Wako picked to lead Azimio 2022 poll audit team
The push to have an audit of the 2022 presidential election has gained momentum after the Azimio la Umoja coalition yesterday named three people to sit on the panel that will carry out the exercise.
Leader of Minority in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi, in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, revealed that the coalition had nominated former Attorney-General Amos Wako to head the opposition team alongside former nominated senator Judith Pareno and forensic investigator Julius Njiraini.
The panel is expected to have six-members, with the other three nominated by the Kenya Kwanza side.
In the letter, Wandayi asked Wetang’ula to speed up the process of setting up the team that will scrutinise the results of the 2022 presidential election.
Kenya Kwanza is yet to make public names of people who will sit in the panel.
“I have today written to the Speaker conveying the names of the three persons who will be our members in the panel,” said Wandayi.
He added: “Now pursuant to the said report (pg. 73 par 263(a)) I wish on the behalf of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition appoint the following persons to the Panel for the Evaluation of the 2022 Electoral Process: Hon Amos Wako – team leader, Hon Judith Pareno, Julius K. Njiraini. Kindly facilitate the inauguration of the full Panel for a speedy execution of its mandate.”
Wandayi, who spoke in his office, explained that if there is no agreement on the joint appointment of the firm to evaluate the results as recommended by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, then each side of the panel will appoint a reputable firm to undertake the evaluation.
The panel is jointly required to appoint a reputable firm or a consortium of firms to undertake the audit and in case there is no agreement on the joint appointment of a firm, each side of the panel will appoint a reputable firm to undertake the evaluation. The two firms will coordinate the evaluation process.
The setting up of the panel comes barely days after the senate adopted the NADCO report on February 21 thereby setting the stage for the commencement of the exercise.
The NADCO report recommended the appointment of the panel of experts which should be in place 21 days after its adoption.
The panel should among other things appoint a reputable firm or a consortium of firms to undertake the evaluation exercise.
Harmonised report
Reads the NADCO report: “With respect to evaluation of the 2022 electoral process. Within twenty-one days of the adoption of this report by Parliament, the leadership of the majority and minority coalitions shall appoint a panel to evaluate the 2022 electoral process. (ii) The Panel shall consist of six experts. The majority and minority parties or coalition of parties shall each nominate three experts.”
It adds: “After the conduct of the evaluation process, the Panel shall harmonize the findings of the two firms and submit the harmonized report to Parliament. With respect to evaluation of the electoral process under Article 88(4) (h) after a general election, the Elections Act, 2011 be amended to provide for the scope of the evaluation, financing, and reporting.”
The report states that the evaluation of elections is important in ensuring that voting systems operate accurately, that election officials comply with laws, regulations and internal policies, identify weaknesses and set benchmarks for future performance.
In addition, it states that the audit will help build confidence in the election administration process and credibility of the results and the electoral management body.
NADCO was established four months ago to resolve a political crisis occasioned by street demonstrations called by Opposition leader Raila Odinga to protest the high cost of living, electoral injustices and to demand reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) among other issues.
The move by the opposition comes at a time when the National Assembly has started considering amendments to IEBC Act 2024 that proposes an audit of elections after every general election.
The bill that is currently undergoing public participation is proposing that the electoral body shall after every general election review its operations and make the necessary changes required to make its operations more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable.
Reads the bill: “The review shall be completed within one year after every general election and the commission shall publish the report in the gazette and submit the report to parliament.”
Opening of servers
Azimio has been pushing to have the audit of the presidential polls on grounds that they were not satisfied with the outcome of the election and the presidential petition filed at the Supreme court by Raila that saw the court upholding the election of William Ruto as President.
In its push, Azimio has argued that the audit will expose the role outsiders played in the system and who gave them permission to act beyond the contractual duty, including refusing to open the servers as well as show if the servers found will be the right ones and other hardware and software purchased and used in the 2022 elections.
Raila who is on record saying that there were irregularities and manipulation of the results by the IEBC which denied him victory has been calling for the opening of the IEBC servers.
He claimed that he won the elections with 8.9 million votes according to revelations made by a whistleblower allegedly working at the poll agency, against Ruto’s 5.9 million votes.
The former premier argued that the results that were announced by the then IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati lacked statistical coherence.
