NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 29 – Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Leader Raila Odinga has alleged that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is still plotting on mechanisms to disrupt the coalition’s protest.
Odinga revealed without evidence that Gachagua who has toured his home county in Mathira is scheming with other leaders from the Mt Kenya region to further cause mayhem in the opposition’s protests.
“Today they have a meeting in Gachagua’s residence with the likes of Kimani Ichungwa and they are planning a plot again.We can see them and what they are planning and it doesn’t take me even five minutes before I know what’s happening,” he stated.
“Tomorrow we will still continue with our demonstrations,” Odinga said while addressing Nubian Community at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation.
The Deputy President today toured Mathira Constituency to commission a bus at Kangocho Secondary School
This comes against a backdrop of both Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza Alliance political camps blaming each other for the invasions that happened in Northlands Farm in Ruiru owned by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and the East Africa Spectre Limited owned by Odinga.
Odinga blamed President Ruto who is out of the country for the spate of attacks on private properties that unfolded on Monday.
The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Leader mentioned that the violence witnessed yesterday in the country was part of President Ruto’s modus operandi in any quest for change.
“Let there be no confusion here. Violence has been Ruto’s stock in trade against Kenyans whenever Kenyans have sought to change their lot and what happened yesterday is not any different,” he stated.
Electoral Reforms
At the same time, Odinga has insisted that Azimio La Umoja demonstrations are still on , scoffing at his erstwhile rival President William Ruto for castigating the protest instead of agreeing on electoral reforms.
Odinga averred that it will be a futile exercise for the nation to head to the 2027 general election and expect a tamper-proof election if the government will not engage in election reforms.
The Opposition Leader who has called for protest every Monday and Thursday to agitate for election reforms has maintained that he won in the August 9th poll.
“If we don’t rectify that which happened in the last years polls even in 2027 polls, they will repeat the same thing. What will be the need for Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, George Wajacokyah to contest for presidency when their victory will be stolen from them,” he said.
Odinga told President Ruto to shun lamenting to the International Community over the Azimio protests that are pushing for electoral reforms among other issues saying other democracies have no jurisdiction in ironing out the issues.
He advised the President that the issues can be solved internally by paving way for a bi-partisan approach in the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
“We have told the other nations to let Kenyans solve their issues internally.We cant be taught issues of democracy by the United Kingdom,USA or India.We are Kenyans we can solve our own issues,”
“There is no reason for President Ruto to go to Germany and talk about Raila.Come we talk in Kenya,open the servers we see what its in the server,” Odinga stated.
Even as the IEBC selection panel is currently reviewing the applications of 920 applicants who applied to fill the post of the Chairperson and the commissioners.He reiterated that the reconstitution of the poll agency must be halted.
“Don’t create an IEBC body without us being involved.We must be enjoined in the process of creating IEBC body,”said Odinga.
IEBC Selection Panel
The poll agency selection panel chaired by Nelson Makanda had set March 28 as the deadline for applicants to send their applications for consideration.
Out of the 920 applicants, 25 individuals showed intent to fill the post of Chairperson while 895 are battling for the commissioners’ slot.
“This is a good number because in 2016 when the Chebukati commission was being interviewed only 15 people applied and they had to do a re-advert where they got around 30 people. We are not worried about the applications of the chair,” stated Makanda.
The IEBC reconstituting panel maintained they will conduct the exercise of filling up the vacant commission despite the clamor by the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition for the exercise to be halted.
Makanda pointed out that the many applications by Kenyans were a clear sign that they trust the ongoing process to reconstitute the poll body.
“We have applications from all counties,it just tells you that there is confidence in the process.In as much as there is contestation about politics,somebody must do this job,”Makanda said.
“We must be able to constitute a commission in place and when politicians agree they can change the law and Kenyans will follow the law that will be put in place.We are faithful to the task,”he said.
The recruitment process follows the expiry of IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, and commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu‘s tenure last month after six years in office.
Three other electoral officials including former IEBC Vice-chairperson Juliana Cherera, and commissioners Justus Nyang’aya and Francis Wanderi resigned last year following allegations of violation of the constitution and gross misconduct in the last general election.
Commissioner Irene Masit appointment was terminated by the President following a recommendation by a tribunal constituted to probe her conduct during the August polls.
The tribunal stated that the actions by Masit and her colleagues to disown the presidential results announced by the former IEBC chair amounted to gross misconduct.
“From the analysis of the evidence on record, it is our finding that Commissioner Irene Masit’s actions of 15th August 2022 of agreeing to the proposal by the two delegations to moderate the result of the Presidential Election to enable a re-run with the promise that there would be a reward if this was done amounts to gross misconduct on her part,” the report said.
