Machines failure IEBC’s biggest headache in poll

By Geoffrey Mosoku and Roselyne Obala

Technical hitches that marred polling and tallying of votes topped the list of challenges IEBC faced in conducting this year’s General Election.  

The machines, known as Electronic Voter Identification Devices, malfunctioned in most parts of the country on Monday, forcing theIEBC to revert to use of manual register to identify voters.

IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan instructed clerks to use the printed register after the kits failed.

According to Hassan, the kits failed due to multiple reasons, among them power failure and clerks forgetting passwords.  

Manual register

“We are aware that some poll books have malfunctioned due to a variety of factors including power problems. However, in all such cases, the commission has authorised the use of manual register,” he said during a media briefing.

The devices were intended to enhance the integrity of the electoral process, but Hassan said the manual registers were a reliable alternative.

In spite of the anxiety created by the setback, many Kenyans still managed to cast their vote.

However, more challenges were awaiting the commission when the counting process began.

The presiding officers had been provided with electronic gadgets, including mobile phones, they were to use to relay presidential results to the National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya.

But only five hours after tallying had begun countrywide, the systems failed, leading to massive delays in filing results.

Upgrade system

This forced IEBC to appeal for patience, saying they were working with Safaricom, which provided the software, to upgrade its system.

“We would like to share that at 9.30pm last night (Monday), we experienced network slowdown but that has been fixed and the IEBCis confident that there will be successful completion of the counting,” Hassan said.

The snag not only affected the tallying of presidential results, but also other seats such as governor, senate, MP, women representative and county representative.

Nairobi and Mombasa counties were some of the counties worst hit by the hitch, with tallying being delayed for over 15 hours.

By last evening, no results had been recorded electronically at the Nairobi tallying centre at Nyayo Stadium. Some of the Returning Officers had to deliver the results manually to the county tallying centres.

The delay has put the commission on the spot as the polls body has previously efficiently transmitted results electronically, especially during the 2010 referendum and recent by-elections.

On Tuesday, CORD announced they had officially expressed their concerns for the delayed results especially from their strongholds.

“We have noted that the process of releasing results by the IEBC system is slow even in areas as close as Nairobi, and we have forwarded our concerns in this regard to them and we hope they will deal with them expeditiously and transparently,” CORD running mate Kalonzo Musyoka said.

Forms 35

Following the delay, IEBC had dispatched aircraft to transport their returning officers to Nairobi with Forms 35 so as to expedite the tallying and announcement of the results.

Nairobi County Returning Officer Fiona Nduku admitted that the system had failed and their technicians were working on it.

“We were unable to receive the electronic results since Monday and we decided to put on hold the exercise to solve the matter,” she stated.

Security personnel deployed in the area were however on standby and patrolled the station.

Hassan had earlier assured the public the system was efficient and would assist in speeding up relaying of results.

Earlier on Polling Day, many polling stations especially in Langata concluded the exercise late in the night after the poll book, a hand held device, failed.

This necessitated the use of manual registers, with those whose names were missing allowed to vote and their details recorded in an IEBCfield book.