mechanism by which the people elect their leaders must be free, fair, transparent and credible.

This calls for an electoral management system that is efficient, independent and enjoys trust and confidence across political divides.

The previous members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission were eased out of office precisely because they fell short on that score.

Though the push to replace the team of commissioners led by Ahmed Issack Hassan was initiated by the opposition Cord alliance, as it then was, led by Raila Odinga, the die was cast when President Uhuru Kenyatta’s governing Jubilee coalition joined the fray.

Thus in came the new team of commissioners led by Wafula Chebukati. The new commissioners enjoyed broad bi-partisan support, and there was real hope that starting on a clean slate would set the round for renewal of public confidence in the electoral system.

Unfortunately, this confidence is being eroded by a series of missteps that raise questions about the integrity and efficiency of the electoral management body.

BOTCHED PROCUREMENT

On top of all the issues raised about botched procurement of technology crucial to the elections, comes the shocking revelation that the voters roll has been inflated by inclusion of up to one million dead people.

An audit of the electoral register by KPMG says that the names of 92,277 dead people are on the list, but the number could rise to over a million if all the voters who have died between now and the last round of voter registration are included.

This sends alarming signals in an environment where there has always been suspicion of dead voters rising to cast their ballots on voting day.

The significance of these numbers can be weighed against the outcome of the last General Election in 2013, where Mr Kenyatta defeated Mr Odinga by some 800,000 votes, a figure less than the dead voters still on the register.

It is also instructive that the Kenyatta campaign passed the threshold to avoid a run-off by just 8,000 votes.

The 2007 elections where a contested outcome sparked a national conflagration was even closer, with President Mwai Kibaki defeating Mr Odinga by a margin of just 230,000 votes.

A million phantom voters are thus much than would be required to swing an election if groups with evil intentions had their way.

FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKES

This situation arises not out of simple clerical errors but fundamental mistakes at the time of voter registration.

It has been known all along that the IEBC database is not synchronised with those of the Registrar of Persons and Registrar of Births and Deaths.

This is an oversight that could have been rectified before commencement of voter registration, rather than wait for it to be uncovered in an audit.

While the IEBC has pledged to clean up the register of voters, room has already been created for mistrust and suspicion.

The commission therefore must move with haste to identify the dead voters and remove them from the roll, as well as correct all the other anomalies uncovered by the audit.

It would also help if the IEBC acted proactively to engage political parties and assure them that it remains committed to delivering free, fair and credible elections.

The political parties, in turn, could play their part by giving the electoral management body the benefit of doubt.

The new team inherited some problems it could not fix right away, and it may be that some of the issues cropping up are due to inefficiency and lack of capacity rather than deliberate mischief.

NO RESPITE

However, there will be no respite if the commission does not move swiftly to correct its mistakes, and reassure the nation in good time that it is willing and capable to delivering on its mandate.

It has a lot of work to do towards regaining public trust and confidence, and this is not a task that can be taken lightly.

Both Jubilee and Nasa, and all other political formations, proclaim their fidelity to democracy, national unity, peace and all the other principles that are the glue which holds the country together.

They can lead the way in offering support and help that the IEBC may need in order to do its job more effectively.

With the experiences of the 2007-2008 post-election violence where over 1,000 people were killed and a half million run out of their homes still fresh in memory, it should be obvious that Kenya cannot afford to go into another flawed election.

The IEBC is the only body mandated to deliver a credible election where the outcome will not be in dispute.

But various other actors, including the government, the law and order establishment, political parties, individual candidates, and citizens, all have roles to play in fostering the environment for free and peaceful elections.

The work of the IEBC can be made much easier if it is supported by all the other actors, even as they move to point out its mistakes and demand corrections.

What should ultimately matter more is not just the individuals in the commission but the integrity of electoral systems and procedures that should work flawlessly irrespective of who is in charge.

The overhaul of the IEBC that put in place the present office was supposed to also ensure installation of the systems requisite to delivery of free and fair elections.

The problems presently being witnessed indicate that there are still many flaws in need of urgent rectification before it is too late.

Twitter: @MachariaGaitho