MEC agrees to hire IT forensic experts on vote rigging claims: Malawi elections lost kit fiasco
Embattled Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) commissioners have bowed down to demands by poll stakeholders who want to hire independent forensic experts to look into the missing biometric voter registration kit.
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah told the high profile National Electoral Consultative Forum on Wednesday in Lilongwe that the team of the IT experts would be allowed to get into the Biometric Registration Kit to find out whether data was tampered with or not.
“Our main concern on the matter is data. And we have reported that data is the two kits is not tampered with,” said Ansah.
This has saved Ansah and the commissioners, as of now, from the harsh calls of resignation from their positions.
Main opposition, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy secretary general Catherane Gotani Hara said the party was still suspicious with MEC on the way it has handled the whole issue of the missing poll gadget which has since been recovered from Mozambique.
“We want an independent team of IT auditors to verify whether indeed the data was tampered with,” she said.
People’s Party (PP) secretary general Ibrahim Matola said MEC were taking the issue lightly and maintained Ansah must step down for not reporting thebincidents to stakeholders, including United Ntaions Decelopment Programme (UNDP) which is offering technical support to the electoral process.
“You should have involved us when this happened. As stakeholders, we wnat you to resign immediately,” Matola said in a highly charged meeting.
Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) chairman Steve Duwa said election stakeholders have lost trust in MEC, therefore there was indeed need to hire the independent IT experts to look into the gadgets.
The conference also attracted many donors from United Nations, African Union and various envoys from different countries.
AU representative Dr Gusto Ngomo said MEC should work on gaining the lost trust and confidence.
“They should do all they can to rebuild the lost trust and confidence quickly. The issue here is not about the missing kit, it is about lost trust and confidence,” said Ngomo.
Ansah said the doors at MEC are open for the independent forensic experts.
“They can come and investigate. When they come, they will have access to the kit or any other gadget they want to examine,” she said.
The opposition and the other stakeholders in election said they were temporary withdrawing their demands for the heads of Ansah and other commissioners until the investigation is done and a report is out.
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MEC musaisiyire kupanga hire odzafufuzawo abweretsatu Apumbwa amzawo musamale ma stakeholders sakuchedzatu mai Ansah APM anawaitanatu paja DPP inaluza 5 kwa 1 kuwakalipira kuti ndinakuikani pampando kuti mukhale mbali ya DPP. Lets change constitution President asamasankhe MEC Leader a Malawi akumabera a DPP system ndiyolakwika iyi.
ODALA, the worst thing would be the ‘Do Nothing Scenario’.
I fully support the idea of engaging independent IT forensic auditors to confirm the data in the subject biometric voter registration kit has not been tampered with or otherwise. Stories like this generally attract a lot of positive or negative comments. One claim is that the kit actually does not belong to MEC and that it was procured by Dausi for parallel registration in the Malawi/ Mozambique border to improve DPP chances of re-election in the light of waning support for the party as a result of UTM’s popularity. The TORs for the independent IT Forensic Audit should include verification… Read more »
This matter is of such serious nature that it requires an independent commission of enquiry to be set headed by a credible judge. Malawians don’t need these so called IT forensic experts who are easily bought and have pre-written verdicts even before jetting into the country. What is the IT going to investigate…..whether the voters roll has been tampered? Of course it tampered. Besides thats not the point……the issue is that a national security asset went missing and was found to have found its way into Mozambique. We need an investigator who will determine who was responsible other than the… Read more »
Agreed, well articulated.
Credible judge from where ?there are no credible judges in Malawi..
Much ado about nothing here, this is why this country doesnt grow. Zero innovation, zero focus, zero care about facts, kumangolubwalubwa basi.
How do you seek IT experts when you don’t know when the so called kit is? First explanation would have been a clear report as to why they did not report to the nation about the missing kit . Secondly how was it found in the train? How did it find its way into the train ? Who is the person who brought it? Who took it to moz. Who is keeping it now? How safe is it with suspicion of tampering it? These questions are enough to force resignation of the whole team. Koma poti Amalawife manyazi tilibe olo… Read more »
These forensic auditors that you want are the ones who will tamper with the data. You are inviting traitors into the electoral system. Parties will hire the same guys to hack the system. The idea to hire the forensic auditors sounds good but dangerous as well.
How many forensic audits have been established in Malawi just to ease the situation ? For a good follow up yes this forensic audit is important but with the way malawian politics are done there will be no truth to this audit report should it come out. the team to run this forensic audit will not be let free and independent to do their job in as far as DPP is concerned. Am afraid next year’s results will be as those of 2014, where MEC failed Malawians as evidenced by the announcement of results mid night with the then Chairperson… Read more »
Now that is one moral way of dealing with high profile situations. Osati chirichonse chachitika, koma achoke, ayi koma atule udindo, mizu ya nsanje imeneyo asiireni a MCP komanso mtambo ndi anthu ake ten kudzionesero azipanga zimenezo. Amalawi chonde tiyeni tichepetse kuonetsweratu kusazindikila kwathu.
Answer (Yankho) sorry Ansah must pay the expert not tax payer if she still insist to stay on the position. I don’t understand why we insist in having judges as MEC Chairmen when the topmost judge/lawyer has admitted that his Chanco Club Lawyers are all corrupt. Try the Mzuzu young man next time.