Election 2017: Raila Odinga says IEBC database hacked and results altered

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga addresses a press conference in Nairobi. Photo: John Muchucha, Standard

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga has accused Jubilee of hacking into the IEBC database and manipulating election results at all levels.

Rejecting the interim results, he also said that according to their tallying centre, he had polled a total of 8.1 million votes against Uhuru Kenyatta’s 7.2 million. President Uhuru Kenyatta is defending his seat on a Jubilee Party ticket.

In a press conference in Nairobi, Raila said the hackers used the log-on credentials of Chris Msando, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's ICT manager whose body was found in Muguga forest two weeks ago alongside that of a woman.

Raila produced logs which, he said, were evidence of how and when the database was hacked into, calling the digital break-in the biggest fraud in Kenya’s history.

NASA co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka urged Kenyans to remain calm.

NASA’s chief agent lawyer James Orengo said at the time of the news conference, NASA had received only one Form 34A. This is the authentication of voting results that is co-signed by IEBC returning officers and political party agents, scanned and transmitted to  party secretariats and the IEBC,

In a news conference hours after Raila’s statement, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said the commission was taking the matter seriously because it involved the voting rights of Kenyans.

“As of now, we cannot say whether the system has been hacked into or not,” he said while promising thorough investigations into the matter.

He assured Kenyans that the commission was not in a hurry to announce the results before verifying Form 34As.

“The commission is going a mile longer. We will look at  transmitted documents before making the final announcement," he said describing the NASA statement as “aspersions” which would be investigated to establish if they are true or not.

Responding to the NASA statement, Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju accused NASA of spreading rumours and asked it to produce proof of the electoral fraud.

And, in a press conference Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i assured Kenyans all was well and that the government would use all constitutional means to protect life and property.

Responding to reporters, Matiang’i denied reports of in vioelence in parts of the country.

He said the state security covered all parts of the country; that he would have been aware of such developments and cautioned social media keyboard warriors against spreading rumours.