According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati, political parties and media outlets are free to set up parallel tallying centers for the August 9 general elections.
The IEBC chairman stated that individual candidates would also be permitted to tally their results. However, he claimed that only the IEBC has the authority to declare winners.
“The media houses, political parties and candidates are free to have their own parallel tally of the results but that will only help you do the reporting not to declare winners,” said Chebukati.
Speaking yesterday in Diani, Kwale County after a two-day workshop attended by top editors and IEBC commissioners, Chebukati warned that nobody would be allowed to declare the results.
He stated that while the media may report the correct results as announced by the presiding officers and constituency returning officers, the commission retains the right to declare the winner.
Meanwhile, Chebukati appeared to close the door on former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s bid for the Mombasa governorship, declaring that impeached governors would not be cleared.
He stated that, despite the court’s decision on Thursday that Sonko’s fate is in the hands of the IEBC, the commission will not review cases in which it has already made a decision.
“The commission will not revisit the decisions which have already been made. After all, those seeking clearance are already time-barred,” said Chebukati.
On Friday, a three-judge bench ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit in which Sonko and others sought to be allowed to vie in various seats across the country.
