Final batch of election material to arrive today

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said that the final batch of ballot papers will arrive today as it put the final touches ahead of Tuesday's General Election. While responding to the questions raised by Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance campaign secretariat, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said that commission is ready to deliver a credible election. Mr Chebukati also said that the commission has put in place a robust election logistical plan to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient delivery of election materials. Chebukati said on election day, respective Returning Officers will undertake accreditation of agents and harmonise their presence at the polling stations. Agents will also register their complaints with the returning officer, or the presiding officers. “Where complaints arise at the polling station, the agent will raise it with the Presiding Officer and if not resolved, escalate to the chief agent who will then address it to the Returning Officer. Where complaints arise at the tallying center, the tallying center agent will raise it directly with the Returning Officer,” Mr Chebukati said. Chebukati also said there are no ungazetted polling stations with all the 46,229 polling stations across the country having been gazetted in a special issue of Kenya Gazette. He said that in the event that there will be flash floods, violence, or insecurity, the returning officer will be allowed to transmit the results at the constituency tallying center. The commission also said that the presiding officers will start counting the results upon closure of the poll and enter the respective votes garnered by each candidate in Form34A, and take a scanned image of the Form using the Kiems devise and transmit it to the presidential tallying center. The presiding officers will also avail the copy of the Form to the agents, and observers and deliver the original form to the constituency returning officer who will then transmit it to the Chairperson of the commission. He also dismissed reports that about 3000 Kiems kits have been stolen, saying that the statement that had purported to be from the Auditor General questioning the missing of the said kits was fake.