Kenya Elections: CODE launches technology to monitor security issues

A civil society organisation, Connected Development (CODE), says it will launch a technology that would enable it to observe and report security challenges during the upcoming Kenyan 2022 elections.

The technology, tagged Uzabe, is an Open Situation Awareness Room (OSAR) initiative that will provide real-time intelligence, mapping tools and witness reports from various polling units.

It said the initiative was also deployed during the last general elections in Nigeria in 2019.

This was contained in a statement issued by the communication officer for CODE, Seun Durojaye, on Saturday.

About 48 million citizens of the East African country are expected to cast their votes in the presidential, governorship, legislative, and women’s representative elections on Tuesday.

About 22 million voters or 40 per cent of youths will cast their ballots across an estimated 46,232 polling stations.

Like Nigeria, Kenya also practices a multiparty system of democracy.

However, the polls would see the two front-runners, Deputy President William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, and longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) political party, contesting to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is completing his second and final term in office.

Our mission in Kenya

The Chief Executive of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, said its mission in the Kenyan election is to strengthen emergency response during elections that mitigate electoral violence and uphold the integrity of elections in Africa.

“In Kenya and Nigeria, elections are around the corner and we are gearing up to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.

“CODE has deployed international delegates to observe the upcoming Kenyan 2022 elections. CODE in partnership with Ushahidi, a Kenyan-originated open source software application that utilises user-generated reports to collate and map data, developed a technology-driven election monitoring platform known as Uzabe.

“Uzabe, a real-time intelligence, and mapping tool, enables situation and eyewitness reports from various polling units in real-time. With this tool, CODE aims to strengthen emergency response during elections that mitigate electoral violence and uphold the integrity of elections in Africa.”

Nigeria elections

Mr Lawal also said it will deploy 20,000 observers in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections who will leverage the Uzabe technology to monitor and observe elections.

“Our approach is to improve intelligence gathering during elections by providing real-time reports, using technology. For this purpose, we are deploying 20,000 observers who will work to monitor and authenticate reports from the field to ensure credible elections as well as establishing early warning systems in rural and vulnerable communities in the 2023,” he said general election.

“This will provide unique learning opportunities that can help inform election monitoring strategy for Nigeria’s upcoming 2023 elections.

“CODE successfully observed elections back in 2013 in Kenya, Nigeria’s 2015 and 2019 general elections, USA 2016 Presidential election, and will deploy observers in 2023 general elections seeking to, again, ensure peaceful electoral process, promote national reconciliation and improve quality of elections using Uzabe.”