•The electoral commission can take up to seven days to tabulate the votes.
•The winner takes office two weeks after the final results are announced.
Image: Alphonce Gari
As Kenyans stay up all night with eyes glued on their screens watching the results trickle in, there is a need to keep abreast with key events about the polls.
Polls in Kenya close at 6 pm but in most instances, the exercise can be extended in areas where it is delayed.
After the closure of the voting exercise, vote counting begins immediately.
The results are released in phases. Ordinarily, MPs and members of the county assembly would be first to know their results since they are announced by the constituency.
Image: IEBC
Accuracy
Vote counting is one of the most crucial stages in an election process.
Failure to complete the count and transmit results in a quick, transparent, and accurate manner can jeopardize public confidence in the elections.
Kenya has used the hand-counting voting system for the longest time.
Statutory Elections Results Forms #GE2022. pic.twitter.com/n8M6D7l7uA
— IEBC (@IEBCKenya) July 18, 2022
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has outlined a four-step verification of results.
After voting ends, all the ballot boxes are sealed.
The Presiding Officers (POs) enter the data on the signed results sheet (Form 35) into specially configured mobile phones and transmit the results simultaneously to the election results centres at the constituency, county, and national levels.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Form 34A is transmitted to the Constituency Tallying centre by the presiding officer after all votes have been counted and verified by all the agents.
Form 34A is the first form used to tabulate the results of the presidential election.
At the constituency tallying centre, the results from the polling station are tallied and filled into Form 34B by the Constituency Returning Officer.
Image: IEBC /TWITTER
Once the Constituency Returning Officer submits Form 34B to the National Tallying Centre, he hands them over to the Presidential Returning Officer.
The Presidential Returning Officer who is chair Wafula Chebukati tallies the results to Form 34C and Form 34D before announcing the president-elect.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
The process is the same for the other seats of Member National Assembly (Form 35A), MCA (36A), Governor (Form 37A) Senator (38A) and County Woman rep (39
Results for MCAs and MNAs are announced by the Constituency returning officer.
Governors, senators and county woman rep results are announced by the county returning officers.
Kenyans wishing to access the results will be able to follow the real-time transmission of results by visiting the public portal HERE.
The electoral commission can take up to seven days to tabulate the votes.
If no candidate wins with 50 per cent plus one vote, there will be a run-off within 30 days.
The winner takes office two weeks after the final results are announced.
But if the court orders an annulment, a new vote must be held within 60 days.