FORMER AG MUTURI VOWS TO FIGHT PROPOSED CHANGES TO ELECTION RESULTS LIVE-STREAMING
Former Attorney General and ex-National Assembly Speaker Justin B. Muturi, now aligned with the United Opposition, has vowed that the Democratic Party will oppose what he describes as a “draconian” legislative proposal seeking to remove safeguards for the live transmission of election results.
Muturi said the proposed changes would weaken electoral transparency and undermine Kenyans’ ability to scrutinise election results in real time. He cited Article 86 of the Constitution, which requires Kenya’s electoral system to be accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable and transparent.
The former AG warned that restricting public access to timely election information could create an information vacuum, fuel misinformation and erode confidence in electoral institutions.
Muturi said the Democratic Party would push for Parliament to reject any provisions that weaken constitutional protections and vowed to seek accountability from those sponsoring or supporting the proposed changes.
“No information blackout, no weakening of constitutional protections,” Muturi said, maintaining that elections belong to the people and that transparency must not be sacrificed for political convenience.
The remarks come amid growing controversy over the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, which has been passed by the National Assembly. The Bill removes the express legal requirement for the IEBC to livestream the announcement of election results from polling stations, although it does not prohibit electronic transmission of results or the publication of polling-station results forms online.
The proposed changes have sparked concern among opposition figures and democracy advocates, who argue that removing mandatory live-streaming could reduce public scrutiny of the electoral process and undermine confidence in the 2027 elections.
Muturi’s Democratic Party says it will oppose the changes through parliamentary and constitutional avenues, insisting that electoral transparency must remain a central safeguard of Kenya’s democracy.