IEBC’s push to end poll results livestreaming
A proposed amendment to the Election Laws in Kenya seeks to remove the statutory requirement for the IEBC to livestream election results from polling stations. Critics argue this move threatens transparency and could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
Why it matters
Livestreaming was a key safeguard introduced after the 2007 election violence; its removal raises concerns about the future of democratic accountability in Kenya.
Bomas of Kenya National Tallying Centre.
Livestreaming of election results could be scrapped if proposals in a new bill for consideration by Parliament are carried to the end. A proposed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, deletes the provision in the Elections Act that requires IEBC to establish a mechanism for livestreaming results as they are announced at polling stations.
This means the live results displayed by IEBC at the National Tallying Centre may not be there in 2027.
The media has often relied on those statistics to inform the public.
The livestreaming is part of a transparency safeguard that was put in place to secure the credibility of presidential elections after the 2007 poll chaos.
The change is contained in Section 19 of the Bill, which proposes to amend Section 39 of the Elections Act.
The Bill specifically states that Section 39 will be amended ‘by deleting subsection (1G)’.
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