City businessman, Jimmy Wanjigi, has revealed a key role he played in setting up and running the Jubilee and the National Super Alliance (NASA) tallying centres in the 2013 and 2017 elections respectively.
In a candid interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, August 29, the businessman said he was a critical cog in the running of the two tallying centres.
Wanjigi said that during the 2013 General Election, he operated the Jubilee tallying and command centre that was parallel to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) one.
The businessman affirms that from the results they were able to tally, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was declared the winner despite then Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) contesting the results, received more than 50% + 1 vote of the total votes cast.
“Yes I operated it (Jubilee tallying and command centre) and I believe it was successful. But every party and candidate does so. We got returns from our agents. Don’t listen to the rumours. Uhuru won that election. Did you not see the difference in votes? 800,000 votes," stated Wanjigi.
“I believe the competitors went to court and they lost,” Wanjigi, who has declared his interest in the 2022 presidential elections, added.
In 2013, CORD presidential candidate and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, Raila Odinga, moved to the Supreme Court to challenge Kenyatta's victory. However, his petition was thrown out the seven-judge bench led by then Chief Justice, Dr. Willy Mutunga.
Wanjigi further revealed that he run the National Super Alliance (NASA) tallying and command centre during the highly contested 2017 elections. NASA brought together Raila Odinga (ODM), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress - ANC), and Moses Wetangula (Ford-Kenya).
The businessman disclosed that he run two tallying centres; one locally and the second one out of the country.
“This time it was anchored differently because the law had been changed. The polling station of the President, under the law, became the constituency and you had the results that could only be transmitted electronically," he stated.
“It was a lot of work and yes, I ran that centre.” He, however, did not delve into the intrigues of the controversial election which was nullified by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice (Rtd.) David Maraga, leading to a re-run.
The tycoon further explained why he fell out with the President and his deputy in 2017, arguing that he was unimpressed by their policies.
He claimed that in 2015, President Kenyatta and DP William Ruto approached him to undertake whatever projects he wanted, but he declined stating that he wanted nothing, not even one business associated with the Jubilee regime.
Wanjigi lamented that the debt burden was surging and the policies adopted were not in line with their 2013 manifesto.
“I had seen how their policies would impoverish us all. Debt was accumulated in the first term of this regime, not the second. I was among those who raised concerns about the Eurobond,” he stated.
He, nonetheless, clarified that his only interest in presidential elections was offering his problem-solving skills and unifying the country. Business, he stated, can only thrive when the country experiences peace and posterity.
