IEBC Preparedness Incase Of Power Shortage On Election Day

In response to inquiries about what to do if there is a power outage on Tuesday, August 9, and the KlEMS kits run out of battery power, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has provided guidance.

In response to significant concerns expressed by presidential campaign secretariats and other interested parties regarding the general election scheduled for August 9, the IEBC gave Kenyans the reassurance that the KIEMS kits contain an additional two power banks each, sufficient to last them through the voting and transmission process.

“The KIEMS kit has an internal battery and two external batteries (power banks) that are fully charged before deployment. The three batteries have sufficient power to last beyond the voting and transmission period,” said the commission in a statement.

The Wafula Chebukati-led panel noted that the KIEMS kit voter identification function is offline and does not require network connectivity when discussing potential internet outages.

“For purposes of electronic transmission of results, the KIEMS kit is fitted with both primary and secondary GSM sim cards to ensure continuity of the network in case one fails,” added IEBC.
The Commission added that it will also use satellite modems as a fallback and in the event of a malfunction.

The IEBC has also been questioned concerning instances of unrest that can make voting difficult, specifically about whether the commission may cancel elections in a particular polling place, center, or region.

According to the commission, only the presiding Officer has the authority to halt voting and resume it as soon as it is safe and reasonable to do so when security and peace have been restored.

“The voting process shall be extended by the amount of time the voting process has been stopped,” said Chebukati
The Returning Officer also has the option of delaying the elections till the moment security is once again restored.

In case of delays, the commission specified that the presiding officer shall extend the hours of polling by the amount of time lost by starting late. All polling places would be open from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.