IEBC candidate put to task over 2017 annulled presidential election
A candidate for the position of commissioner at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission (IEBC) was yesterday taken to task over her role in 2017 election.
Dr Catherine Kamindo, who served as head of operations at the Bomas of Kenya tallying centre, was at pains to explain the anomalies raised by the Supreme Court during the petition lodged by ODM leader Raila Odinga in the aftermath of the poll.
In defence, Kamindo said the irregularities might have been introduced during the transmission of the results, and not at the tallying stage.
“The transmission of results was affected by factors beyond the commission’s control. One of the challenges included some polling stations failing to relay the results electronically due to poor network in their locations,” she said.
Kamindo said her role restricted her to coordinating media and call centers and other IEBC departments that were operating at Bomas.
“Transmission of results from the polling centres did not fall within my mandate,” she said.
While annulling the presidential election, the Supreme Court said the polls body had not verified the results before announcing them. Kamindo, however, admitted that the commission has since learnt from the mistakes and new measures have been put in place.
Another nominee
At the same time, Kamindo told the Dr Elizabeth Muli-led panel she would rely on her experience in election operations and networking skills to help transform the electoral board.
According to her, effective decision-making is a consequence of accountability and responsibility.
As part of enhancing effective decision-making, Kamindo said she will demand that all IEBC departments issue reports on a quarterly basis. Kamindo has 11 years of experience at the IEBC Secretariat.
Her roles entailed overseeing strategic planning and coordinating the tallying centre among others.
Another nominee, Catherine Njeri proposed that young people applying for IDs should be given the option of registering as voters at the same time without having to go to another office. “They should pick their polling stations at the spot,” she proposed.
