A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is now challenging the integrity threshold and suitability of Opposition leader Raila Odinga to contest the presidency. The Human Rights Africa has petitioned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure thorough investigations are conducted to determine if Raila meets requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity; the core requirements of candidates seeking the presidency. The organisations’s Chief Executive Officer Derrick Malika said Raila had been adversely mentioned in scandals that placed his integrity into question.
“We beseech your office, in keeping with your constitutional mandate, to investigate various cases of misappropriation of public funds and abuse of office where Raila Odinga is heavily mentioned and is allegedly involved in,” said Mr Malika in a letter to IEBC. The organisation further wants the electoral agency to make its findings public. The petitioner lists recent complaints raised by the proprietor of Dominion Farms Ltd, Calvin Burgess, who accused Raila of extortion and harassment after he turned down requests by the ODM leader to fund his political activities. Malika also noted Raila had been adversely mentioned in the probe into the losses made by national carrier, Kenya Airways, with a company allegedly associated with him, Astral Aviation Ltd.
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