Our systems are hacker-proof, says IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has moved to allay fears its systems can be compromised following disinformation spreading on social media about the fallibility of its voting technology.

In a Friday afternoon press briefing, CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan said:

"There is disinformation spreading that the results portal has been compromised. We would like to assure the country that nothing like that has happened. We anticipated that people will try to hack our systems and put in place measures to secure it on all levels."

He noted that though unnamed players may attempt to do so, IEBC's systems were foolproof, adding that they have been monitoring all their systems on all levels including network, application, database and operating system so that no hacking takes place.

"And if there is any doubt please talk to us. Don't send misinformation out there," he added.

UDA, Azimio agents clash

The electoral agency also said it had 'cleaned up' the floor at Bomas of Kenya and will now only allow IEBC officials, two agents belonging to each of the presidential candidates and returning officers bringing results on the flow of the auditorium.

The announcement came hours after a scuffle between UDA and Azimio agents over claims that a suspicious gadget had been sneaked into the room by UDA agents.

"Nobody else is allowed in the auditorium and those coming to Bomas will instead be seated at marked areas," IEBC said.

Earlier, IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati had threatened to kick out presidential agents from the national tallying centre in Bomas for slowing down their verification process. He also announced that in order to expedite the process, returning officers would henceforth take only 15 minutes at any verification table.

Reading the Riot Act to the agents, Mr Chebukati warned the agents to stop interfering with its officers going through forms brought in by returning officers.

“Observe the process and document but do not do a forensic audit during the process. Record any errors and report the same. If you (agents) have any problems then raise it with me,” Mr Chebukati said.

Enhanced security

The IEBC boss added that going forward, agents would only look at the copies of the forms to confirm they were the same as the ones issued at the polling stations.

Following the clash, normalcy had resumed at the Bomas auditorium. Security, however, been heightened with no one allowed to access the area if carrying a bag or other items.