The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has defended the 2027 presidential tallying process in a case challenging how election results are handled.
In a replying affidavit filed before the Milimani High Court, the Commission insists that the system used to tally and declare presidential results is constitutional, transparent, and firmly grounded in law.
The case, filed by Okiya Omtatah and Kalonzo Musyoka, questions the role of the National Tallying Centre, raising concerns over possible manipulation of results at the final stage. But IEBC has pushed back, arguing that the national tallying centre does not change results and only verifies and aggregates figures received from constituency tallying centres.
According to the Commission, the process starts at polling stations where votes are counted, moves to constituency tallying centres where results are confirmed, and ends at the national centre strictly for verification before the final declaration. IEBC further relies on Supreme Court decisions, saying the law is already settled that the national tallying centre is not a place for altering results.
The Commission has dismissed the petition as speculative and based on a misunderstanding of how the electoral system works, warning that it risks interfering with its constitutional mandate. It also maintains that multiple safeguards, including physical result forms and electronic transmission, are in place to ensure accuracy, transparency, and accountability.
IEBC is now urging the court to dismiss the case, setting the stage for a legal battle that could shape how the 2027 presidential election results are processed.
In that petition filed by Okiya Omtatah in 2025, he also accused the IEBC Chairperson of exercising powers the law does not grant, particularly the ability to declare presidential results without receiving all constituency results an act he said reinforces the fact that constituency-level results are final and should not be subjected to national scrutiny.
The outcome of the case is expected to have a major impact on public confidence in Kenya’s electoral system ahead of the next general election.
