Kenya Editors Guild President Churchill Otieno has said individual media houses will be doing their own tallies during the August elections.
In a meeting with the commission, Churchill said the media houses are working on ways to collaborate to do one tally.
He also said the media should not be intimidated as they have a right to cover the elections and give citizens credible and transparent information.
"I urge every player/candidate in the electoral arena that the journalists covering elections have a right to cover elections/access information without threats. We believe in law and order," he said.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said it allowed the media and political parties to set up parallel tallying in the August 9 General Election.
IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati termed the move as a significant step in ensuring transparency in the August 9 polls.
“The media houses, political parties and candidates are free to have their own parallel tally of the results but that will only help you in reporting,” he said.
Chebukati who doubles up as the National Returning Officer for the presidential election, however, warned political stakeholders against declaring anyone a winner, saying that is his constitutional duty.
“You can count the results but of course do not declare. That one you leave to me,” he stated.
