Home » Raila Odinga: No manual voter’s register, no elections

Raila Odinga: No manual voter’s register, no elections

by Enock Ndayala

Presidential front runners Raila Odinga and William Ruto have differed on whether the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should use a manual register to identify voters during the polling day.

Initially, the contenders appeared to agree that the electoral body should complement the electronic voter register and the manual one.

However, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) flag bearer William Ruto has changed his mind and is now rooting for pure electronic voting.

Presidential front runners Raila Odinga and William Ruto have differed on whether the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should use a manual register to identify voters during the polling day.
Presidential front runners Raila Odinga and William Ruto have differed on whether the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) should use a manual register to identify voters during the polling day. Photo: Raila Odinga/Twitter

With barely a month to the polls, the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party candidate Raila Odinga now says there will be no election unless the Waful Chebukati-led commission adopts both the manual and electronic voter register.

Addressing a rally in Githunguri on Tuesday, July 5, Raila said the manual register in all polling stations is an irreducible minimum for his camp.

Odinga said he has sufficient and reliable information that there is a plot to print excess pre-marked ballot papers in a neighboring country and then sneak them in on Election Day.

“That is why we’re saying that there must be a manual register at every polling station, it is not negotiable,

“We’re telling the IEBC they must have a manual register along with the biometric identification of voters on that day; failure to which, there will be no election,” Raila said.

Raila, who is seeking the presidency for the fifth time further maintained that the electoral body must retain a manual register, as backup, should the electronic one fail due to poor network, especially in rural areas.

His remarks come just days after the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto said the coalition fully supports the digital register.

“We do not want a manual register,” William Ruto said.

But in a rejoinder, the electoral body said Raila should not be worried over the use of the electronic register because it’s a replica of the manual one.

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