Muturi demands binding livestreaming rules for 2027 polls to prevent repeat of 2022 chaos

With the Elections Act row barely resolved, Kenya’s former Attorney General warns that without enforceable protocols, the next results night could prove even more explosive

By Grace Wanja

Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi has called for a binding protocol governing the livestreaming of election results ahead of the August 2027 general election, warning that the disruptions witnessed during the 2022 presidential announcement at Bomas of Kenya must never be allowed to recur.

Muturi, a former Attorney General and Speaker of the National Assembly, urged the Ministry of Information, the Media Council of Kenya, political parties and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to convene urgent consultations and agree on enforceable guidelines well before the next election. His intervention arrives at a moment of heightened public sensitivity around electoral transparency, following weeks of public alarm over proposed amendments to the Elections Act that initially appeared to threaten the legal requirement for livestreaming results at polling stations.

“The 2022 experience at Bomas of Kenya showed how interruptions in the live communication of election results can fuel suspicion, erode public trust and heighten political tensions,” Muturi said. “Kenya must not repeat this mistake.” He called for a protocol that would guarantee public access to electoral information, require clear explanations whenever livestreaming is interrupted and establish contingency measures to address technical failures before they become political crises.

The legal backdrop to his call is significant. The Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, sparked widespread public concern after reports emerged that Clause 22 sought to replace Section 39 of the Elections Act — the provision that governs the transmission and declaration of results and includes the requirement for an IEBC livestreaming mechanism. The National Assembly subsequently deleted Clause 22 following a High Court judgment delivered on 22nd September, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 39 and its associated regulations. Parliamentary Affairs Principal Secretary Aurelia Rono confirmed that the deletion preserved subsection 1G, which explicitly requires the IEBC to establish a livestreaming mechanism for results announced at polling stations. Government Spokesperson Charles Owino offered similar assurances, stating that the government remained committed to transparent communication of results.

The Bill, passed by the National Assembly with amendments on 22nd October, now returns to the Senate under Article 110(4) of the Constitution. The legal requirement for livestreaming is intact. Muturi’s concern, however, goes beyond the statute. His proposal addresses implementation — specifically, the question of what happens when livestreams are cut, signals fail or authorities invoke security justifications to restrict coverage.

On that last point, Muturi was direct. “Any restriction must be lawful, necessary and proportionate,” he said, cautioning explicitly against using national security as a blanket justification for suppressing legitimate journalism or denying Kenyans information of public interest. The warning carries the authority of a man who has sat at the intersection of law, politics and public administration for decades and understands precisely how such justifications can be misapplied.

With Kenya now less than ten months from an election taking place against a backdrop of intense political realignment and public anxiety, the architecture of public trust in the results process is not a procedural detail. It is a democratic necessity.

“The time to act is now, not when tensions are already high,” Muturi said. “Kenyans deserve transparency, accountability and timely access to election information.”

On that, there is no room for ambiguity.

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