The Elections Observation Group (ELOG) has defended the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman, Wafula Chebukati, over his decision to announce presidential results while the commission is divided.
The observers, led by the chairperson, Anne lreri, issued a statement to the media on Tuesday, August 16, noting that Chebukati is required by the Constitution to announce the results.
Furthermore, any delay in the announcement of the results would have thrown the country into chaos.
However, the observation body noted that the four commissioners, led by IEBC vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, raised serious concerns that would be addressed by the Supreme Court if the results were challenged.
Furthermore, ELOG stated that the results confirmed their projections based on their participation in observing voter tallying at polling stations.
“ELOG’s PVT estimates are consistent with IEBC’s official results for the 2022 presidential election. In light of our assessment of the Election Day processes and given that IEBC figures fall within the projected ranges, the PVT projections, therefore, corroborate the official results,” read the statement in part.
According to the observer’s analysis, Ruto was projected to win the first round of voting on August 9 with 50.7 percent, which was 0.3% higher than Chebukati’s announcement.
However, ELOG identified issues in the electoral process that needed to be addressed before the next elections in 2027. The accessibility of the voter register and the high cost of conducting elections were two of them.
“Ensuring transparency in the integrity and maintenance of the Voter Register, including providing full access to the KPMG audit report and clear status updates on the uptake of recommendations from the report. In addition, working with stakeholders to independently audit the register will help improve its integrity of the register,” the statement added.