ODM to set up parallel tallying system for 2017

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga is laying the foundation for another stab at the presidency.

Yesterday, Raila chaired a meeting of the War Council of the Orange party dubbed ‘Politburo’ to lay grounds in setting up a parallel tallying centre during the 2017 General Election.

Sources who attended the meeting and spoke to The Standard stated that the Opposition chief does not want anything short of a win and all the necessary plans to ensure victory must be established.

ODM Senator Agnes Zani flanked by other leaders from various political parties address the press at the end of a two day political parties meeting held Simba Lodge in Naivasha. The workshop that was funded by the Electoral Institute of Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) brought together IEBC officials and members of various political parties. (PHOTO: ANTONY GITONGA/ STANDARD)

“We are a political party in competition and we must strategise on how to take power. We want to ensure that nothing is left to chance. In the last general elections, there were issues but we have learned from them,” said the source.

The Standard also established that ODM Director of Elections Junet Mohamed (Suna East) will head to Germany this week to complete talks with a German firm to provide a parallel poll system that will collect, transmit, tally and store presidential votes.

He will be accompanied by lawyers, among them Siaya Senator James Orengo.

Details also emerged that the electronic tallying system will run parallel to the one the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will deploy.

The former premier and his team are also working on a strategy to deploy CORD agents to cover every polling station countrywide to record and instantly transmit election results, including photographs of the official results announced by returning officers.

Transmit results

The system is expected to transmit results from all the polling stations to a central command centre based in Nairobi.

The party also delved into the conduct of its National Elections Board (NEB) in the just concluded nomination exercises. The meeting agreed to dissolve the Judith Pareno-led board and reconstitute it afresh if ODM is to get strong candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

“The credibility of the elections and nominations of the party have always been put to question and for us to get strong candidates, we must disband NEB and restructure it,” said the source.

However, ODM Deputy Secretary General Agnes Zani while addressing the Press, said issues that have been emerging with regards to party elections and nominations are being reviewed to avoid violence and a possible fallout.

During a meeting at a Nairobi hotel, the ODM also discussed plans to bring in more members during the upcoming voter registration exercise.

Sources further intimated that the Opposition party will pitch tents in areas that President Uhuru Kenyatta has recently visited to rally support.