GLADYS SHOLLEI BACKS IEBC TEAM

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gladys Boss believes Kenya's current electoral system is “the safest electoral system,” and argues that this by-election is also an important test for the newly appointed IEBC commissioners.

She observed that the mini-elections provide an opportunity for the new team to reinforce operations and get hands-on experience to note their areas of improvement as Kenya heads to the 2027 general elections.

"We have a new IEBC, a new set of commissioners. I think by-elections are a good way of actually testing the new commissioners and also for them it’s a learning experience," Shollei said.

Boss applauded the current IEBC for fining two Kasipul parliamentary by-election candidates Ksh. 1 million each, and compelled them to sign a peace agreement after violence between their supporters resulted in the death of two people.

"During my time, it happened when we had the Makadara elections, when Mike Sonko vied for the first time. We had the same situation. And we said to them, we're going to cancel the elections if we hear any more violence," she said.
“It is your responsibility to ensure that your supporters are not violent. And the moment you do that, it changes the game.”

She dismissed claims that the elections are vulnerable to rigging, saying that critics do not understand how the current system functions.

She said KIEMS kits are geo-mapped and cannot be used outside the assigned polling station, adding that biometric identification means impersonation and multiple voting are out of the question. She said that all voter identification and result entries are verified by party agents.
“If you don’t have fingers, you still have the pupil of your eye, you still have your facial features to use as an identification. It has to be confirmed by all agents when that is done, and it has to be noted in the book,” Shollei said. "So, actually, Kenya has the safest electoral system.”

The Deputy Speaker further underscored how QR-coded results forms and ballot papers, which are scanned and uploaded to the public portal immediately after the counting process, have brought about transparency. She mentioned that this allowed the public and the media to independently tally the results during the last general election, even before official announcements.

A total of 24 elections will take place across the country on November 27, including one Senate seat in Baringo County, six parliamentary seats, and 17 MCA positions. The constituencies voting for new MPs include Kasipul, Mbeere North, Ugunja, Magarini, Banissa, and Malava.