Global social networking platform Twitter has introduced a new feature to mark unofficial election results shared by supporters and teams of the August 9 presidential candidates.
Twitter introduced an information tab on Wednesday, August 10, as various leaders and supporters of the leading presidential candidates began sharing results on the platform.
The new tab appears below the poll results broken down by individuals, warning users that the results are not issued by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IECB).
A screenshot of the Twitter info tab below Edwin Sifuna’s post.
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The results shared by the Secretary General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Edwin Sifuna, were the first to be marked by the social media giant.
“The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya (IEBC) may not have announced the election results when it was tweeted,” the warning message read.
Additionally, in the messages tab, Twitter added a link that allows users to access the counting process by the electoral body.
The link also details how the results will be announced by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
“The results will be announced by the IEBC on or before August 15. According to the constitution, election results must be announced on or before seven days after voting,” the message read in part.
The IEBC is yet to announce any results from over 46,000 polling stations. However, the Electoral Commission created a portal where Kenyans can access the declared results at the polling station level.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, August 10, Chebukati stated that the Commission is in the process of verifying the results and will announce them according to electoral zones.
He, however, urged the media to speed up their counting process, noting that over 97 percent of the polling stations posted the results on the IEBC portal.
“It seems the media did not prepare very well, the actual figures should be around 97 percent,” Chebukati noted.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati on Monday, August 8,
Kenyans.co.ke
