Martha Karua says repeat poll won't be a walk in the park for Uhuru, Raila

The coming stand-alone presidential election will be the toughest for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his rival Raila Odinga, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua has warned.

“It will not be a walk in the park. Each side has to triple its efforts to get voters out to cast ballots,” Ms Karua said in an interview, adding that in normal elections, candidates for parliamentary and county assembly seats make a significant contribution in making the task easier.

She said voter fatigue and apathy are also a critical factor that could affect the turnout if not given special attention and appropriate strategies put in place.

Ms Karua, a former presidential candidate, has declared support for President Kenyatta’s re-election, even as she filed a petition last week to overturn the election of Ms Ann Waiguru of Jubilee Party as the governor for Kirinyaga County.

READ: Karua challenges Waiguru’s win

READ: October 17 poll schedule out

The nullification of the August 8 election by the Supreme Court has created a grievance platform similar to the 2013 anti-International Criminal Court crusade for the Jubilee side, which has rolled out a campaign in which it is projecting itself as the aggrieved party.

LITTLE ROOM

The emotional grievance platform leaves little room for the voter to examine candidate ideology and ideas or policies,

“It is healthy to grieve and disagree with court decisions, but I appeal to those campaigning for President Kenyatta’s re-election to conduct themselves above board so that a hard-won victory is not put into jeopardy by no fault of the candidate,” she said.

Ms Karua said the disbanding of several electoral commissions in the past had not provided Kenya with deterrence against contempt of election laws and the Constitution.

“Disbanding the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) has not given Kenya an effective cure against election mischief. What we are missing is making it personal for those responsible for anomalies to take responsibility."

“We must make it clear that no longer will officials who commit electoral offences hide behind an organisation, while they get away with gross mischief."

"They must pay for putting a nation’s stability into jeopardy. There should be consequences for this,” said the former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister.

ELECTIONS NULLIFIED
Ms Karua said the information emerging shows that all the elections conducted on August 8 could have been nullified if the Supreme Court had jurisdiction beyond the presidential poll.

“Kenyans must make it extremely painful and personally expensive for election officials to think twice before deciding to tamper with the vote.”

In her petition, Ms Karua claims some 48,000 votes were added to Ms Waiguru’s.

Ms Waiguru secured 161,373 votes against Ms Karua’s 122,091.

In the case, filed through lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, Ms Karua has named the IEBC, returning officer for Kirinyaga Seki Lempaka, Ms Waiguru and Mr Peter Ndambiri as respondents.

CLAIMS
She claims there was tampering with ballot papers, ballot boxes, intimidation of both her supporters and agents and bribery during the election.

Citing the Supreme Court ruling that nullified the presidential election on September 1, Ms Karua wants the High Court in Kerugoya to declare the Kirinyaga governor election as not having been held “according to the Constitution and the applicable law”.

“It is the contention of the petitioner that the gubernatorial election for Kirinyaga County was for the reasons given by the Supreme Court also invalid, null and void and this honourable court must so find,” she says.

She also wants Ms Waiguru declared unfit to hold the governor’s position or any other elective office due to the alleged violations of electoral laws.

She said she also wants all election materials and electronic equipment used to be produced to prove the anomalies.