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The real problem with elections in Kenya is people who do not accept defeat, Deputy President William Ruto has said.
The DP said most of these people use the electoral commission (IEBC) as a scapegoat.
“… the problem is the people who refuse the outcome of elections. That is when they run amok. Going forward we should only allow democrats to participate in the elections,” he said.
Ruto was speaking at Chatham House in London on Friday.
Although he did not mention names, the DP seemed to be referring to ODM party leader Raila Odinga who has in the past contested presidential election outcomes.
In 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta won the August 8 election but Raila objected the results at the Supreme Court, which invalidated the victory over adherence to electoral laws and the constitution.
The court then ordered for fresh polls on October 26 in which Raila boycotted citing lack of reforms at IEBC and gave a list of “irreducible minimums”.
More on this: Accept Uhuru as legitimate President, Envoys tell Raila
Also read: Kenya election: Uhuru vows to ‘fix’ court as win quashed
“I believe very strongly that in our politics, IEBC is the least of our problems. We have used IEBC as a convenient ‘excuse’ for those who do not win elections,” Ruto said.
Ruto said some people go to elections and expect to win yet there are two outcomes after an election.
“If you go to an election and you expect to win then you have a problem.. the real problem according to me from where I sit is that we have people who do not believe in participating in democratic elections,” he said.
Giving an example of 2017 elections, Ruto said they were persuaded they had won the election only for the Supreme Court to nullify it.
“We have serious misgiving about what the court did but we said we will participate in the second election because we are democratic,” he said.
“… we had won more seats in every category. How possible was it that we lost the election,? it does not make sense but as democrats, we went back.”
Raila has vied and lost in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.
Uhuru and Raila were the main contenders in the 2013 and 2017 election that attracted eight candidates.
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