The Commission engaged development partners on 13th December 2022, County Election Managers on 14th December 2022, and other external stakeholders on 15th December 2022 to evaluate the 2022 General Election. The fora sought to document experiences and evaluate lessons learnt and propose areas for improvement to inform future Commission policy direction and strategic planning, alongside identifying key priority areas for funding to improve the electoral processes.
During the events, the Commission’s Deputy CS/CEO, Obadiah Keitany, noted that stakeholders play a key role in elections and throughout the electoral cycle. In preparation for the 2022 General Election, the Commission collaborated with stakeholders in various activities to enhance IEBC’s capacity. The Commission thus cannot overlook the support it was accorded to deliver on its mandate.
“It’s time to relive our individual and collective experiences of the 9th August 2022 General Election and review the electoral cycle activities. I urge you to be candid in reviewing and discussing your experiences,” said Commissioner Prof Abdi Guliye, who spoke on behalf of the Chairman Wafula Chebukati.
Prof Guliye noted that the Commission has during their tenure in office strengthened the use and deployment of technology in election, developed operational procedures on elections, enhanced staff training and stakeholder engagement and above all improved communication of Commission activities.
“We now have a highly respected electoral management body (EMB) in Kenya. It is a treasure Kenyans have. Support and help them to conduct better elections in future. During elections, Commission staff are endangered people, we have lost some of them during the exercise. They don’t deserve to die or be mistreated. Please stand with EMB officials, they need your empathy, encouragement and guidance. They are your resource,” said Prof Guliye.
The deliberations from the fora will be documented in the Post-Election Evaluation report, which will guide the development of the Commission’s Elections Operation Plan for the 2022-2027 election cycle.
Some of the stakeholders in attendance were: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), European Union, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and embassies of Germany, Italy, Ireland and British High Commission; CRAWN Trust, Political Parties Liaison Committee, Kenya Editors Guild, Registrar of Political Parties, National Cohesion and Integration Commission among others.