We are not shaken by court ruling on ballots, say NASA leaders

 

NASA leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka addressing a campaign rally at Kiusyani market, Lower Yatta, in Kitui County on July 20, 2017. [Paul Mutua, Standard]

NASA leaders have said they were not shaken by a Court of Appeal ruling allowing a Dubai-based firm to print presidential ballot papers.

Presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka said allowing Al-Ghurair to print the ballots did not sway their resolve to win power.

The two who spoke at Kiusyani Market in Kitui County said they had confidence Kenyans would vote for NASA and the coalition's candidates in the August 8 elections.

They said they had put in place measures to ensure there would be no rigging.

"Kenyans have lost trust in the Jubilee government and that is why despite the ruling, we are going flat out to win this election. The measures we have put in place will ensure results reflect the will of the people," Kalonzo said.

Raila said they had already picked a team of agents who would keep vigil at each of the 41,000 polling stations.

The agents will be tasked with collating votes cast in favour of NASA and relaying them to a parallel tallying centre that NASA will set up.

"Out agents will be keen and their work will be to count our votes. We shall win this time round," said Raila.

While rallying the Kamba community to come out in large numbers and vote for NASA, Raila said: "At 8am on August 8, Kenyans led by Joshua and Caleb, will cross River Jordan, and by 10am we will enter the city of Jericho before storming Jerusalem by noon."

Jubilee welcomed the ruling terming it victory for Kenyans who had been apprehensive on whether the country will go to polls next month or not.

"Kenyans have had to suffer relentless court cases and conspiracies from Raila Odinga and his cohort against the elections. The people of Kenya will be having an election on August 8," Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju said.

Tuju criticised Raila and his team, accusing them of relentlessly attacking and discrediting the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission, for their own selfish gains.

Greatest reformers

"The fact that we have been made to witness, for over a year, the ramblings and trickery of Raila trying to discredit the elections in a last-ditch attempt to grab power is a sad reflection of a man once considered one of Kenya's greatest reformers," he said.

Dr Ekuru Aukot, the Thirdway Alliance presidential candidate, backed the ruling, saying: "Bearing in mind time constraints on IEBC, the anxiety this matter causes to the public, as well as the non-negotiable need to hold a timely election on August 8 in compliance with the Constitution, Thirdway Alliance supports the electoral agency."

[Additional reporting by Lucas Ngasike and Roselyn Obala]