Deputy President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza has taken issue with President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee administration following the recent arrest of contractors outsourced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to help it with electoral technologies.
In a statement dated Friday, July 22, Kenya Kwanza argued that the government was behind the arrest of three Venezuelans who were found in possession of stickers belonging to the IEBC.
Led by Amani National Congress's Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya Kwanza condemned the act terming it as intimidation of IEBC staff. According to the Ruto faction, the arrest is part of the state’s plan to meddle with the operations of the IEBC and subsequently influence the outcome of the elections.
“They have boasted in the open, not about how people are with them, but rather about how they will employ state power and machinery to win the election. Is this intimidation of election officials part of what they have been cynically talking about?” posed Mudavadi.
Kenya Kwanza questioned the motive of the arrests in what they termed as an indication of the state’s support for Azimio la Umoja One Kenya candidate, Raila Odinga.
The faction further alleged that President Uhuru Kenyatta has resorted to using state machinery as he desperately seeks to help Raila win the elections and stay in power through proxies.
In addition, the coalition has called for zero interference in the undertakings of the IEBC from the government, further urging Uhuru to respect the democratic rights of Kenyans by allowing them to freely elect their leaders of choice.
“We urge him to respect the sovereignty and supremacy of the people, and the sanctity of their will, as expressed through democratic elections. He should now step out of the way and allow the constitution to prevail,” stated Kenya Kwanza.
The coalition further accused the government of doctoring opinion polls in an attempt to demoralize voters who are of a contrary persuasion. According to the Ruto-led coalition, the recent opinion polls are precursors for election malpractices being hatched by their opponents.
“The cynical polls are intended to demoralize voters who are of contrary persuasion. They are also a curtain raiser to other electoral malpractices.”
Kenya Kwanza has also warned state officers against being used in elective politics contrary to their oaths of office. The coalition warned that such officers should face the full wrath of the law for their misconduct.
The leaders further urged Ruto's supporters to ignore attempts to demoralize them and instead remained focused to cast votes in the August elections.
This development comes even as campaigns reach fever pitch. The IEBC has intensified preparations for the polls with only 17 days to one of the country's most contested polls.
