Police tear-gas CORD leaders outside IEBC offices

Security officers and drivers of CORD leaders wash away tear gas with water. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD]

The rainy and chilly day in Nairobi marked the return of the “politics of tear gas”, rekindling memories of running battles that Opposition supporters and police fought during pro-reform protests in the 1990s and the 2008 post-election violence State agencies’ fightback.

Teary and gasping for breath inside the thick searing clouds of crowd-control gas was Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga who, were it not for the terrifying nature of the ordeal, one would say was in familiar territory given his hardened past in similar confrontations with security agencies.

However, also caught up in the melee were the two other CORD co-principals, Wiper Democratic Movement’s chief Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula the leader of Ford Kenya.

Police broke up the protest by Opposition leaders as hard-line positions by rival coalitions pointed to a long-drawn-out controversy over the electoral commission as the clock ticks towards the August 2017 race.

The police lobbed teargas at the CORD leaders and their supporters who tried to storm the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) offices in Nairobi yesterday.

Officers from the General Service Unit, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, regular and Administration Police were deployed outside Anniversary Towers as early as 6am to block the Opposition that wants to force the IEBC commissioners out of office over disagreement in the way that it ruled out their Okoa Kenya referendum initiative.

They sealed off the two main entrances into the building and security guards ensured only authorised persons were allowed in.

Protestors, who had gathered from about 9am, sang in the rain, waved placards and shouted “Hassan must go!” referring to IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan.

CORD leaders arrived at about 1pm and were mobbed by their supporters who attempted to force their way through the closed gates.

“Open or we crush this gate,” the protesters shouted as some threw stones.

Police then lobbed tear gas, triggering a stampede as the politicians were quickly led to their vehicles by their bodyguards, engulfed in the fumes.

After the police dispersed the crowd, Mr Wetang’ula said that they return to Anniversary Towers.

“I can assure you, we will be here again tomorrow (today) and the day after and the day after,” declared Wetang’ula, who sought refuge at the nearby Shell Petrol Station along University Way.

However, head of CORD Secretariat Norman Magaya announced that the original plan was to stage a sit-in at all IEBC offices countrywide every Monday.

“Our plan is to occupy IEBC offices every Monday until the commissioners vacate office. But there are others calling for every day action,” said Mr Magaya.

However, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said that disbanding the commission 16 months to the elections would be impossible.

Mr Duale said that at least eight months would be needed to appoint new commissioners and that these new officials would have little time to prepare for the elections due in August next year. The Garissa Town MP cautioned the Opposition against using what he called unorthodox means that can plunge the country into anarchy, adding that the Constitution provides a procedure for the removal of commissioners.

“CORD has 132 MPs and can follow the procedure of bringing a petition to Parliament stating the grounds for the commissioners’ removal,” said Duale.

He claimed the current commissioners were put in office by President Kibaki and Raila, who then served as Prime Minister in Grand Coalition Government.

Earlier, Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome had warned that they would not allow the planned protest and asked the organisers to seek alternative ways to addressing their concerns.

“The protest will not be allowed and we will use all means possible to stop it. Let the politicians seek other ways of addressing the issues,” warned Koome.

CORD claims IEBC is biased and incapable of conducting credible elections next year. The Opposition cites the rejection by IEBC of their signatures, a move that killed the Okoa Kenya referendum initiative.

But IEBC explains that CORD’s signatures did not meet the one-million constitutional requirement due to double entries and entries that did not match with the voters’ register.

Yesterday, the three CORD principals donning white shirts with the coalition’s colours and national flag’s drove the crowds into a frenzy when they arrived at University Way.

Senators James Orengo (Siaya), Anyang Nyong’o (Kisumu), Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) Elizabeth Ongoro (Nominated) and MPs Tom Kajwang’ (Ruaraka), John Mbadi, Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Fred Outa (Nyando) and Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay Woman Rep) accompanied the leaders to IEBC.

Mr Orengo said that the issue of IEBC should not be treated casually. The 2007 violence, he added, was precipitated by a bungled election by the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK).