Deliberative conversation · Open now · October 2026

Should IEBC continue livestreaming election results?

“Should results from every polling station be livestreamed in the 2027 General Election?” Parliament has just changed the Elections Act, and reports disagree on what it means for livestreaming. We want to hear from young people.

StatusOpen now

LanguagesSheng, English, Kiswahili

Taking partAnonymous

Participate now See the ideas on the table

What happened

Parliament changed the Elections Act

On 22 October 2026 the National Assembly passed the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, with amendments. The same evening KTN News reported that it “could scrap mandatory livestreaming of polling station results, raising fresh concerns over transparency ahead of the 2027 General Election”.

Section 39(1G) of the Elections Act requires the IEBC to set up a way to livestream the results announced at polling stations, for public information. The stream is not, on its own, the basis of the official result.

What some reports said

That the bill deletes Section 39, so the IEBC would no longer have to livestream polling station results and could decide for itself whether to offer a live portal.

What the Majority Leader said

Kimani Ichung’wah said the House removed that clause, so the livestreaming requirement in Section 39(1G) stays as it is: “Nothing has changed.”

What the President said

William Ruto called the claims propaganda: “Why would anyone want to stop live-streaming of results? It’s a right of Kenyans.”

What happens next

The bill goes back to the Senate, which has to consider the National Assembly’s changes, so it is not yet law.

KTN News on the bill

Post on X, 22 October 2026

Ichung’wah: the livestreaming provision is unchanged

The Kenya Times

Ruto dismisses claims that livestreaming has been banned

Kenyans.co.ke

What people said online

A question that keeps coming back

This is not the first time. On 29 July 2026 an X commentary account posted “IEBC: No Live Streaming of 2027 Election Results”. The next day the IEBC said media reports had misrepresented the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and its chairman said it had made no proposal to stop live streaming.

The denial did not travel as far as the claim. zKe’s social media analysis of the election conversation online found:

1,576

comments on the single post claiming there would be no live streaming

945

comments on all 13 posts carrying the IEBC’s denial, combined

Kenyans.co.ke post on the IEBC denial — Kenyans.co.ke reports the IEBC’s denial, 30 July 2026 (Source: X)

Why we are asking

Trust in the count

How results reach the public shapes whether people accept them. Young Kenyans will vote in August 2027, and the law on how results are shared is still being settled.

So we want to know what they think: whether livestreaming matters to them, what worries them about it, and what else would help them trust the count.

Some of the ideas on the table

What do you think?

The zKe team wrote these statements to start the conversation. Agree, disagree or pass on each, and add your own.

Trust

Livestreaming results from every polling station would make me trust the final result more.

Less rumour

Seeing results live would reduce rumours and fake results on social media.

Risk of tension

Live results from a few polling stations could cause tension before the full count is done.

Put it in law

The law should require the IEBC to livestream results, not leave it to the IEBC to decide.

Forms first

Posting every polling station results form (Form 34A) online quickly matters more than a video livestream.

Ballots are the proof

The ballot papers and recounts, not a livestream, are the real proof of a fair election.

Take part

Participate in your language

The conversation runs in Sheng, English and Kiswahili. Use the tabs to switch language.

How to take part

Read each statement and choose agree, disagree or pass. You can also add your own statement. Taking part is anonymous. We will publish the results on this page when the conversation closes.

What did young Kenyans say before?

Read the results of earlier zKe conversations.

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October 30, 2026