•Elections all over the world are emotive and need a lot of proper planning to guarantee the safety of all citizens from threats of violence and other forms of discrimination.
•In any election, authorities take steps to ensure that voters, candidates, poll workers, observers, and other actors involved experience the process free from fear or harm and to ensure that sensitive election materials are kept secure.
Image: WILFRED NYANGERESI
The ongoing conversation on the role of police officers and chiefs in the general election is healthy and welcomed.
Elections all over the world are emotive and need a lot of proper planning to guarantee the safety of all citizens from threats of violence and other forms of discrimination.
In any election, authorities take steps to ensure that voters, candidates, poll workers, observers, and other actors involved experience the process free from fear or harm and to ensure that sensitive election materials are kept secure.
Specific security requirements for a given election will vary greatly depending on context.
As far as the general elections in Kenya are concerned, concerns have been raised by a section of leaders that the government is planning to use security personnel to influence the voting process come August 9.
On Saturday, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho clarified that chiefs and assistant chiefs are not being prepared to rig the forthcoming general elections but to provide security.
The big question we need to ask ourselves is whether the electoral agency can work on its own without support from security agencies.
Election violence in Kenya is not a new thing and we are all aware how total disregard to security saw over 1,300 Kenyans lose their lives after the 2007 elections.
We must appreciate that in places where there is a significant potential for violence, securing an election will need to address a multiplicity of factors and will likely involve deploying relatively large numbers of security personnel, such as police, to protect physical locations and individuals.
In every election, there will be plans in place for the secure transfer and storage of election materials, especially ballot papers and ballot boxes.
Safeguards to any technologies used in the election process should also be adopted to prevent hacking or manipulation.
Potentials for violence in election periods come from political, economic and social dimensions of a society.
Effective violence mitigation plans often include identifying early warning signs, mobilising citizen monitoring and mitigation efforts, dispatching properly trained security forces, good coordination among government agencies and educating the public, among other things.
Multiple institutions, including election management bodies (EMBs), ministries of interior and other relevant bodies, may be involved in creating a secure election environment.
These institutions work to develop, implement, and review security measures throughout the electoral process.
Civil society, through CSOs, trade unions, religious and traditional leaders, and the media, also play important roles in creating a secure electoral environment by mediating, building intolerance for violence and enhancing public confidence in experiencing secure electoral participation.
In many countries like Kenya and Nigeria, plans for electoral security take into account such activities by civil society.
In Kenya, civil society and electoral contestants were included in coordination efforts so they could contribute to policy formulation for the 2013 elections.
In order for an election to be inclusive, participatory and competitive – and ultimately to reflect the will of the people – it is essential that electoral contestants can campaign; citizens can cast informed, secret ballots without fear of retribution; officials can effectively administer the process; and civil society, media and parties can engage and observe, free from fear and harm.
In many places, EMBs help coordinate processes and personnel to protect various aspects of elections.
The security plan for a given election must take into account the implications of deploying armed personnel.
While their deployment can be necessary where potential for electoral violence is significant, their presence may intimidate or dissuade citizens from participating.
The physical security of election materials is also critical.
If sensitive materials – especially ballot papers and ballot boxes – are not adequately secured, there is the potential for actual or perceived manipulation, diminishing public trust in the process and acceptance of the outcomes.
The public and electoral contestants must be informed of this aspect of electoral security to have confidence in the integrity of elections.
The institutions involved in the security framework should be - and be seen to be - transparent and unbiased.
Judicial institutions should provide accountability for the elections security framework and address complaints related to election security and electoral violence.
Elkana Jacob is a criminologist from the University of Nairobi. He is also a communication consultant with 12 years of experience in media and public communication.