August 9

Opposers of manual register have found their details missing in KIEMS kit – Raila

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 11:25 | By
ODM leader Raila Odingag casts his vote at Old Kibera Primary school polling station. PHOTO/Courtesy

ODM party leader and Azimio One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga has taken a dig at their opponents who have been opposed to his clarion call to have the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission use the manual register to complement the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kit.

Raila claimed that the biometric identification system has reportedly failed in several polling stations across the nation, forcing election officials to revert to the manual register.

"Some stations opened late. In other places the process is slow. Just as we had suspected, some voters cannot be identified biometrically and they have to revert to the manual register. That is what we had said all along and fortunately those who were opposing it have also found their names lacking in the biometric system," he added.

Raila Odinga's spokesperson Makau Mutua also voiced his disappointment in the failure of the KIEMS kit. Mutua beseeched IEBC to act swiftly and revert to manual identification of voters in polling stations where the biometric system has faced lapses.

"Where KIEMS kits fail, IEBC should not stop voting while waiting for a replacement. That’s insane. The returning officer should immediately resort to the manual register. Chair Wafula Chebukati mustn’t make the exercise of the franchise an ordeal. Voters are badly suffering," he posted.

Raila cast his vote

Odinga cast his vote at the Old Kibera primary school polling station in Kibra constituency, Nairobi county.

Speaking before he left his Karen residence to vote, the former premier expressed confidence that the people of Kenya will make their voice heard on the ballot.

"We have done our best in terms of campaigns, the ball is in the people's court. I have confidence that the people of Kenya are going to speak loudly in favour of democratic change," he said.

Asked about how she felt about the election, Mama Ida Odinga exuded confidence that the outcome of this year's polls will be different from the past contests where Raila vied unsuccessfully for the presidency.

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