Why CORD is running scared about elections

Aden Duale

The season of outlandish claims is here. The latest outburst by the Opposition that the government plans to rig the polls falls in this category. The remarks by CORD are, by all intents and purposes, an express admission that it has lost the election long before even a single ballot is cast. By crying foul in advance, CORD is in essence seeking public validation of their imminent defeat. Their assertions should therefore be treated as a concession speech. We would have celebrated CORD’s poorly concealed confession if we did not have a lot to do rather than focus on elections that are nearly two years away. We have promises to honour and are in no mood to party over the woes of a ceaselessly confrontational Opposition. What happened to the political strategy of putting on a bold face even in the face of overwhelming evidence that you are fast losing ground?

It is easy to discern why the Opposition is scared stiff. It would be devastating for ODM, to lose the next polls. It would be even more shattering for Raila Odinga who will have been in the presidential race four times without landing the State House keys. In such utter hopeless situation, you have no choice but to invent all manner of baseless claims as the cause for your failures and inability to project yourself as an alternative government. If CORD came up with these unfounded rigging remarks solely to prepare Kenyans for their imminent resounding defeat, we would not be overly concerned. However, this is patently a barefaced ploy to reject the democratic will of Kenyans in the 2017 polls.