MGD Party leader David Ochieng has dismissed claims that Parliament is seeking to stop the live-streaming of election results, terming the allegations misleading and urging Kenyans to disregard them.
Ochieng said there was no provision in the election laws seeking to prohibit the live-streaming of results, arguing that such claims misrepresented the legislative process and risked misleading the public.
He said he had participated in discussions with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and parliamentary leadership in Mombasa last month, where proposals on electoral matters were discussed.
“I presided over debates in Parliament on election laws. There is no clause on stopping the live-streaming of election results,” he said.
Ochieng argued that freedom of speech and access to information were among the fundamental rights protected by the Constitution, adding that Kenyans should be cautious about claims that their access to election results would be restricted.
He accused the opposition of spreading misleading information, drawing parallels with what he described as the circulation of alternative versions of Finance Bills that did not reflect the actual proposals before Parliament.
“This is purely propaganda. It has nothing to do with what is on paper,” he said, urging Kenyans to treat claims about a planned ban on live-streaming results with a pinch of salt.
He was speaking in Siaya town, where he met chiefs and assistant chiefs from Siaya County.
The party leader also called for closer collaboration between chiefs and political leaders in identifying development priorities and addressing challenges facing Siaya County.
Ochieng said chiefs played a critical role in administration, planning, prioritising projects and implementing government programmes, making them important partners in his vision for the county.
He said his engagement with the administrators was intended to explain his development agenda as he prepared to seek the Siaya governorship.
“I want them to understand my agenda, what I stand for and what I want to do for Siaya County, and to make them part of that process as we move forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, police spokesman Charles Owino also called on chiefs and assistant chiefs to intensify the registration of residents under the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying Siaya County wants to increase enrolment from about 500,000 to at least one million people.
Owino said local administrators were best placed to mobilise residents because of their direct contact with communities.
He described the health programme as an important avenue for expanding access to healthcare, citing various government funding mechanisms supporting health facilities and patients.
These include the Hospital Development Fund, primary healthcare funding and the Emergency, Critical and Chronic Illness Fund.
Owino said increasing enrolment would enable more residents to benefit from the healthcare arrangements.
He also called for coordinated efforts to expand electricity access, particularly in underserved markets and schools.
He said chiefs had been asked to identify areas that remained without electricity so that the county’s leaders could work with the Energy Ministry and other relevant stakeholders to address the gaps.
Owino further called on young people to participate in leadership by contesting elective positions at both parliamentary and county levels.
He said Siaya’s strong record in education should be matched by efforts to create opportunities for the next generation to contribute to the county’s development.
He urged voters to scrutinise the manifestos of those seeking elective positions and assess them against their development promises.
Owino said candidates should clearly explain what they intend to deliver, adding that their development agendas should form the basis on which voters evaluate their performance once elected.
