Boinnet warns defiant Cord over anti-IEBC demos

Cord was on Sunday evening digging in for a battle with the police after it declared that its supporters would be back on the streets on Monday to push for the removal of the country’s electoral commission chiefs.

Opposition leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula said they would, starting at noon on Monday, lead protests against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Nairobi and around the country, despite a police statement warning that the demonstrations are illegal.

Police Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet on Sunday said the demonstrations planned for Monday were illegal and those who defy the order to stay away will be dealt with with the full force of the law.

He added that the National Police Service was only aware of the court order that allowed Cord leaders to hold a rally at Uhuru Park on June 1, and not about the demonstration.

“Our responsibility is to enforce the law as it is. If they disobey the law and go to the streets, we the national police will do what we are required to do,” Mr Boinnet warned during a press conference at the Diani Police Station in Kwale County.

The standoff between the two sides is expected to lead to running battles and possible disruption of business in the capital and in Kisumu, where Cord leaders have proposed that the demos be held twice a week.

So far, three people have been killed after the demonstrations turned violent. Several others have also sustained injuries.

HELD PLANNING MEETINGS

The opposition’s Coalition Management Committee, led by senators James Orengo and Johnson Muthama, on Sunday held planning meetings with various officials, including members of county assemblies, in readiness for Monday’s demos.

Cord’s decision to return to the streets follows a failed attempt to negotiate the exit of the top election officials. Cord leader Raila Odinga has appointed a five-member team to represent the coalition in talks but President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to defend the Constitution and has ruled out talks outside Parliament.

As they head to the streets on Monday, the Cord chiefs and their supporters risk the wrath of a newly equipped police service, which has warned that the demos go against a court order barring any form of protests in the city.

(READ: Boinett declares anti-IEBC protests illegal)

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome has warned that riot police engaged in suppressing demonstrations or in protecting persons or property will be justified in using any force, depending on the prevailing situation. He warned that this did not preclude the use of lethal force.

Whereas police say the demos have been outlawed by the courts, Cord claims that the order, given by Justice Isaac Lenaola last week, only barred the storming of IEBC offices and the destruction of the commission’s property.

Mr Muthama on Sunday vowed to defy police warnings and asked Cord supporters “to come out in large numbers and support our initiative to express displeasure” with the IEBC. He said the commissioners had shown “intolerable levels of partiality, incompetence and suspected corruption”.
Mr Muthama announced that the demos would be held in all major towns around the country.

“They (police) will be in contempt if they act against the clear guidance of that court order,” said Mr Muthama.

In Rongai, Deputy President William Ruto indicated that the government was willing to discuss the future of IEBC commissioners through a parliamentary process. Anything else would be contrary to the provisions of the Constitution, he said.

CONCILIATORY TONE

Speaking at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Catholic Church, Mr Ruto said the IEBC would, indeed, be dissolved, but not through the Cord route.

“Don’t be worried,” Mr Ruto told the congregation. “We will solve these issues. We know these guys. We will talk and agree.”

He said Kenyans passed a Constitution that would ensure the needs and wishes of a few individuals do not override those of Kenyans.

But, even as Mr Ruto struck a conciliatory tone, Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo blamed him for the stalemate between Cord and Jubilee over the IEBC.

“He doesn’t want anything good to happen to Kenyans as we approach these elections,” said Mr Midiwo, the deputy minority leader.

“It is obvious that the IEBC, as constituted, cannot be tolerated in the country’s next elections. The earlier we handle this matter, the better,” he told the Nation.
But National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale dismissed Mr Midiwo’s assertions as “mere imaginations and obsession” seasoned with “Rutophobia”.

“When Jacob Juma dies, they say it is Ruto. When they fail to follow the law, they say it is Ruto. They are suffering from Rutophobia,” said Mr Duale.

“The Constitution is bigger than Raila, Wetang’ula, Uhuru and Ruto. Raila was invited to State House. He did not consult his colleagues. He had a delicious lunch. Nothing was agreed upon but he now wants to massage the egos of his supporters by dragging in Ruto. They should leave Ruto alone.”

In Nairobi, an election lobby group, the Elections Observation Group (Elog), called for the corruption cases involving electoral officials to be completed.

“Elog notes with serious concerns the prolonged silence and lack of closure on the matter of ‘Chickengate’ by the relevant authorities which adds fuel to the current standoff,” the lobby group said in a statement.

Despite pressure from both the ruling coalition and the Opposition, IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan reiterated the commission’s position that none of the commissioners would resign.

“We are working,” Mr Hassan told the Nation. “Today we are in a retreat in Elementaita. The commission is in the process of procuring equipment for [the] 2017 elections. Work is on. We conducted some by-elections last week; ODM won one and JAP the another.”