Uhuru: Raila should let us be sworn in if not ready for poll
Jubilee supporters in Nairobi's Uhuru Park grounds during the party's political rally on September 9 2017. During the rally, President Kenyatta asked his opponent Mr Odinga to let him be sworn in if he (Raila) is not ready for repeat poll. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Speaking during rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi Saturday, the President said he was ready to be sworn in if Mr Odinga makes good his threat to boycott the election.
In a stringing criticism of his political nemesis, Mr Kenyatta stated that Jubilee has accepted October 17 as set by IEBC but Nasa is still dilly dallying on the date.
Earlier last week, Nasa lawmakers asked the electoral commission to set a date for the presidential poll rerun agreeable to all.
Speaking during rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi Saturday, the President said he was ready to be sworn in if Mr Odinga makes good his threat to boycott the election.
He warned that the Opposition leader cannot subvert the will of Kenyans by making selfish demands which he wants addressed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before the elections.
In a stringing criticism of his political nemesis, Mr Kenyatta stated that Jubilee has accepted October 17 as set by IEBC but Nasa is still dilly dallying on the date.
AGREEABLE DATE
Earlier last week, Nasa lawmakers asked the electoral commission to set a date for the presidential poll rerun agreeable to all.
On Tuesday, IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati gazetted October 17 as the date for the repeat poll, just six days after the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Kenyatta.
Nasa has also said some of those named in the new team to manage the repeat poll were involved in the issues noted by the registrar of the Supreme Court in her report after scrutiny of the Forms 34A and 34B and the attempts to access the servers used to process the results of the annulled election.
But President Kenyatta said these were sideshows which cannot be allowed to postpone the poll.
“If he (Raila) is not ready let him quit the race and we will go to Kasarani Stadium and be sworn in,” he said.
RESERVATIONS
Jubilee also has reservations about some of those named in the team by Mr Chebukati. Both Nasa and Jubilee are set to meet IEBC next week to discuss the contentious issues.
But Deputy President William Ruto also asked chairman Wafula Chebukati to take responsibility of the bungled election that was nullified by the Supreme Court.
Mr Ruto said Mr Chebukati, the constitutionally mandated returning officer for the presidential election, should not blame others for the commission’s failures.
The chairman has in a letter written to the commission chief executive Ezra Chiloba demanded explanations on flaws in the presidential elections.
IN-HOUSE ISSUES
But according to Mr Ruto, those were in-house issues which must be handled within the commission itself.
“Chebukati was the returning officer and cannot be seen to apportion blame to others. The buck stops with him. Stop these sideshows and prepare the country for election,” the DP said.
Saturday’s meeting also saw two former ODM legislators, Fred Gumo (Westlands) and Reuben Ndolo (Makadara), pledge to support President Kenyatta’s re-election.
While affirming that it has been a painful experience for the Supreme Court to nullify his “legitimate” election, the President said he has now fully shifted his focus on recapturing the seat.
JUBILEE VICTORY
“Even though we were pained, we are celebrating Jubilee’s victory in all counties except three of them. But that anger is now gone and I am going back to the campaigns in full throttle,” he stated.
He was also quick to tear into a fundraising initiative launched by Nasa to finance their campaigns.
Nasa has defended the initiative to collect donations from Kenyans saying it is a globally accepted practise even in developed countries.
But the drive, the President claimed, was a result of draining of funds pilfered from county coffers, specifically in Nairobi, which should have instead been used to launch projects that benefit residents.
SWINDLE
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko who spoke at the meeting said a similar drive started by the same leaders in 2015 to collect money to pay teachers was a scheme to swindle Kenyans of their money and which has never been accounted for.
Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale said Parliament’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee would not delay in summoning Mr Chebukati if he does not work as required of him by the Constitution.
“Our main concern as Jubilee is that we have elections on October 17,” Mr Duale said.
Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen asked Mr Chebukati to resign if the commission is not ready to hold a repeat election.
