IEBC Breaks Silence On Controversial Bill Set To Ban Election Results Livestream
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed reports that a new bill has been tabled seeking to block live streaming of election results and roll back electronic transmission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In a statement on Thursday, July 30, IEBC dismissed the reports as erroneous and a misrepresentation of the Bill currently before Parliament.
According to the commission, the proposed legislation does not seek to scrap live streaming of poll results or return the country to the manual voter identification and results transmission system used during the 2007 General Election.
“The Commission’s attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to scrap live streaming of poll results, ban live broadcast of poll results and return the voting system to manual voter identification and transmission of poll results akin to what was used in the 2007 General Election,” IEBC stated.
“The Commission wishes to state that the media reports are erroneous and a misrepresentation of the Bill as tabled before Parliament,” it added.
The commission further clarified that the Bill does not propose any amendment to Section 44 of the Elections Act, which provides for the deployment of the Integrated Elections Management System for voter registration, voter identification, and the transmission of election results.
Instead, IEBC said the proposed amendments seek to introduce a complementary mechanism for transmitting results in areas where electronic transmission is not possible because of inadequate network coverage.
“It proposes a complementary mechanism for result transmission to address instances where transmission of results is not possible owing to lack of 3G network, which is the minimum standard required for transmission of result Forms,” the commission said.
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The clarification comes amid widespread reports that the commission was seeking to ban election results livestreamed as it has during other election periods, raising questions over the credibility of the 2027 polls.
IEBC also said the proposed amendments seek to align the Elections Act with the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2017 presidential election petition.
The decision affirmed that the result recorded in the statutory Form 34A is the primary and final record of results at the polling station.
The commission said it would therefore be required to verify results by comparing the original physical Form 34A with the electronically transmitted image of the same document from the polling station.
Under the proposed framework, Presiding Officers would electronically transmit images of the statutory result declaration forms completed at polling stations and witnessed by political party and candidate agents.
The proposed changes, IEBC said, are ultimately aimed at providing legal certainty, facilitating the effective conduct of elections and establishing a clear framework for resolving electoral disputes.
IEBC Breaks Silence On Controversial Bill Set To Ban Election Results Livestream
