Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) Executive Director Gladwell Otieno. [Photo: AfriCOG]
The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) has filed a petition at the High Court in Milimani, seeking orders to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to open up voters’ register for public scrutiny, and gazette it per polling station.
Through its Executive Director Gladwell Otieno, the non-profit organisation which provides cutting edge research and monitoring governance matters argues that the law stipulates the Wafula Chebukati-led commission releases the register 90 days to the general election, and that failure to do so, threatens the constitutional rights of the citizens.
Speaking during the launch of the ''Ready or Not" report, which is an assessment of Kenya's readiness for the August 2017 polls, Otieno noted that it was time IEBC wins Kenyans' faith, in the credibility of the upcoming election.
She noted if the register is made public, there could be problems that can be fixed before elections, rather wait and experience the problems, and later negatively affect the whole exercise.
This even as religious organisations through the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya called on the IEBC to conduct a mock voting exercise, to test the suitability of the Biometric Voter Registration and Identification systems that will be used on the elections day.
Led by Bishop Mark Kariuki, the organisation also wants the Commission to conduct a trial, on how the election results would be disseminated from rural areas, to avoid cases of network failures, on the election day.