The Commission, in collaboration with UNDP, UN Women and IFES is conducted a 5-day training under the Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) programme.

The current cohort of election officials will make BRIDGE trained profession hit the 19,368 mark having utilized 1,788 facilitators across 120 countries.

Marjan Hussein Marjan, MBS, the Commission Secretary/CEO, who officially launched the training, expressed gratitude to the development partners who sponsored the 52 IEBC staff drawn from the headquarters, counties and constituency offices that participated in the course.

The CEO commended BRIDGE accredited team of facilitators and congratulated the participants for securing time to be trained. Marjan noted that the group will form a valuable team of human resource for the Commission leading up to the 2027 General Election.

Marjan singled out the mis/disinformation module, alongside the Artificial Intelligence use in election as current areas that significantly affect the conduct of election globally saying the training will equip IEBC staff with the knowledge and skills to utilize or fight them in today’s digital era.

IFES Country Director for Kenya, Ukeh Obaje, underscored the role BRIDGE has played to improve the knowledge base of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and enhance elections management skills for election administrators.

“I am impressed by the BRIDGE prowess in utilizing unique methodology, practicality, simulation of electoral processes and sharing of experiences from electoral management bodies worldwide,” said Obaje.

Anna Mutavati, the UN Women Country Representative, Kenya, welcomed the participants noting that she anticipated all to learn and get enriched with modern concept that will improve their skills in conduct of election.

Mutavati emphasized the importance of BRIDGE in improving elections management, especially in Kenya, which had a successful 2022 General Election. Mutavati reiterated the nexus linking gender and elections and highlighted the increased number of participation of women, youth, and PWDs as candidates in the 2022 elections

“I urge the participants to use the training to reflect on past elections and make recommendations for future improvement. UN Women will continue to support the inclusion of women in electoral processes,” she added.

Madelena Monoja, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Kenya stated that many countries in Africa are turning to the Commission to benchmark on Kenya’s successful conduct of the 2022 General Election.

“Kenya has implemented some of the best elections management practices and has turned our as beacon of hope to many countries who are visiting to benchmark and have peer-to-peer learning. The importance of elections not just in getting leaders into office, but also in bringing positive change to citizens through accountable leaders delivering on their promises and manifestos,” said Monoja.

The Lead facilitator Joram Rukambi underscored the comprehensive nature of the training program in enhancing election management skills in EMBs. Other facilitators involved were Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, Joachim Baggnan, Mihloti Masuluke, John Mwangi and Albert Gogo.