With the use of enhanced transparency measures, better technology, and stringent audit trails, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chaired by Edung Ethekon has declared that election fraud in Kenya is “an impossibility,” referencing the by-elections held on November 27.
Ethekon expressed his confidence in the recent by-polls at a post-election debrief with stakeholders, stating that the electoral system is now designed to prevent manipulation, “not just difficult, but impossible without immediate detection.” This was in defence of the reliability of the elections.
He firmly said that it is impossible to steal an election in our nation. “All votes are publicly viewable, all KIEMS transmissions are securely recorded, and every action at the polling station leaves a trace.”
With KIEMS kits functioning at 99 percent, according to Ethekon, voters could be easily identified and the results could be sent in near real-time. Full openness was ensured, he said, by making all results forms accessible at voting stations, publishing them on the IEBC internet, and having them cross-checked at counting centres.
Voter indifference was recognised by the IEBC chief, who added that heightened monitoring by presiding officers and security services neutralised efforts to influence the result.
He made it clear that the integrity of the result was unaffected by the few isolated instances that were documented, such as the harassment of IEBC officials and efforts by political players to tamper with the process.
Political players, according to Ethekon, should not try to undermine election officials or meddle in operational procedures.
People should not give their votes to politicians. It is the people that own the elections. As the IEBC, it is our duty to protect that sovereign will, he said.
Prior to the 2027 General Election, he restated the commission’s commitment to further improving technology, training, and transparency.
Participants from all sectors, including party agents, civil society organisations, and election observers, rallied around the need for stricter compliance with electoral regulations, with many asking political actors to stay within their respective spheres of influence.
Ethekon reassured all parties involved that the IEBC would continue to work towards peaceful, credible, and verifiable elections.
“Our systems have been very reliable. There is transparency. There is a record of transactions. The protections are in place. It is absolutely impossible to steal an election in Kenya, which is why we can state it with confidence,” he continued.
