NASA must follow due process of law in row

A few days ago, Kenyans from all walks of life trooped to polling stations to elect their leaders who will govern them for the next five years. This clearly demonstrates their commitment to protect, uphold and defend the Constitution. As a result, the conspiracy theories of some politicians, who appeared to have sensed defeat and wanted the polls postponed, did not bear fruit. In 2007, Raila Odinga ran for presidency. After losing in the disputed polls, he called for mass action, saying the courts were too compromised to handle a presidential election dispute. The sad memories of what transpired thereafter are still fresh in our mind. Is NASA laying a similar ground? The tone of the statement he released after the results of August 8 polls started trickling in raised questions about his commitment to a peaceful resolution.

Some of the key questions that Raila did not answer clearly were: Do you expect NASA supporters to heed your call to remain calm when you have already told them not to accept the results? When you claim the electronic result transmission and tallying systems had been hacked, where is evidence? If you dispute the poll outcome, the law requires you to file a petition at the Supreme Court, will you follow the law? In trying to justify that the electoral system was hacked, NASA displayed some documents written in technical language. As such, it is hard for ordinary Kenyans to know whether the contents were factual. Again, NASA did not disclose where it got the documents. If the alliance wants Kenyans to believe them, one would expect them to parade presiding and returning officers to confess that results relayed were altered.