Leave IEBc alone to do its work, Jubilee tells Nasa

The head of Jubilee secretariat Raphael Tuju who has dismissed claims by the opposition Nasa that IEBC is not well-prepared for the August 8 elections. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Tuju says Nasa fears they will not win the support of the Kenyan people in a fair competition.
  • He said the opposition leaders have made a series of damaging allegations designed to weaken public faith in IEBC.
  • He further said they are suspicious of the close relationship between Nasa consultant Edwin Ngonga and IEBC ICT.

The Jubilee Party has dismissed claims by the opposition that the electoral commission is ill-prepared for the elections, saying that it is a deliberate strategy to derail the polls and dispute the outcome in the event of a Jubilee victory.

The head of Jubilee secretariat Raphael Tuju, in a statement issued on Thursday, said that the National Supper Alliance (Nasa) has already sensed defeat and are making calculated moves to try and force their way into power as they fear they will not win the support of the Kenyan people in a fair competition.

“It is evident that the opposition fear defeat in August and wish to disrupt the [polls]. Their goal is clear – to call into question the whole process, and eventually the results.

“We demand that the opposition allow the IEBC to proceed with the extremely important work of overseeing credible elections and publically agree to accept the result in August,” said Mr Tuju.

ORENGO'S LETTER

Mr Tuju claimed that Siaya Senator and Nasa lawyer James Orengo’s recent letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) stating that the commission is unable to conduct legitimate elections was the latest attack in a string of cynical legal challenges mounted by the opposition.

He also alleged that the opposition leaders have made a series of damaging allegations designed to weaken public faith in the electoral body and call into question the credibility of the election results.

“The accusation that there is now no time to conduct a fair election in August has been carefully planned by the opposition.

“Were it to be true, it would be a situation resulting directly from Cord, and now Nasa’s deliberate actions that were specifically aimed at destabilising every IEBC process to date,” he said.

VOTER REGISTER

Mr Tuju pointed that the opposition has succeeded in blocking the procurement of voting equipment and ballot papers and mounted a legal challenge against the appointment of internationally renowned auditors, KPMG, to scrutinise the voter register.

He added that the opposition have been beneficiaries of any electoral crisis and they have also attempted to block provisions for a manual backup during voting in the event of failure of technology.

“So on what grounds do they accuse others of influencing that body or to complain about delays? Nasa claim to be the champions of democracy but their actions demonstrate clearly that their real intention is a dangerous attack against democracy itself,” Tuju said.

NOT READY

“The real question is not whether the country is ready for elections in August, but whether Nasa wants this nation to hold transparent elections at all,” added Mr Tuju.

He further said that they are suspicious of the close relationship between Nasa consultant, Mr Edwin Ngonga, and IEBC ICT Director James Muhati, accusing him of leaking vital technological information to the opposition.

“Jubilee is alarmed to learn that comprehensive details about IEBC technology has been shared with Nasa and demand that such details also be given to Jubilee and other stakeholders,” Mr Tuju said.