Western envoys plea to Uhuru and Raila

Western envoys in Kenya on Thursday urged President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga to work in good faith with the electoral commission to deliver a better election in October.

The Heads of Mission in Kenya lauded the Supreme Court decision and acknowledged that it was a wake up call for everyone, including international election observers who gave the poll a clean bill of health, to reflect on how to make each election better. As partners, we are doing so and we are ready to assist again.

“Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, the hard work of preparing for a new presidential election begins. We await the Court’s full verdict, but the IEBC under the leadership of Chairman Chebukati has started to make changes,” read the statement sent to newsrooms.

They praised the Supreme Court for the decision to annul the presidential election as historic for Kenya, and the world.

“Kenya’s highest Court delivered a powerful statement about the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. The separation of powers is an integral part of a successful democracy. The Supreme Court’s decision underscores the resilience of Kenya’s democracy, and its commitment to the 2010 Constitution,” the envoys said as they heaped praise on the Justice Maraga led Supreme Court.

In addition, the envoys condemned the death of the electoral commission ICT manager Christopher Chege Msando and the excessive force used by police to quell post-poll protests.

“Kenyans have a right to peaceful protest, and no one should use or call for violence. We strongly urge the security services to avoid using excessive force and to protect lives and property. The police and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) should investigate crimes and reports of misconduct and those responsible for abuses must be prosecuted,” advised the envoys.

FAKE NEWS

The envoys cautioned Kenyans to  be wary of the fake news phenomenon, warning that false news peddlers “deliberately endanger their fellow citizens by playing to fears and stoking tensions.”

The envoys included Robert F. Godec US Ambassador, Mette Knudsen Ambassador of Denmark, Frans Makken Ambassador of the Netherlands, Sara Hradecky High Commissioner for Canada, Fredrik Folkunger Chargé d’Affaires  of Sweden, Florian Gubler Chargé d’Affaires of Switzerland, Nic Hailey High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Victor Conrad Rønneberg Ambassador of Norway, Jutta Frasch Ambassador of Germany, Tarja Fernández Ambassador of Finland, Kim Ramoneda Chargé d’Affaires of France and Quinton Devlin Chargé d’Affaires, Australia.