IEBC Kenya presidential election results 2022: Long wait for Raila Odinga and William Ruto for poll count

Residents look at newspapers displayed at a stand in Mathare, Nairobi following Kenya's general election on 12 August 2022

AFP

Dem no hack Kenya’s vote counting system amid tense wait for results of Tuesday’s presidential election, one top poll official tok.

“Nothing like dan don happen. Na misinformation,” tok di electoral commission’s CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan.

Social media bin dey awash wit allegations say dem dey upload fake results as di count dey verified.

Media tallies show di two leading candidates – Raila Odinga and William Ruto – dey neck to neck.

But na only di electoral commission wey fit declare di winner – and dem get seven days to do so.

“We anticipate say pipo go try hack our systems… we assure di whole country say our systems dey actually secure,” Oga Marjan tell reporters on Friday afternoon.

Earlier electoral head Wafula Chebukati emphasise say no need dey to panic wen seeing differences for tallying numbers from various media groups as dem go look similar for di end: “Di results na from di same public portal; di approach [of each broadcaster] dey different.”

Wetin dey happun for di main tallying centre?

Located for fi cultural centre wey dem dey call Bomas for di capital, Nairobi, officials from di Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) dey busy verifying results.

On Friday, Oga Chebukati admit say e feel di process dey take too long, blaming party agents.

Im officials dey compare photographs of result forms from more dan 46,000 polling stations nationwide to physical forms wey dem bring to centre by officials from each of di 290 constituencies.

Dis na to ensure say di results match.

Dis dey witnessed by party agents from di main parties, wey Oga Chebukati tok say dey stall by turning straightforward exercise into “forensic” one.

E say officials no suppose take more dan 15 minutes to verify one result.

Counting for some polling stations also dey delayed and travel to Nairobi, especially by officials from far-flung areas, fit be further factor wey dey in slow things down

Verification also dey halted for one time on Friday after katakta break out, allegedly involving someone without accreditation wey dem see with laptop – but di IEBC say dat one turn out not to be suspicious.

How media dey compile tallies?

Teams of journalists wey dey work for various outlets bin dey engaged in di ogbonge task of uploading di figures wey dem receive from each of di polling stations one-by-one.

Each media house dey do it different speed and choosing the polling stations in a different order.

By Friday morning, local media don slow down dia count – though di reason no dey clear, some say di staff don tire.

Oga Chebukati say e bin dey hope say di media groups go join bodi to tally di results, but dem decide to each do am alone.

How Kenyans dey feel?

Sense of anxiety dey for di country as disputed elections for di past don lead to violence or di whole process being cancelled.

Kenya’s presidential vote: What scenarios to expect
The British Broadcasting Corporation

Following di 2007 vote, at least 1,200 pipo die and 600,000 run comot dia homes following claims of stolen election.,

For 2017, huge logistical errors lead di Supreme Court to annul di result and order make dem re-run di presidential poll.

Officials dey under pressure to get things right dis time.

Di kontri often grind to halt during elections, activities across di kontri don slow and schools remain closed at least until next week on Monday. For Nairobi’s central business district, di streets wey dey always busy now dey mostly deserted.

Allegations of election rigging na as old as di kontri. Na part of politics even before dem introduce multiparty elections for 1990s, but di push for free and fair elections never stop.

After di violence wey follow di 2007 election, political parties and activists argue for di use of technology instead of physical registers, wey fit dey easily manipulated, to verify voters.

Dis year’s election na di third time dem go use technology but e never deliver one election wey dem no challenge for courts.

Meanwhile, one group of top civil servants tell reporters on Friday say preparations for smooth handover of power go begin as soon as di electoral commission announce di president-elect.

Wen we go know di result?

E dey unclear wen di final results go dey known, but di electoral commission don begin to announce verified counts from di 290 constituencies.

If clear leader of di race dey, celebrations dey likely to break out – but only di IEBC make am official.

To win di presidential race for di first round, candidate needs:

  • more dan half of all di votes cast across di kontri
  • at least 25% of di votes cast in minimum of 24 kontri.

Otherwise voting go to second round wey by law must to happen by 8 September.



Election branding

BBC