The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed reports claiming that proposed changes to Kenya's election laws will end the live transmission of polling station results or return the country to the manual election system used during the 2007 General Election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 30, 2026, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said media reports on the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 had misrepresented the contents of the proposed legislation.
According to the commission, the Bill does not seek to amend Section 44 of the Elections Act, which provides for the Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) used for voter registration, voter identification and electronic transmission of election results.
Instead, IEBC said the proposed amendments introduce an additional mechanism for transmitting results in areas where there is no 3G network coverage, the minimum requirement for electronic transmission.
“The Commission’s attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to scrap live streaming of poll results, ban live broadcast of poll results and return the voting system to manual voter identification and transmission of poll results akin to what was used in the 2007 General Election,” the statement read in part.
The clarification comes amid growing public debate over the proposed amendments and how election results will be transmitted and accessed ahead of the 2027 General Election.
IEBC further explained that the Bill seeks to align Kenya's election laws with the Supreme Court's decision in the 2017 presidential election petition, which affirmed Form 34A as the primary and final record of presidential election results declared at the polling station.
Under the proposed framework, images of completed Form 34A will continue to be transmitted electronically after they are filled, signed and witnessed by political party and candidate agents.
The commission added that the forms will also remain publicly accessible through the IEBC online results portal, maintaining transparency in the electoral process.
