This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
On July 11, 2021, Florence Sambiri-Jaoko, a candidate for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), was interviewed as part of the search for new IEBC commissioners. During the interview, she exposed some major blunders by the IEBC, particularly in the voter registration process during the 2017 elections.
One of the significant errors pointed out by Sambiri-Jaoko was the IEBC's failure to update voter registration biometric records in 2017. As a former chairperson of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission and an Advocate of the High Court, Sambiri-Jaoko has a background in Human Rights and Governance.
She recalled an incident in 2017 when she went to cast her vote and was shocked to find that she was not registered in the biometric system. Despite having an elector's card and voting in the 2017 general elections, Sambiri-Jaoko's name was not found in the voter registration records.
"I feel very bad. In 2017 when I went to vote I was shocked when I put my fingerprint there and they could not find me...and then I was given a book they checked and I wondered, I am in St. Georges in Nairobi...if I can not be found by the biometrics, what about somebody who is from somewhere else...and there was no explanation, you are just moved to another place so I was not happy about it," she recalled.
Asked how she would rectify such mistakes, Sambiri-Jaoko promised to have a continuous process of the Electoral Commission updating the voter register. She emphasized the importance of the IEBC ensuring that voter registration records are accurate and up-to-date within the legal frameworks and regulations that govern the process.
As the interviews for the search of IEBC Commissioners continue, Sambiri-Jaoko's revelations have shed light on the challenges facing the IEBC ahead of the 2022 general elections.
