Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has suggested a new way to count presidential votes in Kenya.
He wants the results to be counted at the constituency level instead of using the current central system at Bomas of Kenya.
According to him, this change could reduce election rigging and make the process more transparent.
Speaking to the press, Gachagua described the current vote transmission system at Bomas as “monkey business.”
He said that the system is prone to mistakes and manipulation.
He argued that moving the counting process closer to the people would increase trust in election results.
“The people’s votes must be counted where they are cast. Constituencies know their votes better, and this will help stop rigging,” Gachagua said.
He claimed that the current method, where results are sent to Bomas and then transmitted to the National Elections Commission, creates room for error and suspicion.
Gachagua also highlighted that Kenya has seen problems in past elections with delays and inconsistencies in results.
He said that the central tallying system gives some people the chance to alter numbers before final results are announced.
“If counting is done at the constituency level, it will be easier to track votes and make sure that the real numbers are reported,” he added.
The former Deputy President’s suggestion comes at a time when many Kenyans are calling for reforms in the electoral process.
Observers have long criticized the central transmission system for being opaque and vulnerable.
Gachagua’s proposal, he says, is a step towards a cleaner and fairer election.
Gachagua also urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to consider reforms that would make the process faster and more reliable.
He emphasized that trust in elections is important for national peace and stability.
While some leaders have welcomed his idea, others are cautious.They argue that decentralizing vote tallying could bring its own challenges, such as security risks and logistical issues.
Still, Gachagua believes that the benefits of greater transparency outweigh the risks.
Rigathi Gachagua’s call to shift presidential vote counting to constituencies reflects growing concerns about Kenya’s electoral process.
His description of Bomas transmission as “monkey business” is a warning that reforms are needed to ensure fair, honest, and trusted elections.
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