The proposed Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has passed the debate stage in the National Assembly and seeks to change the ownership and management of election technology used by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

If enacted, the Bill would require all election result servers to be hosted within Kenya and made accessible for scrutiny by candidates, courts and other authorised persons.

Clause 23 amends Section 44(4) of the Elections Act to give the IEBC ownership of intellectual property rights in any election technology, mandating that IP rights vest in the commission when the technology is procured.

The Bill also obliges companies contracted to provide the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) to transfer all related intellectual property rights to the IEBC.

Suppliers of election technology would face stricter vetting, including checks that they have not been convicted of procurement violations, crimes, professional breaches, or barred from public procurement in any jurisdiction.

The Bill introduces Section 82A, requiring the IEBC to provide soft‑copy information on election technology without charge, with specific timelines for access requests: three days for presidential elections and seven days for other positions.

The legislation is co‑sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo and is based on recommendations from the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) report adopted by the Senate in February 2024.

The Bill will only become law if Parliament passes it in its current form and the President signs it; the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has been instructed by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to fast‑track its consideration.