High Court petition seeks to block IEBC from using national tallying centre

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has filled a petition to the Milimani High Court asking judges to declare the National Tallying Centre unconstitutional. 

He believes the centre, which is usually located at the Bomas of Kenya, puts the integrity of the 2027 presidential election at risk. 

According to him, the way results are handled at the national level has created room for interference, manipulation, and delays that weaken public trust in elections.

Omtatah says the centre has allowed a system where final results from constituencies are treated as provisional, even though they should be final and binding. 

He argues that this setup goes against the Constitution and opens a door for people to influence or change the presidential outcome once all votes have already been counted at the constituency level. 

He insists that once results are tallied and announced at the constituency, they should not be altered at a national venue.

He shared his concerns through a statement on his X account on Sunday, November 24, saying he has filed Constitutional Petition No. E757 of 2025. 

His goal is to protect the credibility of the presidential election process before the 2027 polls. He believes the country cannot move into another election with a system that has allowed past disputes and mistrust.

Omtatah wants the court to stop the IEBC from using a central tallying point where final presidential results are verified. 

He says the Constitution already gives clear guidelines on how votes should be managed, and he believes those guidelines should be followed strictly without creating extra centres that he views as unnecessary and risky.

His petition now places the IEBC and the government under pressure to respond, and the High Court will decide whether the National Tallying Centre remains part of the 2027 electoral process.