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| Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.Ahmed Issack Hassan |
“The era of rigging elections is over,” said Ahmed Issack Hassan, the chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
He was responding to claims by Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s campaign manager, Eliud Owayo, that the heads of the military, the intelligence service and the civil service were part of a plot to rig out Mr Odinga.
Mr Hassan advised presidential candidates to focus on persuading voters rather than on making allegations about rigging.
Government Spokesperson Muthui Kariuki, presumably speaking for Chief of Kenya Defence Forces General Julius Karangi, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, Maj Gen Michael Gichangi and the Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia, described Mr Owalo’s allegations as “reckless, irresponsible and immature”.
Mr Kariuki further said that the claims were a “familiar” strategy to lay false grounds to reject the results of the election in case Cord was defeated.
But Mr Owalo dismissed Mr Kariuki’s statement, saying that he had no mandate to speak on behalf of the three.
He said the issues raised by Cord targeted the three as individuals and not as government officials.
“Let Kimemia, Gichangi and Karangi respond to the issues raised in their individual capacities because they are individually accountable for their actions,” Mr Owalo said.
And in an interview with the Nation, Mr Hassan said the electoral commission had spent millions of shillings on technology which made it impossible to rig the elections.
“Nobody can be able to infiltrate (our systems) and in the way we have planned it, there is no one who can rig elections,” he said and assured all candidates — including flag bearers — that the commission would announce results that reflect the verdict of Kenyans on voting day.
“If there are any complaints, let them be brought to us through the right channels,” he said.
The IEBC boss said preparations for the elections were on course and urged candidates to focus on popularising their bids instead of trading allegations.
On Monday, six planes are expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with the ballot papers.
And speaking to the Nation by phone, Mr Kimemia said he had issued a circular on February 11 warning civil servants to disengage from politics or face disciplinary action.
“I had to issue the circular since Jubilee and Cord presented their grievances claiming we had instructed public servants to campaign for either. This is false,” Mr Kimemia said. “We are professionals and not politicians.”
Department of Defence spokesperson Bogita Ongeri defended Gen Karangi from the accusations by Mr Owalo, saying the KDF chief was a professional soldier who was neutral when it comes to politics.
“Military generals are men of honour and high professional standing who do not wish to be drawn into the sea of politics,” Mr Ongeri said. “They have always embraced KDF values and remained steadfastly apolitical, impartial and patriotic in the conduct of public affairs. They respect order and have high regard to civility.”
However, speaking in Nandi on Sunday, Mr Odinga said Cord was keenly watching the IEBC and asked the commission to ensure that the elections are free and fair.
“We are closely monitoring IEBC with due care so that we do not have a repeat of what happened in 2007. You remember in 2007, I scored a good goal but the referee ECK denied me that goal and instead allowed a goal that had been scored by hand from our opponent,” said Mr Odinga. “We now have a new referee and we are watching him keenly...”
However, while campaigning in Lamu, Mr Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto asked the PM to stop dragging the names of senior civil servants and security officials into the presidential race.
They argued there was no way Mr odinga, as PM, would fail to know what was happening in government.
And in Nairobi, Mr Owalo denied that his allegations of a plot by Gen Karangi, Maj Gen Gichangi and Mr Kimemia were meant to lay the ground for Cord to reject presidential results if the coalition lost.
“What we raised were fundamental issues that should be of concern to the IEBC,” he said.
He added that his team would raise technical issues regarding the elections with the IEBC in a meeting with the commission on Monday. - Daily Nation
