Both political factions have put forth proposals advocating for the enactment of a law that would mandate the opening of election servers following the declaration of final election results.
Kenya Kwanza, aligned with President William Ruto’s camp, has expressed support for a proposal by Azimio leaders, showcasing a rare moment of agreement. They argue that establishing such a law is essential to prevent the victimization of Kenyans, particularly electoral officers.
“I totally agree with this proposal that we need to make it law that servers be immediately opened after the election so that we conclude these elections conclusively,” said EALA MP Hassan Omar.
Former Busia Senator Amos Wako, during his submission, emphasized the need for legislation that would make it automatic to open the servers after elections conclude.
“We do not need to repeat ourselves constantly that after every election we are vilifying IEBC staff and Kenyans…in the lead up to the elections we are intimidating them, we are kidnapping them and we are murdering them,” he added.
Omar, a member of the five-member Kenya Kwanza team participating in the ongoing talks led by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, also stressed the importance of losers accepting defeat gracefully. He pointed out that some politicians tend to dispute election outcomes by blaming technology, software, and servers, despite the results being publicly available.
“The law should be enacted to make servers automatically opened and accessible to everyone after the presidential results which are the final announced…this will even help those who want to file petitions,” said Wako.
In a reference to a notable example, Omar highlighted the 2002 election when President Uhuru Kenyatta conceded defeat to the late President Mwai Kibaki. He suggested that this spirit of acknowledging defeat should be encouraged.
“We need to have a culture of conceding elections when we lose, the issue of big margins is not specified in the Constitution…the only constitutional threshold required is 50 plus one vote and 25 per cent in 24 counties,” he said.
Regarding the audit of the 2022 election results, Omar explained that the results displayed on the portal are essentially a reflection of the server data.
Furthermore, he proposed that elections should not be the sole responsibility of political parties and politicians; instead, all stakeholders, including the media, should be involved and interested in the outcome. This perspective underscores the importance of ensuring transparency and inclusivity in the electoral process.
By Dailynews