Jubilee and Cord in stand-off over IEBC chiefs

Cord Leaders Kalonzo Musyoka (left) Moses Wetangula (center) and Raila Odinga during a Cord Rally at kamukunji grounds on 23/4/16 [Photo:BEVERLYNE MUSILI/Standard]

A major political standoff over the fate of the electoral commissioners is imminent.

While Opposition leaders have vowed to eject the commissioners from office, Deputy President William Ruto has vouched for the independence of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), saying the law is clear on the procedure of disbanding the body.

At a charged rally in Nairobi’s Kamukunji Grounds yesterday, CORD leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula announced plans to forcibly eject IEBC commissioners from office in a process they said begins tomorrow.

The leaders called on Kenyans to turn up in large numbers and join them in a procession to storm the IEBC offices at the Anniversary Towers in Nairobi. They vowed to camp at the offices until the commissioners voluntarily leave office or are ejected.

Raila and his group appeared to have been emboldened by calls from church leaders who on Friday said the commissioners had lost credibility.

The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) warned that going into the 2017 polls under the current electoral team could be a recipe for chaos.

“The church has spoken. They have reiterated what we have been saying. That is why we are now saying (Issack) Hassan has to go,” Raila told the crowd, setting the mood for the opposition’s main agenda of the day.

But speaking in Nyandarua County, where he was flanked by a large number of Jubilee MPs, Ruto gave indications that the Government would not pay attention to any talk of disbanding the electoral body.

The DP said anyone interested in changing the institution should follow the law as stipulated by the Constitution.

“IEBC, just like the Judicial Service Commission, is an independent commission. The Constitution that we promulgated in 2010 has expressly given the process of removal from office of the commissioners. Anyone who wants to do it must follow that process,” Ruto said at Ol Jororok during a fundraiser to buy five buses for schools in the area. (See separate story on facing page)

Responding to threats by the Opposition, IEBC Commissioner Thomas Letangule asked CORD leaders to go slow on threats to storm their offices on Monday.

Letangule said their offices were open to anyone with queries related to elections, and observed that threats should not be used to settle political scores.

Dialogue calls

“We should use peaceful ways to address problems; CORD should not use words like storming offices. That is a crude way of approaching issues, because our offices are open to them at any time,” Letangule said.

To prepare for the meeting, he suggested that CORD should come with a smaller team.

“We cannot accommodate a large crowd of people. Why can’t they come with a few representatives for dialogue?” Letangule asked, insisting that the commission works in a “very credible and transparent manner”.

Announcing plans to storm the IEBC to force chairman Issack Hassan and his team out, CORD accused the commissioners of incompetence.

Raila claimed IEBC had hatched a plot with Jubilee to steal the 2017 elections.

“Kenyans can no longer trust the IEBC because they have indicated clearly that their interests are inclined to the ruling Jubilee coalition. We want it disbanded and a new competent and credible commission reconstituted before we go to the polls,” he said.

However, to demonstrate openness and assure Kenyans that the BVR equipment is in good working order, Letangule said the commission would test the kit in August when funds have been released by the National Treasury.

Raila raised the issue of the BVR kits when he addressed the crowd as Kamkunji and said these kits had been tampered with to rig the 2013 poll.

The former Prime Minister explained that they had chosen the historic grounds to announce their intention to storm the IEBC offices owing to Kamkunji’s significance as it was venue where the liberation struggle was launched .

“This is where liberation begins. This is where we assembled when we started the struggle for the second liberation. That which starts here has proved to always succeed,” he said and insisted that the IEBC as currently constituted could not be entrusted to conduct credible elections, especially after the last poll.

“To date, the IEBC has never given us a report assuring us that the machines can work. We are not fools. CORD will not return to the slaughterhouse again,” Raila said.

Addressing the rally, Kalonzo said the Monday march to IEBC offices would be peaceful.

“We will go there in peace. We will not even carry a stone. If they choose to hurl teargas at us, the world will be watching, but we will not relent on our mission,” said the former Vice President.

The Wiper leader assured CORD supporters that the coalition was intact amid reports of cracks within its ranks as it grapples with who should be its flag bearer in the 2017 polls.

“CORD is still united, we cannot afford to be divided,” he said.

Raila also visited the issue and said the coalition would remain united despite speculation by their political rivals that the coalition was facing a split.

“We have remained united as CORD and CORD will not collapse. We will lead Kenyans to liberate this country from looters and injustices,” Raila said, and warned Jubilee  not to attempt to manipulate the 2017 vote.

Vote manipulation

Wetang’ula likened their calls to disband IEBC to a similar initiated mounted by the Opposition ahead of the 1997 General Election.

Then, the Opposition called for minimum reforms ahead of the polls.

“If we overcame Kanu in 1997, Uhuru and Ruto will not stand in our way. We must change the faces at IEBC,” said Wetang’ula.

The Bungoma Senator wondered why the commissioners had chosen to remain in office when they had been roundly criticised by key stakeholders.

“When people have lost confidence in you and have publicly stated as much, I would expect my friend Hassan to heed the calls and take that bold step and resign. That way Kenyans would remember him forever,” said Wetang’ula.

Senators James Orengo, Boni Khalwale and Elizabeth Ongoro weighed in on the calls for the commissioners to quit.

“Without reforming IEBC, the next elections would count for nothing,” said Khalwale.

The CORD leaders criticised the Jubilee leadership, and said President Kenyatta and his deputy had failed to provide leadership and noted that over poverty was rampant and corruption pervasive in government.

Raila revisited the Eurobond scandal, and accused the Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge of withholding information.

He said he would not take up the Eurobond issue with Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, whom he said was working on instructions from Jubilee to cover up the scandal.

Renewing their calls from last weekend, the leaders accused Uhuru of denying victims of the 2007/08 post-election violence justice by declaring that Kenyan would not hand over suspects to the ICC.

Additional reporting by Protus Onyango and James Munyeki.