Raila, Kibaki accused of power tricks

PHOTO | STEPHEN MUDIARI | NATION Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission officials during the launch of a new logo for the commission. The team will oversee the next General Election.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were on Tuesday urged to rein in their aides and advisers who could be pushing for delayed elections.

Several leaders, among them presidential aspirants Martha Karua and Moses Wetang’ula, opposed the scheme to move the polls to August 2013.

And the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said it was firmly focused on holding elections on March 4, 2013. Ms Karua, the Narc Kenya chairperson claimed that the President and the PM were being misled by their aides to extend their terms in violation of the Constitution.

“The new Constitution stipulates that we must have elections within the five-year term and not after. There are some few elements within the confines of the President and the PM who want to mislead them so that their terms are extended. This is unconstitutional and illegal,” she said while on a campaign trail in Nkubu, Meru County.

In Trans Nzoia, Mr Wetang’ula, the Trade minister, said elections must be held after the end of the term of the 10th Parliament in January 2013.

“Constitutionally, Parliament comes to an end on January 14 while elections will be held after a period of 60 days and not August,” said Mr Wetang’ula, the Ford Kenya leader.

Others opposed to the plot are assistant minister Ayiecho Olweny and MPs Danson Mungatana and John Mbadi.

On Tuesday, the Nation revealed that those pushing for the August 2013 date argue that the IEBC was not ready to hold the elections in March given the delay in awarding the Biometric Voter Registration tender and the mapping of 80 new constituencies.

The MPs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed the shift of dates had the backing of a section of the Executive. Ms Karua accused President Kibaki and Mr Odinga of failing to agree to dissolve Parliament in October to pave the way for elections in December.

“Kenyans cannot continue suffering until August next year ... we must stand strong and defend our rights while preventing the mutilation of the Constitution. A public outcry is required to stop this,” she said.

She said Kenyans had understood, interpreted and maintained the five- year cycle since independence.

“Few Kenyans allowed for the March polls but pushing it to August, no way. This is a blatant violation of the pledges made during the promulgation and the spirit of the new Constitution,” she said.

Speaking in Nairobi, IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan said their time table was tied to March 4, 2013, which was settled on following a High Court ruling on the election date.

“Take it from me. We are working with the March date in mind and we have no intention of changing it. It is also not true that we have made the suggestion to push the date to August,” he said.

He described as insincere those behind the scheme and said they should not be allowed to “confuse” Kenyans. Despite the cloud over the BVR tender, Mr Hassan said the election was still on course and there would be no delay. The tender, he said, would be done above board and asked Kenyans not to lose faith in the commission as it had already piloted the system ahead of the referendum in 2010.

“We would like to emphasize that we are above board not only on matters of procurement but also on all other processes of elections. We have highly trained professional staff. We have a roadmap that we strictly adhere to,” he said.

Reports by Kennedy Kimanthi, Oliver Mathenge and Philip Bwayo