The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) detailed a step-to-step process on how the presidential election results will be transmitted from the polling stations to the National Tallying Centre at the Bomas of Kenya.
Just like in the 2017 elections, result transmission will be
complimentary with the electoral body using both electronic and manual systems.
However, Form 34s will be key in both systems.
The flow of Presidential Results Forms
IEBC indicated that the presidential election results
declared at the polling station will be filled in Form 34A, which will be then
transmitted to the Constituency Tallying Centre by the Presiding Officer after
votes have been counted and verified by all agents.
At the Constituency Tally Center, the results
from the polling station in a particular constituency will be tallied
and filled into Form 34B.
Upon completion, the Constituency Returning Officer will
submit the form to the National Tallying Centre where the Presidential
Returning Officer - IEBC Wafula Chebukati, will tally the results to Form 34C
and Form 34D before announcing the president-elect.
Electronic Result Transmission
For electronic result transmission, the electoral body will
use the Result Transmission System (RTS).
"At the end of voting and when votes have been counted
and tallied, the Presiding Officers (POs) enter the data on the signed results
sheet into specially configured mobile phones and transmit the results
simultaneous to the election results centres at the constituency, county and
national level," IEBC stated.
As per the RTS system, electronic results from the polling
station will be channeled to a back-end system. The results will then be
processed and displayed in the public portal.
Kenyans wishing to access the results will be able to follow
real-time transmission of results by visiting the public portal whose details
will be made public in the coming weeks.
However, revelations of a back-end system to process the
data raised eyebrows among a section of Kenyans who question the role of the
back-end system.
In response, IEBC insisted that it was standard procedure
even as it refuted concerns on results manipulation.
"Results at the polling station are final, media and
agents will have access to results announced at the polling station, the
'Backroom' is a receiver of the transmitted data enroute to the Tallying
Center.
"This is similar to the way SMS goes through your
mobile service provider before being delivered to the intended recipient,"
the Commission stated.
In regard to result transmission by the media, the electoral
body and media agencies signed an agreement on guidelines
for result transmission.
It was agreed that the media will have access to all election results even as a committee was formed to develop a framework through which all media houses will work in conjunction to air results.
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