Ex-minister backs IEBC, tells off Cord

What you need to know:

  • He joins a long list of Jubilee politicians who have asked members of the Isaak Hassan led commission to stay put despite relentless efforts by Cord leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula to kick them out of office ahead of next year’s General Election.
  • The Former Roads Minister accused the Cord leaders of engaging in activities that are likely to cause instability in the country and scare potential investors, a situation which could seriously hurt the economy of the country.

Agricultural Finance Corporation chairman Franklin Bett has backed the besieged commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries (IEBC) against Cord’s push to eject them from office.

Addressing the press on Friday in Kericho Town, Mr Bett dismissed the weekly demonstrations being led by Cord leaders, calling them useless.

He said the commissioners can only be removed from office through a legal process set out under the Constitution.

He joins a long list of Jubilee politicians who have asked members of the Issack Hassan-led commission to stay put despite relentless efforts by Cord leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula to kick them out of office ahead of next year’s General Election.

“There is a lot of politics going on and some people think they can get rid of the IEBC commissioner by running around the streets of this country. That will not happen. Kenya is a country that is guided by the rule of law and they should stick by the law,” he said.

The former roads minister accused the Cord leaders of engaging in activities that are likely to cause instability in the country and scare potential investors, a situation that could seriously hurt the economy.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Kericho branch Secretary Stanley Mutai, however, called on the IEBC bosses to quit and pave the way for new commissioners.

Mr Mutai has insisted that time is up for the commission team, saying Kenyans no longer trusted it following the Chickengate scandal and called for its reconstitution ahead of next year’s elections.

But Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims National Deputy Chairman Alhaji Abdulahi Kiptonui backed Mr Bett, warning that the method being used by the Opposition to remove the commissioners from office was illegal.

Mr Kiptonui said the electoral body did a good job in the last elections and urged Cord principals to keep off and give it ample time to prepare adequately for the 2017 polls.

Belgut Jubilee politician Raymond Cheruiyot and his Sigowet/Soin counterpart Kipsengeret Koross also told the IEBC bosses to ignore Cord and continue making plans to oversee next year’s polls.

“The opposition leaders know that their plan will not work and they are wasting their time because IEBC is here to stay. The commissioners have done no wrong and we cannot just allow people to run to the streets and demand their removal from office as that would be wrong,” said Mr Koross.