7 - ‘Open the Servers’: The Implications of Electoral Technology for Kenya’s Democratisation Process
Corresponding Author(s) : Joyce Omwoha
Africa Development,
Vol. 47 No. 2 (2022): Africa Development: Special Issue on Digital Technologies and Election Management in Africa’s Democratisation Process
Abstract
Digital technologies for elections were introduced in Kenya with a vision that they would bring election reforms through increasing administrative efficiency, reducing long-term costs, and by enhancing transparency in the electoral process would enhance citizenry inclusivity. Despite the voting exercise taking place without a hitch, the 2017 General Election results were dismissed by various stakeholders who called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ‘open the servers’, with witnesses, to use the results inside the servers to verify the ballot papers in the ballot boxes. Promises by IEBC that counting, transmission and verification of results would promote citizens’ rights during the electoral process were not met hence the Swahili phrase, ‘Fungua server’ (Open the servers) was coined. The server became the Holy Grail, the gadget of hope for free and fair elections. Chants of ‘Fungua server’ unveiled the dreaded side of Kenya’s democratisation; of flawed elections and violence that followed. ‘Fungua server’ was a call to free and fair elections. The paradox of technology this article seeks to interrogate was how technology has subverted democratic elections in Kenya; arguing that there is need to demystify the server and focus on electoral transparency as a yardstick of democracy.
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- Barber, B., 1995, Jihad vs McWorld, New York, NY: Times Books.
- Blayone, T., 2018, ‘Theorizing effective uses of digital technolo y with activity theory’, paper submitted to special issue of Technology, Pedagogy and Education.
- Cheeseman, N., Lynch, G. and Willis, J., 2018, ‘Digital dilemmas: the unintended consequences of election technology’, Democratization 25 (8): 1397–418.
- Lehoucq, F., 2003, ‘Electoral fraud: causes, types, and consequences’, Annual Review of Political Science 6 (1): 233–56.
- Loeb, S., Dynarski, S., McFarland, D. et al., 2017, Descriptive Analysis in Education: A Guide for Researchers, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.
- McNeill, P. and Chapman, S., 2005, Qualitative Research Methods, third edition, New York, NY: Routledge.
- Murphy, C., Johnson, M. and Bowler, S., 2019, ‘“It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting”: public attitudes towards the electoral process in the wake of HAVA’, https://www.academia.edu/1530205/Its_Not_the_Voting_thats_ Democracy_Its_the_Counting_1_Public_Attitudes_towards_the_Electoral_Process_in_the_Wake_of_HAVA.Ndirachu, J., 2017, ‘What are Forms 34A and 34B?’, Nation Newspaper, 9 August, https://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/What-are-Forms-34A-and-34B/1064 4050798nt4uu3/index.html, accessed 9 August 2017.
- Patton, M., 2002, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3rd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Priest, S., 2010, Doing Qualitative Research, 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Schramm, W., 1971, ‘Notes on case studies of instructional media projects’, working paper for the Academy for
- Educational Development, Washington, DC. Silverman, D., 2005, Doing Qualitative Research, Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
- Stats, G., 2020, Social Media Stats Kenya | StatCounter Global Stats. StatCounter Global Stats, https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/kenya, accessed 3 February 2020.
- Stewart III, C., 2011, ‘Voting technologies’, Annual Review of Political Science 14 (1): 353–78.
- Zittel, T. and Fuchs, D., eds, 2007, Participatory Democracy and Political Participation: Can Participatory Engineering Bring Citizens Back In? New York, NY: Routledge Yin, R. K., 2003, Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
References
Barber, B., 1995, Jihad vs McWorld, New York, NY: Times Books.
Blayone, T., 2018, ‘Theorizing effective uses of digital technolo y with activity theory’, paper submitted to special issue of Technology, Pedagogy and Education.
Cheeseman, N., Lynch, G. and Willis, J., 2018, ‘Digital dilemmas: the unintended consequences of election technology’, Democratization 25 (8): 1397–418.
Lehoucq, F., 2003, ‘Electoral fraud: causes, types, and consequences’, Annual Review of Political Science 6 (1): 233–56.
Loeb, S., Dynarski, S., McFarland, D. et al., 2017, Descriptive Analysis in Education: A Guide for Researchers, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.
McNeill, P. and Chapman, S., 2005, Qualitative Research Methods, third edition, New York, NY: Routledge.
Murphy, C., Johnson, M. and Bowler, S., 2019, ‘“It’s not the voting that’s democracy, it’s the counting”: public attitudes towards the electoral process in the wake of HAVA’, https://www.academia.edu/1530205/Its_Not_the_Voting_thats_ Democracy_Its_the_Counting_1_Public_Attitudes_towards_the_Electoral_Process_in_the_Wake_of_HAVA.Ndirachu, J., 2017, ‘What are Forms 34A and 34B?’, Nation Newspaper, 9 August, https://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/What-are-Forms-34A-and-34B/1064 4050798nt4uu3/index.html, accessed 9 August 2017.
Patton, M., 2002, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3rd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Priest, S., 2010, Doing Qualitative Research, 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Schramm, W., 1971, ‘Notes on case studies of instructional media projects’, working paper for the Academy for
Educational Development, Washington, DC. Silverman, D., 2005, Doing Qualitative Research, Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Stats, G., 2020, Social Media Stats Kenya | StatCounter Global Stats. StatCounter Global Stats, https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/kenya, accessed 3 February 2020.
Stewart III, C., 2011, ‘Voting technologies’, Annual Review of Political Science 14 (1): 353–78.
Zittel, T. and Fuchs, D., eds, 2007, Participatory Democracy and Political Participation: Can Participatory Engineering Bring Citizens Back In? New York, NY: Routledge Yin, R. K., 2003, Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3rd edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.