The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission technical management was forced to switch off Azimio Leader Raila Odinga’s chief Agent Oduor Ong’wen’s microphone for criticizing the failed testing and simulation of results exercise at the Bomas of Kenya today.
In the exercise which only involved 2,900 polling stations failed to properly highlight more than 160 forms 34 A.
Ong’wen raised concerns against the exercise describing IEBC as not properly prepared to transmit the results.
“If this is what is happening during a simulation, already we can see that we have a problem with 2,900 polling stations yet we will have 47,000 polling stations on the actual day. How much worse will it be?” Ong’wen complained
IEBC Commissioner Abdi Guliye however accused Ong’wen of using the platform to score political points instead of helping correct the errors.
“Please ask a question and leave politics. We are here to listen, demonstrate and ask you to give feedback on the questions,” Guliye interjected.
It is at that point that Ongwen’s microphone was switched off.
“I was watching the screen and I think if others were watching, we had 160-something forms, then all of a sudden it went down to zero, then it back to the same figure. Could you tell us the integrity of this system?” Ole Kanchori another agent of Raila lamented before he was cut off.
IEBC Director of ICT, Michael Ouma, explained that the delay in transmission was only at Bomas, adding that the Commission was using mobile networks. He added that on the election date, all political parties will have accounts that they will use to access the documents.
“We are using mobile networks, there is bound to be delays. All political parties will have accounts in this systems to allay any manipulation of the form,” Ouma stated.
By Rodgers Oduor
