Babu Owino blames Uhuru, Ruto after court orders vote recount

Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino has put a blame on President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto after the High Court ordered a vote recount in his constituency on Monday 12 February.

The legislator claimed that the Uhuruto duo has an interest in having the vote recount in his constituency.

“I know it is in Uhuru's and Ruto’s interest in having a by-election in Embakasi east. Instead of wasting time recounting all votes in Embakasi east constituency in which they have messed with the ballot boxes, why don’t they order for a by-election because either way they have the judge in their pocket. I will still win with a bigger margin. They can go to hell,” Babu Owino posted on his Facebook page.

Justice Joseph Sergon ordered for the recount after Jubilee Party candidate, Francis Mureithi, filed the petition against Babu Owino on September 7, 2017 challenging his win on the August 8 election.

The Embakasi East Returning Officer Nicholas Kipkorir Butuk told the court that the form used to declare the winner was missing.

“During the final stage of the tallying process, I realized that form 35C which is used to declare the winner, was missing. I had to look for it first but Babu Owino got impatient and went crazy. I was under pressure but I would not have announced different results because he was still the winner from the results we tallied,” said the returning officer.