The People’s Renaissance Movement (PRM) has opposed proposed changes to Kenya’s electoral law that would remove the legal requirement for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to livestream election results as they are announced at polling stations.
Speaking during a press conference, party leader Caleb Amisi argued that public access to results as announced at polling stations was essential for electoral transparency and public confidence.
Amisi invoked the disputed 2007 General Election, referring to the questions surrounding the announcement of results under the late Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu.
He said Kenya should not return to a situation in which the public has limited visibility into how election results are announced and tallied.
The Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, seeks to repeal and replace Section 39 of the Elections Act, removing the express requirement for IEBC to establish a mechanism for livestreaming results from polling stations.
However, the proposed changes do not, by themselves, amount to a blanket prohibition on livestreaming. The bill retains provisions for electronic transmission of presidential results and publication of polling-station results.
The National Assembly passed the amendment on October 22, 2026, according to media reports, prompting renewed debate over how the public will follow the announcement of results in the 2027 General Election.
Amisi urged lawmakers to exercise their oversight role independently, warning against Parliament becoming an extension of the Executive.
He also questioned whether young Kenyans who independently livestream election results would face arrest, and said PRM intended to conduct its own parallel livestreaming and tallying of results.
The party maintained that access to results at polling stations was an important accountability measure and called for electoral processes that allow Kenyans to follow and scrutinise results as they are announced.
The debate comes amid continued discussions about the balance between the legal status of polling-station results, electronic transmission and public access to election information.
