A leading member of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said the group wants to improve the administration of next year’s general election. The constitution requires that elections be held August 8, 2017. IEBC officials said they have been engaging with stakeholders to address their concerns in the run-up to the election. Yusuf Nzibo of the IEBC said the commission was working with international partners to help correct some of the challenges the group faced during the 2013 elections.
“We are looking for support from international organizations such as the American IFES [International Foundation for Electoral Systems] … to help us in terms of improving on the technology,” Nzibo said, adding that there are two particular areas of concern: results transmission and voter identification equipment. “The equipment we had, unfortunately, arrived late and there were challenges with the batteries,” Nzibo said.
“We’ve also engaged the various political parties and other stakeholders in terms of taking them through our preparation,” he added. An election preparation plan “spells out what should be done from now until the 8th of August.”
Nzibo’s remarks came after political opponents and some civil society groups protested at IEBC offices. The groups said the electoral body failed to administer credible elections in 2013, and they demanded that it be dissolved and reconstituted.
Full Article: Kenyan Electoral Body Seeks Improvements in Next Year’s Polls.