99.9% of Presidential results were electronically transmitted – Chebukati

Former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati has said 99.9 percent of the presidential results for the August 9, 2022, general elections were transmitted electronically. 

Chebukati on Thursday said the result transmission is key and is the last mile test during a general election.

"Fact: 99.9 percent of Presidential result forms were electronically transmitted to the public portal within 24 hours of closure of polls," he said. 

He said the IEBC tally reports for the presidential election results were processed and transmitted quickly. 

"The law says presidential election results must be electronically transmitted and we processed and transmitted these results in a quick and speedy manner," he said. 

Chebukati said the forms 34A containing the presidential results were scanned and the forms contained correct and accurate data of the results aligned to each polling station. 

Chebukati said the tally results were available to stakeholders and the public to view adding that the commission worked very well with the telecommunications providers to transmit the results electronically. 

"In a few areas where there was no network, we had to bring in satellite modems which then gave us 99.9 percent of the tally forms which were uploaded within 24 hours of closure of polls," Chebukati said. 

Presidential Results Transmission Process

The former IEBC boss also gave the process followed when transmitting the presidential results electronically.

He said upon completion of vote counting, presiding officers filled in the 34A forms. 

"The forms are signed by officers and agents of candidates with copies given to agents," he said. 

Chebukati maintained that the presiding officers captured an encrypted digital PDF of the 34A forms using the KIEMS kit.

He said the form is then transmitted to the constituency and national tallying centres, and the IEBC public portal at the same time. 

"KIEMS kits were polling-station specific with forms 34A printed with a QR code containing a 15-digit sequence identifying a specific polling station," he said. 

Chebukati said the staff were biometrically identified before sending the data. 

He noted that it was the first time such an innovation was used in Kenya's general election.