IEBC denies voter register manipulation claims

The Democratic Party (DP) has raised fear over tampering with the voter register over a deal between the electoral agency and National Registration Bureau (NRB).

DP clams it has credible information of a deal between the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and NRB under Office of the President on sharing of data.

“The Democratic Party wishes to express grave concern over credible reports that the IEBC has entered into a secret Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of the President under the guise of a Data Sharing Framework,” leader Justin Muturi said.

“We have further established that the acting CEO of IEBC [Moses] Sunkuli, held meetings with officials of the NRB to discuss integration of voter data systems, including collaboration with private vendors such as Smartmatic. These developments raise serious constitutional, legal and ethical concerns.”

The DP is warning that any opaque arrangements involving the Office of the President, particularly on matters touching on voter registration data and national identity databases, threaten the integrity, credibility and transparency of Kenya’s electoral process.

Muturi says the they are demanding immediate public disclosure of any existing MoU or data-sharing framework between IEBC and the Office of the President and disengagement of IEBC from any joint taskforce that compromises its independence.

“Failure to address these concerns forthwith will leave the United Opposition Coalition with no alternative but to seek judicial intervention to safeguard the sovereignty of the Kenyan people and the integrity of future elections,” he said.

NRB director general Gilbert Kitiyo was not available for comment as he is said to be out of the country for official tour. However, the IEBC on Monday issued a statement, saying there is no irregularity in working with NRB.

The commission said according to Article 88(4) of the constitution and sections 4 and 6 of the Elections Act, 2011, it is mandated to maintain an accurate and up-to-date voter register while operating independently, free from external control.

“In fulfilling this constitutional and statutory mandate, the commission is required to work with relevant government agencies that are the lawful custodians of lawful and relevant data to the execution of its mandate,” Ichairman Erastus Ethekon said.

Ethekon said data-sharing arrangements with both public and private institutions are conducted within strict legal frameworks to ensure identity verification, compliance and fraud prevention with partners being briefed once the process is in place.

“Therefore, the commissions has engaged the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services on various areas of collaboration including establishing a securer Application Programing Interface (API) link with Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS) to ensure only the legitimate ID and passport numbers are used,” he said.

The chairman said that the register of voters remains exclusively under the custody and control of the commission as provided for under the Constitution and Elections Act.

“IEBC reiterates that personal data is safeguarded in strict compliance with the constitution, the Elections Act 2011, the Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations and the Data Protection Act, 2019,” he said.