Kanu demands meeting to discuss mechanisms for free and fair polls

The independence party, Kanu, has demanded a meeting involving all stakeholders to discuss how to ensure that next year’s General Election is free and fair.

Speaking yesterday, the party’s secretary General Nick Salat (pictured) said the government had the responsibility to bring together all stakeholders to hold discussions about how to forestall violence.

“As a party, we will not allow the government to fool Kenyans when proper checks and balances have not been put in place to ensure there is an independent electoral body,” said the secretary general.

He said all political parties must be represented at this meeting.

“This matter is serious and the Jubilee government should call a meeting of all political players in three months to discuss how to manage credibility issues affecting two key institutions— the electoral body and Judiciary,” said Salat.

He said Kanu supports demands by the umbrella body of the churches for an overhaul of the national electoral commission ahead of next year’s polls.

Salat said the issues raised by the churches were weighty and deserve immediate attention.

He pointed out that irregularities in Kericho’s senatorial by-election demonstrated that the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC), as currently constituted, had no capacity to oversee fair and transparent elections.

“We raised the issue of IEBC’s conduct during the Kericho senatorial by-election. It is good now more people are seeing that we were right,” he said.

In March, Kanu rejected the results of the Kericho senatorial by-election which was won by Jubilee’s Aaron Cheruiyot and went ahead to release a dossier demonstrating what it said were massive irregularities.

Yesterday, Salat urged the Judiciary to up its game ahead of the elections so that it could win the confidence of Kenyans.

On Friday, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) demanded for electoral reforms, a new Supreme Court and public testing of all electronic equipment to be used in the General Election set for August next year.

Led by NCCK Secretary General Peter Karanja, the council called for adequate preparations so that elections are free and fair .