Chief Justice Martha Koome Warns IEBC Against Repeating 2017 Mistakes

Chief Justice Martha Koome has urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to address the mistakes that led to the nullification of the 2017 presidential election.

Speaking during a breakfast meeting with news editors on Friday, Koome called on the commission to ensure that all electoral processes including voter registration, transfer of voters, verification, certification, and publication are accurate and done in line with the law.

“Our expectation is that the IEBC is consciously working to ensure its processes meet the demands of the principles of our electoral system as elaborated in Articles 81 and 86 of the Constitution,” Koome said.

She noted that the apex court in its ruling on the 2017 presidential election made it clear that IEBC erred in certain respects, making the election unverifiable.

“The Supreme Court did not find any evidence of misconduct by the candidates but instead saw in evidence, a systemic institutional problem. The Court specified that IEBC while discharging its constitutional mandate must always conform with the Constitution and electoral law by ensuring that all requisite processes are simple, accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable, and transparent,” Koome added.

“There should be clear steps to address some of the challenges in integration of technology in voter identification and transmission of results.”

Koome, who doubles up as the president of the Supreme Court, further urged the electoral commission to work closely with stakeholders to resolve all emerging concerns such as the question of the integrity of the voters’ register following claims of irregular transfer of voters.

“I am aware that there is an ongoing audit of the Voters Register. Any emerging challenges with respect to the Voters Register ought to be addressed proactively in consultation with stakeholders including the political parties and other actors in the electoral processes,” she said.

On Thursday, Deputy President William Ruto, who is eyeing the presidency in the upcoming elections, claimed that a million names from areas considered his stronghold had been deleted from the voters’ register but IEBC dismissed the allegations.