Computers Breakdown Amid Presidential Election's Vote Count
Published: 6 March 2013 By Abiodun Giwa

Gas lamp to the rescue
An ugly scenario that has characterized presidential election's in two major African countries is computer breakdown. It happened in Ghana in December 2012. There are reports of electronic fault slowing down vote counting in Kenya. Kenya seems to suffer from electricity supply failure as well.
Questions are being asked whether it is the computer that is disappointing these countries or the countries are the ones disappointing the computer. It is a digital age, people are learning to adapt to changes required from the shift to digital from manual.
For a successful shift and adaptation, there is a need for regular electricity supply and this isn't the case in some African countries where money for such development end in politicians' private accounts. As the photograph above indicates, a gas lamp is in use in one of the vote counting centers in Kenya. Reports haven't indicated that the manual counting have been caused by power failure, but by computer or electronic faults.
The counting is being done manually and a gas lamp is the source of light here. The gas lamp can be more reliable than electricity supply in a situation where electricity supply is unreliable. Electricity supply can fail, but a gas lamp will be steady since it doesn't require complex technology.
Apprehension
The problem is that manual counting is slow, compared to electronic counting that is fast and can guarantee lack of human manipulation. A breakdown of electronic system amid counting of election results can cause apprehension among politicians and their supporters like the case in Kenya where authorities have asked for calm where the situation is already calm, with businesses and stores shuttered.
According to Kenya's Daily Nation in a report monitored online, manual counting is capable of reducing Uhuru Kenyatta and Ralia Odinga's percentage of votes with possibility either of them may not emerge a clear winner and may lead to want majority of Kenyans and observers fear: run off.
When the technical hitch occurred in Ghana, it was said to have led to disenfranchising of many voters, and voting allowed the second day. It caused more than apprehension. The loser in that election said the result had been tampered and went to court. No one wants a repeat of 2007 in Kenya. But with the computer breaking down and votes being manually counted with no clear way to determine damaged ballots, Kenya needs prayers.
Questions are being asked whether it is the computer that is disappointing these countries or the countries are the ones disappointing the computer. It is a digital age, people are learning to adapt to changes required from the shift to digital from manual.
For a successful shift and adaptation, there is a need for regular electricity supply and this isn't the case in some African countries where money for such development end in politicians' private accounts. As the photograph above indicates, a gas lamp is in use in one of the vote counting centers in Kenya. Reports haven't indicated that the manual counting have been caused by power failure, but by computer or electronic faults.
The counting is being done manually and a gas lamp is the source of light here. The gas lamp can be more reliable than electricity supply in a situation where electricity supply is unreliable. Electricity supply can fail, but a gas lamp will be steady since it doesn't require complex technology.
Apprehension
The problem is that manual counting is slow, compared to electronic counting that is fast and can guarantee lack of human manipulation. A breakdown of electronic system amid counting of election results can cause apprehension among politicians and their supporters like the case in Kenya where authorities have asked for calm where the situation is already calm, with businesses and stores shuttered.
According to Kenya's Daily Nation in a report monitored online, manual counting is capable of reducing Uhuru Kenyatta and Ralia Odinga's percentage of votes with possibility either of them may not emerge a clear winner and may lead to want majority of Kenyans and observers fear: run off.
When the technical hitch occurred in Ghana, it was said to have led to disenfranchising of many voters, and voting allowed the second day. It caused more than apprehension. The loser in that election said the result had been tampered and went to court. No one wants a repeat of 2007 in Kenya. But with the computer breaking down and votes being manually counted with no clear way to determine damaged ballots, Kenya needs prayers.
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