The electoral process in Kenya is conducted by the independent electoral and boundaries commission which is headed by Isaac Hassan and it conducts election after every five years unless in the instances that a by election is announced for a certain parliamentary seat. The following steps describe the parliamentary electoral process in Kenya:
Registration of voters
Kenyan citizens who have the required voter registration documents are given a chance to register as voters in their given constituencies. The qualified voters are then given votes cards which are kept safely for use on the particular day of voting.
Checking of voters register
After the voter registration process is over, the registered voters are given an opportunity to go back to the areas where they registered so as to confirm whether their names appear on the voters register. They also find out whether their names are spelt correctly. In the 2013 election, confirmation was done through sending a message which was replied showing the person’s registration status and details.
Announcing of election dates.
The term of each house of parliament expires on the date of the next general election. After the parliament is dissolved, the speaker of the national assembly declares the electoral seats vacant of office holders. The chairperson of the electoral commission declares vacancies in all the constituencies and announces the election date.
Nomination of candidates
The chairperson of the electoral commission announces a period during which registered political parties nominate their candidates for parliamentary seats.
Registration of candidates.
The chairperson of the commission receives the names of the nominated candidates who obtained certificates from the party nominations contest. The registration of these parliamentary candidates is done in their constituencies by the returning officers.
Educating voters and appointment of election officials
During this period, voters are educated on how to vote through wide advertisement and media awareness through the country. The people are also informed on the importance of voting. The commission then appoints; returning officers, presiding officers and polling clerks. These officials supervise the election process in the wards and constituencies.
Conducting elections
During the actual elections day, candidates must ensure that the polling stations have their agents who make sure the ballot boxes are empty before the casting of votes starts. The votes then elect members of their choice.
Counting votes and announcement of results
The votes are counted at the polling stations and the presiding officer delivers results to the presiding officer at the constituency level. The returning officer after compiling all the results from presiding officers announces the results of the parliamentary elections. The results are then submitted to the IEBC.
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