Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga casts his vote at Kibera primary school in Kibra constituency in Nairobi on August 09, 2022. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has raised concerns over a large number of Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (KIEMS) kits that have failed all over the country, as Kenyans continue to queue to vote for their preferred candidates.

In a hard-hitting statement addressed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, the coalition's Chief Legal Advisor Paul Mwangi alleged that the majority of the failure are occurring in the strongholds of its presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

Azimio is also blaming IEBC for flatly refusing to print the voter registers so that they can be availed in every polling station on election day.

"Indeed, as late as yesterday, August 8, the Commission joined up with United Democratic Alliance in an attempt to outlaw completely the use of manual registers. Mr Chebukati and your Commissioners are in the process of executing a flagrant contempt of court, and worse, a heinous electoral offense," the statement read in part.

The Azimio la Umoja Coalition now wants the Chebukati led Commission to issue a public clarification to Kenyans that the manual register shall be used in the event of the failure of KIEMS kits in accordance with the August 8 court ruling.

They also want IEBC to announce an extension for such time as is necessary to give an eleven-hour voting window to all area that the kits failed.

Earlier on, IEBC issued a statement authorising the use of manual registers for 84 polling stations in Makueni County and 154 stations in Kakamega County after failure of KIEMS kits.

Among those affected by the KIEMS kits hitch included Roots Party presidential aspirant Prof George Wajackoyah who was later forced to vote using the manual register at Indangalasia Primary School polling station in Matungu, Kakamega County.

Addressing members of the press from Bomas of Kenya on Tuesday, August 9, IEBC Vice Chair Juliana Cherera said manual registers would be used in 84 polling stations in Makueni County and 154 stations in Kakamega County.

"The commission is working through its ICT officers to resolve any reported issues on the KIEMs kits by the presiding and residing officers.

"Therefore, the commission has authorised the use of manual registers in Makueni, Kibwezi West constituency and Malava, Matungu, Mumias West, Mumias East constituencies," Cherera said.