Gachagua calls for retention of 2022 election technology, warns against late switch

Jukwaa

📻 Breaking It Down

Gachagua accused IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon and Vice Chairperson Fahima Abdallah of pushing a tender for election technology that he alleged was designed to favour South Korean firm Miru Systems.

He further claimed that officials in the IEBC’s Directorate of Supply Chain Management and Directorate of Electoral Management had been pressured to take ownership of technical specifications he alleged were tailored to favour the company.

“The Chairman of IEBC and his Vice Chair are determined to force the discredited MIRU Systems Technology from South Korea into the 2027 General Elections for financial gain and to bungle the elections,” Gachagua said in a statement on Tuesday.

📌 What You Need to Know

He alleged that officials who refused to support the specifications were victimised and transferred to far-flung counties, while those he described as compromised remained in their positions.

Gachagua did not provide documentary evidence to substantiate the allegations of corruption, a predetermined tender outcome or interference with the election. He said the information had been relayed to him by IEBC officials concerned about the procurement process.

Gachagua argued that there was insufficient time to introduce, test and fully operationalise a new election management system before the August 2027 polls.

He called on the IEBC to cancel the current tender and instead upgrade the system used in 2022 to address shortcomings identified from the previous election.

“It is not technically possible to procure a new election management system given that the elections are 11 months away,” he said, citing advice he said he had received from procurement experts and IEBC insiders.

He also warned that migrating electoral data to a new system could create technical and logistical risks.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya

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