NASA MPs sign affidavit to support Raila swearing in

Controversy is brewing in the National Super Alliance over claims that the coalition is forcing its legislators to sign an affidavit pledging support for the planned “swearing in” of Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka on January 30.

In the affidavit, NASA MPs and Senators are required to append their signatures acknowledging Mr. Odinga as the “People’s President of the Republic of Kenya having been duly elected by the people of Kenya on August 8, 2017”.

Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga has however, dismissed claims that the legislators are being forced to sign the document.

“What we did as NASA MPs is to come up with an initiative that will show commitment to our leaders and to the electorate. We want to show our commitment to the course of electoral justice in the swearing in of Raila Odinga. This is voluntary. If you don’t want to sign, you don’t sign. Nobody will be forced,” said Wanga.

She added: “What we are saying is that we have an electorate, they have aspirations and they are going to be looking at their leaders. For those who have lost their way or don’t want to show commitment, the people also have a way of looking at that.”

The affidavit notes that Mr. Odinga was already the “People’s President” having been elected on August 8, 2017 and the October 26, 2017 repeat presidential election was legally void.

“The repeat election for President of Kenya held on 26th October, 2017 was a nullity because they were conducted by an electoral body in contempt of the Supreme Court order which have not been complied with; were not conducted in strict compliance of the Constitution and all the applicable laws: and were not held in 27 out of 290 constituencies in Kenya. Importantly, the people of Kenya had already elected the Rt. Hon. Raila Aomolo Odinga on August 8, 2017,” reads a section of the affidavit.

It further cites: “Had the IEBC complied with the Supreme Court Orders and provided access to the servers, those results would have shown that the winner of the presidential election held on 8th August, 2017 was Raila Amollo Odinga who obtained 8,634,761 (53%) against Uhuru Kenyatta’s 7,675,162 (47%).”

This comes amid heightened concern of emerging cracks in the opposition over the planned ‘oath taking’ ceremony.

Sources indicate that the NASA principals are divided with some opposing the plans to hold the swearing in.

The NASA principals held a crisis meeting on Monday and Tuesday this week to resolve a simmering disquiet in the opposition, with both sessions ending in a stalemate.

The meetings were conducted in high secrecy, with the leaders choosing to hold the crisis talks away from the public eye.