Cord will seek the orders of the court to reverse the decision of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission made last Saturday.
The Cord team of lawyers led by Lands minister James Orengo, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo, Medical Services Minister Anyang' Nyong'o and former Attorney General Amos Wako accused IEBC of frustrating their access to information.
“Even after the High Court ruling that IEBC furnishes us with the required materials to build our case, the commission has continued to frustrate our right to access crucial information that we require. It is shameful that the commission is violating the constitution by returning us to the old dark days,” said Mutula.
The four are Senators- elect for Siaya, Makueni, Kisumu and Busia respectively. Cord had requested copies of statutory forms 34, 35 and 36 and the final voter register to file their case. According to Mutula, the documents have been altered by the IEBC.
“This amounts to post election rigging. Frustrations by way of blocking access to information constitutes an act of concealing public information which is criminal in nature,” he said.
The Elections Act of 2011 stipulates that election results should be counted at the polling stations upon the close of business and the results transmitted electronically to the national tallying center.
A copy of the results, duly signed by the respective parties, should have been pinned on the door of each polling station for the purposes of transparency.
“From what we are getting, it is like the commission never had a proper poll register. There are three different versions of voter registers doing the rounds and such inconsistencies should be answered by the IEBC,” Orengo said.
Wako reminded President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta that he should slow down his public engagements until the court delivers its ruling. “The transition in developed democracies like the US demands that the president- elect assumes a lame duck role until he is properly sworn in to office,” said Wako.
Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto have been actively preparing to take up the reins of government since last Saturday.. They have already met security chiefs, the business community, trade unions, the finance minister and Treasury officials. Yesterday they were scheduled to meet Agriculture ministry officials.
“Giving security briefings and Treasury workings to someone who has yet to take an oath to defend the country’s secrets and uphold its constitution is strange and wrong," said Mutula. -The Star
