Former Prime Minister and Cord leader Raila Odinga risks being locked out of any elections in the country unless he withdraws the military rigging claims and apologise to Kenyans, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has warned. IEBC chair Issack Hassan in a terse statement, told off Raila over the remarks made last weekend in Kisumu, stating that he had enough time to provide the evidence to the Supreme Court judges which he did not soon after the General Election on March 4 last year.
IEBC now wants nothing other than an apology from the Cord leader or they ban him from any subsequent elections it conducts. “Raila Odinga must apologise for making outrageous accusations against us in public forum at Kisumu. He had time to inform the Supreme Court about any allegations he had and produce the evidence during the petition,which he did not do,” said the election boss in a statement.
“If he does not apologise, he risks being banned from vying for any post in Kenya in any subsequent elections,” warned Issack. But speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Bungoma Senator, Moses Wetang’ula castigated IEBC saying they are guilty of interfering with the last year’s presidential elections. “Let them (IEBC) not disturb bees that are silently in the hives because when the bees come out from the hives, it might not be a very pleasant encounter, ” Wetang’ula said on Tuesday.
Reached for comment, Siaya Senator James Orengo, a close ally of the former Prime Minister, referred The People to Odinga whose phone went unanswered. But Wetang’ula scoffed at Hassan’s threats, maintaining that he lacks the legal mandate to bar the Cord leader from participating in any election. Wetang’ula reiterated his earlier stand, faulting IEBC whose leadership he challenged to step aside for allegedly failing Kenyans in the last general election.
And speaking in Nakuru, Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang has asked Odinga not to apologise over the remarks that the military played part in the alleged rigging of the March 2013 elections. Speaking to journalists after meeting ODM delegates ahead of party elections, Kajwang claimed that he witnessed the presence of military officers at the Bomas of Kenya during the vote counting and tallying period.
During last weekend’s public rally in Kisumu, Odinga reportedly said the military had a hand in rigging him out. However, Odinga, has not personally uttered a word about the issue but through his spokesman and some ODM allied MPs has denied that he made such statement and was quoted out of context at the rally attended by all the Cord luminaries, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Wetang’ula.
Odinga’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said the former Premier only equated what happened after the March 4 elections to what happens during a military coup and that at no time during the entire rally did he said the military helped in rigging elections as reported by sections of the media. Secretary to the Cabinet, Francis Kimemia, who served in the former President Kibaki grand coalition government and now in the Jubilee government also lashed at Odinga over the remarks, demanding that he apologises.
Kimemia stated on Wednesday that Raila’s outburst is akin to inciting Kenyans with false allegations, insisting that last year’s polls were free and credible. “We also urge Raila to desist from inciting Kenyans over his democratic loss and disillusionment. The March 4 General Election was peaceful and competitive and we should celebrate this moment instead of issuing inflammatory comments that may threaten the peace that we enjoy,” said Kimemia who also chairs the National Security Advisory Committee.
But two ODM MPs, Junnet Mohammed (Suna East) and his Dagoretti North counterpart, Simba Arati on Wednesday urged Odinga not to apologise and instead called for immediate sacking of Kimemia, whom they accused of meddling in politics yet he is a civil servant.
“We are asking Mr Odinga to make no apology on this matter until everyone comes clean and every action by all those involved in 2013 elections is explained,” said Mohammed at Orange House. On the IEBC demand for apology, the legislators claimed the polls body had neither honour nor reputation to protect polls and, therefore, deserves no apology on matters of integrity touching on the 2013 elections.
“IEBC ought to have bowed in shame, apologised to Kenyans and disappeared into oblivion. That IEBC believes it has integrity is a clear demonstration of the fool’s paradise it wallows in and the magnitude of impunity it carries along,” added Mohammed. The two legislators also claimed that Cord agents at the national tallying centre at the Bomas of Kenya were ejected by security personnel on instructions of IEBC. –By LUKE AWICH
Source-thepeople.co.ke
Raila Faces 2017 Polls Ban Over Military Claims
Raila Faces 2017 Polls Ban Over Military Claims
