Friday, March 15, 2024 - Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials will now face a five-year jail term for delaying election results in a new proposal tabled at the Senate.
The Election Offences
(Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes the changes has been tabled by Senate
Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot of President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza and
Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo of Raila Odinga’s Azimio.
Should the Bill be approved by
the Senate, it will successfully amend Section 6 of the Election Offences
Act, 2016.
“The Bill creates offences for
members and staff of the Commission who unreasonably delay in declaring
elections results or knowingly alter declared election results,” the Bill reads
in part.
Section 6 of the Act states that
it is an offence for election officials to fail to declare the results of an
election.
The law though is silent on what
happens when an IEBC official intentionally delays announcing election
results.
Considering the Bill has the
support of both Kenya Kwanza and Azimio-affiliated politicians, it is expected
to be adopted unanimously by the House.
The Bill further seeks to
introduce new offences for election officials as a measure to promote integrity
in the exercise.
One of the proposals is that it
will be illegal for any voting to be done in ungazetted polling stations.
Through the National Dialogue
Committee (NADCO), the government and opposition have agreed to mutually seek
ways to restructure the IEBC.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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