PREMIUM Who will control elections tech and servers? Bill languishes as 2027 nears Refusal to grant access to servers in 2017 election petition was one of the reasons that led to results nullification. Politics Just now Listen

Article Less than a year before the August 2027 General Election, the National Assembly risks public backlash over delays in passing legislation that would give the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) full ownership of the intellectual property rights to election technology and access to election servers.

Photo credit: File | Nation Clause 23 of the Bill, which was drawn from recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) report adopted by Parliament, seeks to amend Section 44(4) of the Elections Act by inserting a provision that would give the IEBC ownership of intellectual property rights and access to election servers.“In procuring the technology, the commission shall ensure that, subject to this Act, the Access to Information Act, the Data Protection Act and the right to intellectual property, the technology is accessible and available for scrutiny by candidates, courts and such other persons as required under the law,” the Bill states.