Nyakera calls for parallel tallying systems to guard 2027 vote

Nyakera calls for parallel tallying systems to guard 2027 vote. [File, Standard]

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Nairobi patron Irungu Nyakera has called for the establishment of a parallel tallying system in the 2027 General Election to verify results transmitted through the official electoral system.

Speaking on Spice FM, Nyakera said a lot of interference is expected during the transmission of results, which he said the system would help curb.

“As they're being transmitted, we are also transmitting to our parallel system so that as they are announcing, we are announcing. If the numbers being transmitted on the other side are not the numbers that are on that other parallel system, then it becomes much harder,” he said.

Nyakera also proposed that agents be stationed at polling centres to monitor the process from the arrival of ballot boxes to the counting and transmission of results.

According to him, the agents would also monitor the counting process to ensure that no new ballots are introduced before results are transmitted.

“It is really for everybody to ensure that the agents are working. I think it has to be done the Ol Kalou style where there is no room, there is absolutely no room for interference. We were there from the beginning. We saw the empty boxes coming in. We are ensuring there are no boxes that are coming in between,” he said.

His remarks come amid concerns over the security of the 2027 electoral process following comments by United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Hassan Omar about the use of fingerprints belonging to deceased people to cast votes.

Omar made the remarks at a political gathering in Mombasa, saying supporters should take the fingerprints of people who had died before burial and use them in the biometric voter registration system to cast votes.

He later said his remarks were a metaphor for voter mobilisation and turnout, rather than a suggestion that deceased Kenyans would literally vote.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) subsequently rejected the possibility of deceased people being verified as voters, saying its biometric system uses fingerprint and iris recognition.

According to Nyakera, IEBC should prepare for potential technological interference well before the election period.

He proposed that the commission consider establishing a specialised department to monitor emerging technologies and their potential use during elections.

“IEBC needs to look at even having its own department to look at such, because technology is going to be used in a big way. AI is going to be deployed,” he said.