CORD issues 10-point demand to President Kenyatta, IEBC

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) has reiterated its earlier claims that the government is planning to rig the 2017 elections.

In a statement issued Thursday, CORD stated that a public document released by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in January 2015, shows that Jubilee is hatching a plan to use violence to rig the next elections.

The coalition stated that the utterance by Mombasa politician Suleiman Shahbal saying that Jubilee will use every means to win the next elections, and Deputy President William Ruto’s recent remarks that the government cannot lose the elections are a pointer to an ill motive to influence the polls.

The coalition issued a ten point demand to President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to show their commitment to ensure free and fair elections.

CORD’s 10-point demand

CORD challenged President Kenyatta to assure Kenyans that DP Ruto’s utterances during a visit to Western Kenya last week that “Jubilee has mobilized resources to buy the vote in 2017 and to use State machinery to retain power at all costs” is not that of his government.

They also asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to “publicly tell Kenyans that the remarks of Suleiman Shahbal, that Jubilee will steal or use violence to win 2017 elections does not have his (the President’s) support.”

“We want Uhuru to publicly censure his Deputy and Mr Shahbal for the reckless remarks. Otherwise we will have no option but to conclude these leaders represent the President’s position and that of his government and we, in Opposition, should prepare accordingly.”

CORD called on IEBC to immediately come clean on the number of registration centers for the February-March voter registration exercise and how the centres have been selected.

“IEBC must come out immediately and tell Kenyans the mode of registration; whether it shall be manual or biometric keeping in mind that by law, elections are supposed to be conducted through electronic means,” read the statement in part.

“The IEBC must also come clean on how the registration kits will be distributed across the country. We demand this, well aware that in 2013, the IEBC presided over an overwhelmingly skewed distribution of voter registration kits.”

CORD also demanded that the registration exercise be done electronically with IEBC called on to state the condition of the kits to ensure the kits used in 2013 or a set that is bound to fail is not used.

“We also want the IEBC to explain to Kenyans the logic behind deployment of its officers to regions of their birth. We sense a nasty plan to aid the registration of under-age voters particularly in parts of the country where virtually every eligible voter was registered in 2013 and now has no new voter to add.”

“We call on IEBC to commit itself to conduct free, fair, transparent and open registration and later elections. That process must be seen to have begun with the upcoming registration. We expect nothing less. We shall accept nothing less.”

CORD also called on the President and DP Ruto to commit to the creation of an environment that will allow free, fair, peaceful and credible elections saying they will not accept anything less.

The coalition further called on Kenyans to be vigilant and demand an immediate end to any plans to rig the polls.

The government has however come out to defend itself from the rigging allegations saying the pronouncements are an indication that the Opposition is in panic mode.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Jubilee legislators, led by National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, called on CORD to desist from making inciting statements that may throw the country into a state of disarray.

On Thursday, Deputy President commented on the matter calling on investigative bodies to take action against anyone who propagates hate, regardless of their political affiliation.

By @benjaminwafula