How MPs tried to scrap election results livestreaming through NADCO - Caroli Omondi

Speaking during a Thursday night interview on Citizen TV, Omondi revisited the recent controversy surrounding the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, which sparked public concern after the National Assembly passed amendments that Kenyans feared had removed the livestreaming requirement.

Omondi alleged that this was not the first attempt by some legislators to remove the provision, claiming that a similar proposal had been included in the NADCO-backed Bill.

The NADCO was formed following bipartisan talks between the President William Ruto-led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the late Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), outlining a 10-point reform agenda adopted by Parliament in February 2024.

Some of these included electoral reforms, governance, cost of living, two-thirds gender rule among others.

“There was something called NADCO. If you look at my contributions in the House, I always maintained it had a lot of illegalities,” said MP Omondi during the interview.

The lawmaker explained that NADCO had recommended changes to election laws, which subsequently informed a Bill introduced in the Senate.

He said Clause 22 of the proposed legislation sought to delete Section 39 of the Elections Act in its entirety and replace it with a new provision that, according to him, did not include the requirement for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to livestream results announced at polling stations.

“The NADCO arrangement was that whatever they came up with was not to be amended. They brought Section 22 and deleted Section 39 in its entirety. The new Section 22 did not have 1G or an equivalent of the livestreaming provision,” Omondi said.

He said he subsequently introduced amendments, including proposals to provide for livestreaming at constituency level, which he identified as paragraphs five and six of his proposed changes.

However, Omondi claimed that the withdrawal of the original Clause 22 by its proponents was intended to render his amendments ineffective.

“What shocked me is these guys went ahead and purported to withdraw their Section 22 so that my amendments would fall. This was just a conspiracy. I'm convinced they did not want the livestreaming provision,” he said.

His remarks add to the growing debate over the livestreaming requirement of the election results.

Kenyans questioned the National Assembly's handling of the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, posing whether the changes had effectively removed the livestreaming requirement ahead of the 2027 General Election.

However, the government maintained that the provision remains intact.

Parliamentary Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Aurelia Rono said the National Assembly had deleted the clause seeking to amend Section 39 of the Elections Act, arguing that the existing livestreaming requirement had therefore been retained.

President William Ruto similarly accused opposition leaders of spreading propaganda over claims that the government intends to interfere with the livestreaming of election results.

The Bill has since been transmitted back to the Senate for consideration of the amendments made by the National Assembly.