Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei has challenged efforts to remove the explicit legal requirement for live-streaming election results, arguing that Kenya should improve the technology used to broadcast polling-station announcements instead of abandoning a system that helps the public follow the voting process in real time.
Speaking to NTV on Wednesday, Sing’Oei said live transmission had contributed to transparency and helped strengthen international confidence in Kenya’s elections. He maintained that technical difficulties and cybersecurity risks should prompt improvements to the system rather than a decision to do away with it.
“In my view, from the transparency point of view, confidence internationally with respect to Kenyan elections, the fact that we have been able to transmit results in real time has been one of the factors,” he said.
The PS acknowledged that electronic systems could experience technical problems and face security threats, but argued that these concerns could be addressed without removing live broadcasts of results.
“We would like to see that strengthened and not taken away because of complexity,” Sing’oei said.
He explained that technical failures could cause uncertainty among voters, especially when problems with electoral technology raise questions about the credibility of the results. He said such concerns needed to be addressed collectively to protect confidence in the electoral process.
“There may be some technological glitches that have been noted that may create fear and anxiety. There may also be issues of cybersecurity, but they all should be brought together and resolved,” he said.
“These issues should not be the reason for removing live transmission. I am on the side of live transmission.”
His comments come amid parliamentary consideration of the Elections (Amendment) (No 2) Bill, 2024, which proposes changes to the legal framework governing the handling and announcement of election results in Kenya.
The Bill seeks to repeal and replace Section 39 of the Elections Act. It has been approved by the Senate and is now before the National Assembly for consideration and concurrence.
A key proposal in the legislation is the removal of the express requirement for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to establish a mechanism for live-streaming results as they are announced at polling stations.
The proposed change has brought renewed attention to the role of technology in ensuring that election results are accessible to the public and that the process of counting and announcing votes remains open to scrutiny.
Live-streaming allows people to watch the announcement of results at polling stations as it happens. This gives members of the public direct access to the process and enables them to follow announcements without relying exclusively on subsequent reports.
Electronic transmission, meanwhile, involves sending results through the electoral system, while online publication makes result forms available for public access and examination.
Although these methods can work together, they perform different functions in promoting openness and enabling the public to monitor the handling of election results.
If the proposed amendment becomes law, the replacement section would no longer specifically require the IEBC to broadcast polling-station announcements live. The change would therefore remove the express legal obligation to provide that particular form of real-time access.
Sing’Oei has maintained that the difficulties associated with election technology should be addressed by improving the systems and strengthening safeguards against potential threats. In his view, retaining live transmission would help preserve transparency and public confidence in Kenya’s electoral process.
His position places the focus on whether the country should respond to technological weaknesses by strengthening existing systems or remove the specific legal requirement for live broadcasts as Parliament considers changes to election law.