IEBC BANS PHOTOS & VIDEOS IN POLLING BOOTHS, WARNS OF SH1M FINE

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has today issued a public notice reminding all voters that taking photographs or recording videos inside the polling booth is prohibited.

In a statement, the Commission said that the secrecy and sanctity of the vote must be preserved at all times. Consequently, photography and video recording are not allowed inside the polling booth under any circumstances, and anyone who violates this directive will be committing an election offence as defined by Kenyan law.

The IEBC clarified that such an offence falls under Section 7(3)(e) of the Election Offences Act, No. 37 of 2016. According to that provision, a person attending any proceedings relating to an election who, without lawful excuse, captures an image of any marked ballot for purposes of financial gain or for showing allegiance, commits an offence. 

The Commission stressed that this includes any individual who takes a picture or video of their own marked ballot or that of another voter while inside the booth.

The penalties for violating this rule are severe. Upon conviction, an offender is liable to a fine not exceeding Ksh 1 million, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both such fine and imprisonment.