Editor's Review
Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi has called on MPs to reject proposed legislative changes that could weaken transparency in the transmission of election results.
Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi has called on Members of Parliament to reject proposed legislative changes that could weaken transparency in the transmission of election results.
In a statement on Friday, October 23, he said the party opposed any proposals seeking to remove safeguards for the live transmission of election results.
Muturi argued that transparency was essential to protecting the credibility of elections and maintaining public confidence in electoral institutions.
"The Democratic Party unequivocally opposes any legislative proposal seeking to weaken electoral transparency by removing safeguards for the live transmission of election results," he wrote.
Muturi cited Article 86 of the Constitution, which requires the electoral system to deliver accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable and transparent elections.
Read More
He maintained that Kenyans had fought for multiparty democracy to secure an electoral process that allows public scrutiny rather than one conducted in secrecy.
"Kenyans did not fight for multiparty democracy to be subjected to an electoral process shrouded in secrecy. Any attempt to weaken public scrutiny of election results is an affront to the spirit of constitutional democracy and must be resisted through every lawful parliamentary and constitutional avenue.
"Elections belong to the people, not the government, and no administration should treat transparency as a threat to its political interests," he added.
Muturi urged Parliament to safeguard public access to election information, warning that restrictions on the timely transmission of results could create uncertainty and undermine trust in the institutions responsible for conducting elections.
"We demand that Parliament reject any provisions that undermine public access to timely, verifiable election information. Restricting transparency risks creating an information vacuum, fuelling misinformation and eroding public confidence in electoral institutions," he further said.
Muturi further warned lawmakers against supporting changes that could reverse existing democratic safeguards, saying those behind the proposals should be held accountable for their positions on electoral transparency.
"The Democratic Party will stand firmly against any rollback of democratic safeguards and will demand clear accountability from those sponsoring or supporting such changes," he stated.
Muturi reiterated that the party would oppose any legislative amendments that compromise the public's ability to monitor and scrutinise the electoral process, insisting that political interests should not take precedence over constitutional protections.
"Our position is unequivocal: no information blackout, no weakening of constitutional protections, and no legislation that compromises Kenyans' right to scrutinise their elections. Democracy must never be sacrificed at the altar of political convenience," he concluded.
This comes months after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) dismissed claims of a plan to ban the livestreaming of the election results.
Speaking on Thursday, July 30, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon clarified that the Commission had no intention whatsoever of blocking the media from publishing results as they stream in.
He stated that the claims were misleading and that the electoral body did not condone any attempts to interfere with the delivery of a free, fair and transparent election.
Ethekon added that IEBC had not pushed for any legislation on the streaming of the election results to be changed in either House of Parliament; the Senate, or the National Assembly.
"As IEBC, we want to state categorically that we have not made any such decision, nor have we made any proposals to Parliament to try and stop live streaming.
"This Commission stands for transparency and accountability. We will be the last people to make any decision or any proposals to stifle the freedom of the media to check what we are doing, including livestreaming of the election process," he stated.
Ethekon added that the Commission had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the media, in which they agreed that the Fourth Estate would play an integral role in ensuring that the election is transparent.
"If anything, we converged with the Kenya Media Sector Working Group, and we signed an MoU that allows us to collaborate with the media for it to scrutinise and work with us to ensure that we educate Kenyans on all the processes that we are undertaking as a Commission, including the livestreaming process," he added.
