NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10 – The presidential tallying of votes in the national tallying centre at the Bomas of Kenya is yet to commence despite the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) gearing up to complete the process before the seven-day stipulated time.
The electoral body’s chairman Wafula Chebukati noted that so far, 45,141 form 34A out of 46,229 have been uploaded in the system but no physical forms have yet been delivered.
Currently, the returning officers across the polling stations are tabulating presidential results in form 34A to 34B, which is the results form for presidential results at the constituency level.
“Up to now we haven’t received anything, and we are waiting for returning officers to start bringing them by today evening. We haven’t received any form 34A to start the verification,” said Chebukati.
The IEBC chairman however committed that they will be working in earnest to conclude the exercise by the deadline which will be on 15th August insisting that they are well within time.
“The commission will endeavor to conclude this exercise at the earliest time possible,” he said.
In Homabay county, Rukwaro polling station the presiding officer is said to have erroneously transmitted form 35A which is the results declaration form for the National Assembly seat instead of form 34A which is the presidential results form.
“The wrong form which was uploaded will have to be corrected in the presence of the presidential agents,” Chebukati stated.
Two incomplete form 34B were also erroneously uploaded in Ainabkoi constituency, Uasin Gishu county and Saboti constituency in Transnzoia county.
“The commission is awaiting for the delivery of the original physical form 34 A from the returning officer and validate it with the agent and replaced it in the portal once the verification is done,”the IEBC chair stated.
“Results in the polling station are final and results uploaded in the tallying centre are final,” he added.
This comes even as Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said nearly 14.2 million voters participated in Tuesday’s General Election.
The electoral body’s chairman Wafula Chebukati disclosed that the figure, a 65.4 per cent voter turnout, had been derived from the Kenya Integrated Management System (KIEMS) kits.
Chebukati pointed out that the final voter turnout figure will be compiled after reconciling the number of voters whose identity was captured using the manual register.
““The voter turnout is based on the verification of the KIEMS kits which were functional during the process of voting,” he stated.
“We have areas where the commission allowed the use of manual register and we shall not be able to give you the exact voter turnout unto the data is transmitted in the results form and we compute the final voter turnout.”
