Cyber security in enhancing democracy in Kenya

Abstract

On 9th August, right after the 2017 General Elections in Kenya, the opposition leader, under the opposition party National Super Alliance (NASA), alleged that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) database had been hacked. The hack supposedly created an algorithm where an 11% gap was created in favor of the incumbent President. To support the claims, the opposition presented a log file giving an account of how and when the IEBC database was hacked into. What followed was a court petition whose ruling nullified the Presidential elections, calling for a rerun. Fast forward, in August 2022, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance once again challenged the IEBC final presidential results, claiming inconsistencies in voter turnout as captured in the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits and Form 34C. Equally, reports emerged of an Israeli disinformation specialist, hired by unknown individuals, infiltrating Gmail and Telegram accounts of one of Kenya’s presidential candidate’s close political advisors. These, among other instances, represent some of the challenges Kenya is facing with the widespread adoption of technology into the different societal aspects. In the electoral process, technology was meant to enhance transparency and accountability to a process previously tainted by massive voter theft and result manipulation. However, with the new technological developments, new challenges have emerged. Further, with the penetration of the internet and social media adoption, new forms of manipulation have been encountered. Using the agenda setting theory, this paper demonstrates how novel technologies have influenced the Kenyan electoral process. Focusing on misinformation, fake news, among other issues, the study highlights the implications of these forms of manipulation during the past general elections. The findings indicate that although technology was to bring forth solutions to enhance democracy, it has not only turned out to be a source of dispute to the process, but also elicited the impression of destabilizing the process of participatory democracy. To mitigate against future interferences, a multifaceted approach with the involvement of all key stakeholders is proposed. The study adopts a qualitative and analytical research design with secondary data gathered from existing records, journals, and reports.