No repeat poll till our demands are met, says Nasa
Parliamentarians at Okoa Kenya offices in Nairobi on September 13, 2017, during the Nasa Parliamentary Group meeting. Nasa vowed to ensure that the October 17 repeat presidential election will not be held if their concerns are not addressed beforehand. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
By KENNEDY KIMANTHI
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IN SUMMARY
President Uhuru Kenyatta immediately dismissed Nasa’s threat as “continuous antagonising” of Kenyans.
Nasa said not only will it not participate in the fresh election if its demands are not met, but it will also not allow Jubilee to go to the polls alone.
In its nine-page memorandum, Nasa also wants printing of the ballot papers not done by Dubai’s Al-Ghurair, which was contracted in the August 8 elections.
The game of political brinkmanship continued on Wednesday, putting in jeopardy the possibility of holding a peaceful and mutually accepted repeat presidential election on October 17.
The opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa), in a clear hardening of its position, said not only will it not participate in the fresh election if its demands are not met, but it will also not allow Jubilee to go to the polls alone.
It was not immediately clear what the coalition’s principals meant by “not allowing” the repeat polls until their demands — which include sacking and prosecuting elections officials found culpable of bungling the nullified presidential poll of August 8 — are met.
President Uhuru Kenyatta immediately dismissed Nasa’s threat as “continuous antagonising” of Kenyans.
Speaking moments after meeting Abagusii professionals at Nakuru State Lodge, he categorically stated: “We are ready for the October 17 election.”
CHANGES
Caught in the middle, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which must obey the orders of the Supreme Court and hold an election before November 1, has invited the coalition’s leadership for talks over the matter today but Nasa co-principal Musalia Mudavadi said they would not attend.
Earlier Wednesday, Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga and two of his co-principals, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Moses Wetang’ula, were adamant that they will not allow elections to take place without the changes they have demanded at IEBC, accusing some of its officials of being partisan.
But they did not reveal the method they will use to scuttle the election.
Speaking on KTN television on Tuesday night, Mr Odinga had said Nasa had resolved that there will be no election until their demands are met.
LEVEL FIELD
“We are not boycotting the election,” Mr Odinga clarified. “We said we want to participate but under certain conditions that will ensure the election is free, fair and credible.”
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An election requires a contest between parties, added the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader.
“We want to go to an election when the playing field is level,” said Mr Odinga. “Last time, it was not, and the evidence we produced in court was enormous. We are not ready to go back to a charade and would rather have no election.”