Omtatah demands answers over IEBC’s changes to ballot paper security features

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to explain recent changes to security features for ballot papers ahead of the 2027 General Election. The National Reconstruction Alliance (NRA) leader expressed doubts over whether the modified specifications adequately safeguard against manipulation.

Omtatah made his remarks on Sunday, October 11, 2026, after the commission issued an addendum to a ballot-paper supply tender on September 17, 2026. IEBC cited the changes as a cost-saving measure to streamline procurement processes. Under the revised guidelines, printers may utilize black serial numbers instead of multicolored numbering, adopt fixed guilloche security patterns and micro-text, and employ embossing without metallic foil stamping.

Nonetheless, critical safeguards such as watermarks, ultraviolet security elements, and anti-duplication QR codes remain obligatory. Omtatah argued that while the changes might not necessarily render ballot papers less secure, their collective impact had not been proven to maintain equivalent or improved protection. He emphasized that voters must trust the materials used to cast their political ballots.

Omtatah insisted that reducing expenses should not compromise the safeguards designed to secure the electoral process. He stressed that the commission must provide a clear technical justification for altering requirements initially deemed essential. The senator highlighted constitutional provisions mandating elections to be free, fair, secure, accurate, transparent, and verifiable, asserting that public confidence should be paramount throughout election preparations.

Omtatah clarified that his concerns did not imply the commission intended to facilitate electoral misconduct or that any ballot papers had been compromised. He urged preventive accountability to avert irreversible decisions. His comments rekindled discussions about the standards IEBC will employ when procuring ballot papers for millions of voters in the upcoming elections.