…Kenyatta rebuffs demand
Kenyan opposition leader, Raila Odinga said on Tuesday his
coalition would not participate in the re-run of a presidential
election proposed for Oct. 17 unless it is given “legal and
constitutional” guarantees.
Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta responded by saying there was
nowhere in law that required the electoral body to consult
Odinga.
Odinga’s conditions for participating in the repeat presidential
election include the removal of six officials at the election
board.
He called for criminal investigations to be opened against
them.
“You cannot do a mistake twice and expect to get different
results.
“A number of the officials of the commission should be sent
home, some of them should be investigated for the heinous crimes
they committed.”
Kenya’s Supreme Court ordered on Friday that the Aug. 8 vote be
re-run within 60 days, saying Kenyatta’s victory by 1.4 million
votes was undermined by irregularities in the process.
Kenyatta was not accused of any wrongdoing.
The ruling, the first time in Africa that a court had overturned
the re-election of a sitting president, was hailed by Odinga
supporters as “historic”.
Analysts have said it is likely to lead to some short-term
volatility in East Africa’s biggest economy, but could build
confidence in institutions in the longer-term.
On Monday, the election board said it would hold new elections
on Oct. 17, but Odinga said he wanted elections held on Oct. 24 or
31 instead.
“There will be no elections on Oct. 17 until the conditions that
we have spelt out in the statement are met,” he said.
Kenyatta rebuffed Odinga’s demands to the commission on the
setting of the election date.
“There is no legal requirement that Odinga be consulted. I was
neither consulted. Kenya doesn’t belong to one man,” he said in a
statement sent by his office.
Odinga has lost the last three presidential elections. Each
time, he said the vote was rigged against him.
The opposition also plans to lodge 62 court cases contesting
governorship, lawmaker, and local seats, spokeswoman Kathleen
Openda said.
At least 33 court cases were filed contesting election results
before the presidential election was annulled, said Andrew Limo,
spokesman for the election board.
Others had been filed since but he did not have the updated
figure.
Limo said that the numbers had not yet reached the same level as
during the 2013 elections, when the board received challenges to
189 results.
…Kenyatta rebuffs demand
Kenyan opposition leader, Raila Odinga said on Tuesday his
coalition would not participate in the re-run of a presidential
election proposed for Oct. 17 unless it is given “legal and
constitutional” guarantees.
Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta responded by saying there was
nowhere in law that required the electoral body to consult
Odinga.
Odinga’s conditions for participating in the repeat presidential
election include the removal of six officials at the election
board.
He called for criminal investigations to be opened against
them.
“You cannot do a mistake twice and expect to get different
results.
“A number of the officials of the commission should be sent
home, some of them should be investigated for the heinous crimes
they committed.”
Kenya’s Supreme Court ordered on Friday that the Aug. 8 vote be
re-run within 60 days, saying Kenyatta’s victory by 1.4 million
votes was undermined by irregularities in the process.
Kenyatta was not accused of any wrongdoing.
The ruling, the first time in Africa that a court had overturned
the re-election of a sitting president, was hailed by Odinga
supporters as “historic”.
Analysts have said it is likely to lead to some short-term
volatility in East Africa’s biggest economy, but could build
confidence in institutions in the longer-term.
On Monday, the election board said it would hold new elections
on Oct. 17, but Odinga said he wanted elections held on Oct. 24 or
31 instead.
“There will be no elections on Oct. 17 until the conditions that
we have spelt out in the statement are met,” he said.
Kenyatta rebuffed Odinga’s demands to the commission on the
setting of the election date.
“There is no legal requirement that Odinga be consulted. I was
neither consulted. Kenya doesn’t belong to one man,” he said in a
statement sent by his office.
Odinga has lost the last three presidential elections. Each
time, he said the vote was rigged against him.
The opposition also plans to lodge 62 court cases contesting
governorship, lawmaker, and local seats, spokeswoman Kathleen
Openda said.
At least 33 court cases were filed contesting election results
before the presidential election was annulled, said Andrew Limo,
spokesman for the election board.
Others had been filed since but he did not have the updated
figure.
Limo said that the numbers had not yet reached the same level as
during the 2013 elections, when the board received challenges to
189 results.
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/raila-odinga-rejects-new-election-date/