Muturi demands mandatory election technology disclosure as required by the Supreme Court
Muturi said no technology provider should invoke intellectual-property rights to restrict authorised access to systems, servers, logs and audit trails.
Nairobi, Kenya — Justin Muturi, former Attorney General and National Assembly Speaker, has urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to mandate transparency in election technology procurement. Muturi, leader of the Democratic Party, argued that procurement rules must align with Supreme Court guidelines, ensuring the electoral systems remain open to lawful scrutiny and verification.
The Democratic Party chief emphasized that no technology provider should be permitted to restrict authorized access to vital election components such as systems, servers, logs, and audit trails. This stance comes as the IEBC embarks on a fresh round of procurement for election technology ahead of the 2027 General Election, heightening the emphasis on transparency and verifiability in the systems that will underpin future polls.
Intellectual property rights, according to Muturi, cannot override the need for openness in public elections. He stated that vendors cannot hide behind proprietary rights when Kenyan citizens, authorized entities, or the courts need to verify whether an electoral system operated properly. Speaking on Sunday, Muturi called for every technology vendor to accept, prior to securing an electoral contract, that pertinent system logs, servers, audit trails, and other technical records would be accessible for lawful scrutiny by the IEBC, authorized auditors, independent experts, investigative bodies, and the Judiciary.
This proposal is part of Muturi's broader initiative to bolster electoral integrity. His campaign includes advocating for a forensic audit of population and identity-management systems, a suspension of changes to the voter register pending such an audit, and an independent review of sensitive electoral procurement processes. His demands also follow concerns raised about the 2022 presidential election, where access to IEBC servers and electoral technology became a contentious issue during the presidential petition.
While the Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the petitions challenging William Ruto's election, its proceedings involved orders that permitted scrutiny of election technology and servers.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
