By FRED OLUOCH
In Summary
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)
has called on the over 19 million registered Kenyan voters to verify
their details starting Thursday, May 11 in all the 290 constituencies.
However, IEBC says that the auditing of the voter register is
still ongoing and will continue simultaneously with voter verification
exercise to save on time.
The biometric voter verification kit comes with a special tablet
capable of identifying particulars, gender and polling station.
The IEBC said it will be using 10,000 of these gadgets in the
proof exercise in the next 30 days, while the verification of those
registered in the diaspora in five countries —Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uganda and South Africa— will run from May 15 to 30.
According to the IEBC chairman, Wafula Chebukati, the electoral
body will be using the same register it submitted to the audit firm KPMG
on April 24 with what is already audited being uploaded to the
database.
“The exercise is supposed to give the voters the chance to
interact and familiarise themselves with the technology three months
before elections, unlike in 2013 when the verification equipment came
only a few days before the election date,” said Mr Chebukati.
Voters are required to present themselves physically at the
polling station with the identification document they used to register.
The IEBC official at the station will then use the tablet to scan the
identity document particulars after which the voter will confirm the
names, polling station and gender.
In case of any anomalies, the concerned voter is required to
fill a special complainant form which the IEBC will use to make the
necessary changes.
The Commission says the verification exercise will take about five minutes per voter.
The tablet will be locked to a particular polling station and is
capable of reading the QR (quick response) code for the register per
polling station.
Mr Chebukati said that the IEBC will reopen the mobile phone
portal after the verification exercise is complete to allow the voters
to confirm their status again.
Mr Chebukati said voter-education started on May 10 and will
continue for the next 30 days, with 2,900 educators already posted at
the ward level.
The IEBC will also hold a two-day National Election Conference
in Nairobi, from June 12 to 14, that will involve all political parties,
civil society, the judiciary, government institutions, religious groups
and the private sector to deliberate on the best way to conduct free
and peaceful elections.
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