IEBC sets record straight on situations when a manual register may be used

According to the commission's CEO, Hussein Marjan, a manual register will only be applicable in instances where three different KIEMS Kits fail to identify a voter. 

"If you turn up and for some reasons we are not able to identify you it says we replace the kit, once we replace the kit it will function normally if it refuses, we have a third kit and if that is not working that is when we can resort to a manual register," Marjan said on Thursday. 

The IEBC says it is abiding by a ruling delivered by Kenya's Appellate Court in 2017 which noted that the primary register to be used at the polls is the Digital Register.

According to the IEBC, the ruling also stipulated that in case the KIEMS Kit technology fails, a manual register prepared from the digital register will be used. 

The commission appeared to be responding to parties that have raised concerns about the use of a digital register in the upcoming General Election. 

Raila Odinga, the Azimio La Umoja flag bearer, on Wednesday said there would be no elections if the commission would not use the manual register as well. 

According to Mr. Odinga, failure to use a manual register along with the electronic register would be a recipe for vote fraud. 

“I am telling the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission that a manual register is a must in each and every polling station,” Raila told his supporters during a stopover in Githunguri, Kiambu County. 

 “it is not negotiable, a manual register is a must along with the electronic register, otherwise No manual register, no elections.”