Bill seeks to set up 120 diaspora polling stations

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By ISAAC ONGIRI iongiri@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, September 4  2012 at  22:21

IN SUMMARY

• Fresh amendments on the Elections Act 2011 sponsored by nominated MP Mohamed Affey will also outlaw the cumbersome manual voter registration.
• The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has proposed that voting in the diaspora be confined to 47 embassies and consulates worldwide in the 2013 General Election but Mr Affey’s amendment seeks to triple the number in 59 territories around the globe.
• The proposed amendments come at a time the government’s bid to procure 15,000 BVR equipment is still stuck days after Kenya and Canada agreed on a concessional loan to help the IEBC to procure the gadgets.
• The proposed amendment is also seeking to restrict the diaspora voters to the presidential elections while compelling the commission to provide electronic voting equipment for voters living abroad.

The electoral commission will be compelled to create 120 polling centres abroad if Parliament approves a proposal to amend the Elections Act.

Fresh amendments on the Elections Act 2011 sponsored by nominated MP Mohamed Affey will also outlaw the cumbersome manual voter registration.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has proposed that voting in the diaspora be confined to 47 embassies and consulates worldwide in the 2013 General Election but Mr Affey’s amendment seeks to triple the number in 59 territories around the globe.

“The voter registration system shall only be by way of biometric voter registration system. For avoidance of doubt, manual registration of voters is outlawed,” Mr Affey proposes in the Bill.

The proposed amendments come at a time the government’s bid to procure 15,000 BVR equipment is still stuck days after Kenya and Canada agreed on a concessional loan to help the IEBC to procure the gadgets.

The proposed amendment is also seeking to restrict the diaspora voters to the presidential elections while compelling the commission to provide electronic voting equipment for voters living abroad.

“It is important that Kenyans who qualify to vote and are living abroad are facilitated to do so by making available electronic voting system,” Mr Affey told the Nation.

The proposed law also seeks to legalise the use of information technology in the transmission, authentication and tallying of votes.

IEBC will also be required to allow third party audit of the BVR equipment procured and involve political parties in the evaluation of the electronic systems.

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A post-election audit of the national results is also to be conducted within three months after the elections.

If the amendments are passed, the national security organs and other unauthorised agencies will be blocked from preying on the BVR data available at the IEBC for any other reasons.

“The biometric data shall not be shared with any unauthorised person, organisation or government entity,” reads the proposed amendment in part.

Yesterday, IEBC commissioner Yusuf Nzibo, who has been handling the diaspora voting programme, said that parts of Mr Affey’s proposals were unrealistic especially those seeking to compel the commission to roll out an electronic voting systems.

“We only have a budget of Sh122 million for the diaspora programme and Mr Affey’s proposal is to open up voting in 59 cities around the world.

"At the commission, we have designed 47 centres based at the embassies and consulates. These inconsistencies need to be looked at,” he stated.

Dr Nzibo added that opening polling centres outside the embassies and consulates would require new bilateral agreements with the affected cities and countries which may delay election planning currently underway.

The commissioner admitted that serious challenges on who was eligible to vote were likely to emerge posing teething problems for the commission when registration begins.