Raila, Mudavadi allege new plot to interfere with poll devices
Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga addressing the media on August 8, 2017 in Nairobi after meeting a delegation of election observers from the European Union. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Nasa bigwigs Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi addressed separate press conferences in which they attacked the integrity of the voters’ register.
- Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi claimed that Jubilee Party is planning to switch off Electronic Voter Identification Devices in all their strongholds to allow for rigging.
- Anyone can get a certified copy of the voters’ roll after paying Sh20,000 to the commission.
- He further claimed a military aircraft model Y12, left the Laikipia Airbase, Nanyuki on August 6 on a suspicious mission.
The National Super Alliance has raised serious integrity issues on the conduct of the General Election, even as they asked their supporters to come out in large numbers to cast their ballots.
On the eve of the elections, Nasa bigwigs Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi addressed separate press conferences in which they attacked the integrity of the voters’ register and claimed that Jubilee Party is planning to switch off Electronic Voter Identification Devices (Evids) in all their strongholds to allow for rigging.
Speaking after meeting a delegation of the EU election observers, Mr Odinga questioned the integrity of the voters’ roll, the revelations by IEBC that 11,000 polling stations are outside mobile telephony networks and the mass mobilisation of security forces in Nasa strongholds noting that all these were part of dirty schemes to rig.
“Our confidence in the register has dwindled considerably in the last one month after the commission failed to submit to us a certified copy of the register,” Mr Odinga said after his meeting with the EU observers.
MONKEY BUSINESS
“We see it as a deliberate attempt to do some monkey business doing the transmission of results,” Mr Odinga said of the revelation that some poll centres are outside networks.
Anyone can get a certified copy of the voters’ roll after paying Sh20,000 to the commission.
Mr Odinga said Nasa suspicion on the integrity of the register had been aroused after the commission failed to submit a copy even after it paid the amount.
Kenya Wildlife Services officers and Kenyan Prison Services officers queue at a polling station in Nairobi, on August 7, 2017, ahead of their deployment to secure polling stations. PHOTO | MARCO LONGARI | AFP
Further, the Nasa presidential candidate said the mass mobilisation of security forces is meant to intimidate and suppress voter turnout in Nasa strongholds and pleaded with the forces not to be used to compromise the integrity of the elections.
However, it was Mr Mudavadi’s revelations at another press conference across the city with claims that plans are under way to switch off the Evids on the Election Day that carried the echoes from the 2013 debacle.
According to the Nasa co-principal, the move to switch off the devices in Jubilee strongholds is meant to pave the way for the use of manual voting and transmission of results in order to easily facilitate a Jubilee Party win as was the case in 2013.
EVIDS
The IEBC is this time not using the Evids but the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (Kiems) which blends voter registration, voter identification and results transmission.
Mr Mudavadi, who is also the chairman of the Nasa national campaign committee, sensationally claimed the information had been leaked by Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet to a relative who later shared it with the Opposition.
“We are fully informed the State has planned to get all kits switched off starting noon. The plot will start in one region, spread across the country and see IEBC resort to manual processes. This will then give way to pure manual voting and stuffing of the ballot in the excuse that systems have failed. This information was leaked by the IG himself to his relative,” he alleged.
He further claimed a military aircraft model Y12, left the Laikipia Airbase, Nanyuki on August 6 on a suspicious mission.
The aircraft according to Mr Mudavadi was loaded with six large cartons containing 300 pieces of smoke grenades and was destined for Lamu via Moi Airbase.
According to the politician, the aircraft off-loaded half of the cargo in Nairobi and proceeded to Lamu with the other half.
MILITARY EXERCISE
“As much as we would like to believe that the movement of the items is a normal and routine military exercise, the timing of the movement cannot fail to raise our suspicions that the likely intention is for the military personnel to use the items or have handed them over to personnel drawn from other security agencies (police and intelligence) and assigned to perform special duties that we have shared with Kenyans in the recent past,” Mr Mudavadi said.
Jubilee Party secretary-general Raphael Tuju dismissed the allegations saying the Opposition has been crying wolf for long.
Despite the concerns, Nasa urged their supporters to come out in large numbers today and cast their votes.
“A number of our leaders will be visiting various parts of the country and staying on the ground with them. We are doing everything to ensure our supporters are safe across the country,” Mr Mudavadi said.
SECURITY OFFICERS
Mr Odinga asked supporters across the divide not to be intimidated with the heavy deployment of security officers but instead come out in large numbers to cast their votes.
“For Nasa supporters come out and vote because we are on the brink of history,” Mr Odinga said.
“Ignore the heavy presence of police and vote. Even those Jubilee supporters should know that it’s their right to come out and vote.”
Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju dismissed the allegations saying the opposition has been crying wolves for so long.
“They have been crying wolves for a long time and therefore we will not take them seriously this time,” Mr Tuju told Nation on phone.
