Veteran lawyer Paul Muite has raised serious concerns over a Senate bill proposing to eliminate the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's (IEBC) current requirement to livestream polling station results. The move, he warns, could jeopardize transparency and public trust as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, jointly sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo, seeks to replace live broadcasting with an electronic transmission system for results. Under this system, results would be counted and declared at polling stations before being sent electronically to constituency and national tallying centers.

Key Changes Proposed

  • Removal of the legal obligation for IEBC to provide a live public feed of polling station results.
  • Introduction of electronic transmission of results from polling stations to tallying centers.
  • Retention of public access to scanned official result declaration forms via the IEBC portal.
  • Explicit mandate for IEBC to verify that electronically transmitted results match those declared at polling stations before consolidation.

Muite criticized the bill on social media, warning that it could facilitate electoral malpractice and ignite violence if manipulation attempts fail. He emphasized that preserving the will of the people is paramount, citing historical examples of rigged elections.

This bill revives a similar proposal from 2024, which emerged from the National Dialogue Committee's recommendations after the disputed 2022 elections but did not pass Parliament. The latest proposal has reignited debate on electoral transparency, especially as the IEBC has suggested the traditional national tallying center display screen may be discontinued in 2027.

Given Kenya's history of presidential election petitions reaching the Supreme Court, the final form of this legislation will be crucial in shaping public confidence in the electoral process.

Supporters argue the bill maintains legally binding results declared at polling stations backed by official forms, but critics like Muite caution the removal of live streaming diminishes transparency and could erode trust in election outcomes.