It is over for RUTO as High Court orders IEBC to use the manual register to identify voters just as RAILA wanted 5 days to the polls – Look!

 Thursday, August 4, 2022 – Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga is in celebration 5 days to the August 9th General Election.

This is after The High Court directed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to use the manual register to identify voters in the August 9 polls just as Raila wanted.

Justice Mugure Thande trashed IEBC’s stand that they will only use an electronic mode of voter identification.

According to Justice Thande, the use of electronic voter register only will deny many eligible voters a chance to vote.

“IEBC’s decision not to use the printed voter register, there is a real risk of disenfranchising eligible voters. This court must therefore step in through its supervisory jurisdiction to ensure that the commission though independent operates subject to the law,” he said.

The IEBC had written to the Azimio La Umoja coalition, saying they will only use manual register if the KIEMS kits fails. 

Azimio Presidential candidate Raila Odinga on the other hand had said the use of a manual register is a must.

Raila even warned the IEBC that there will be no elections if the manual register is not used.

The new directive is a win for Kenyans and the Azimio team that pushed for the register.

Justice Mugure said technology is prone to failure and can also get lost hence the need to have a standby alternative to ensure continuity of the electoral process.

The ruling now puts Deputy President William Ruto in a precarious situation since he had feared that a manual register may resurrect dead voters to vote for Raila.