The NEC chairman, retired Judge Damian Lubuva, told a delegation from the Zimbabwe Electorial Commission (ZEC) that a decision had been made to put the system in place before the elections.“Yes we intend to introduce the biometric electoral system,” he said.Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) introduced the system ahead of the March 4 elections, but it was replete with technical glitches.
Biometric technology can be used to store unique physical characteristics including fingerprints and facial scans of voters in a database for identification.Mr Justice Lubuva said NEC was planning to float tenders for the acquisition of biometric electoral system, adding that its value was yet to be established.
He said NEC also planned to invite donors to fund the procurement and installation of the system.
The NEC chairman refuted claims that the commission was not transparent in the process of acquiring the system. “The whole decision was made by the government, which is our main stakeholder. There is no need of hiding the process from the public. Everything will be known after we complete the whole tendering procedure.”
Mr Justice Lubuva said the system should be in place before the 2015 elections if everything goes according to plan.
Utilising advanced biometric technology would lend accountability and transparency to the electoral system, he added.
“Adapting a cost effective and simple technology is a good way of solving the many election-related problems plaguing many African countries,” Mr Justice Lubuva said.
ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe commended NEC for overseeing peaceful elections in Tanzania.
She added that Zimbabwe was optimistic that Tanzania would succeed in its endeavour to ensure electoral efficiency by introducing a biometric system.
Ms Kazembe said Zimbabwe was planning to acquire a similar system ahead of this year’s general election.
Mr Justice Lubuva said NEC was independent, and was not being directed or influenced by anybody.
“We are working professionally, contrary to what some of our detractors are claiming. We are here to serve Tanzanians, and not any individual or specific group,” he said.
Biometric technology is said to be one of the most reliable and secure methods that can be used in an election, it is the study of unique human features, which are then used to verify identity.
Usually, these unique features being used are the fingerprints, iris scans, facial features, voice recognition and even behavioural biometrics such as gait, posture and signature.
Biometrics technology, on the other hand, is the conversation of those unique human characteristics into computerized automatic identification of people.
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