Azimio council wants voter register probed

Azimio La Umoja One-Kenya Presidential candidate Raila Odinga with council members during a meeting at  KICC in Nairobi on Friday, June 24, 2022 [Elvis Ogina,Standard]

The Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition council has directed its Executive Committee to probe the 2022 voter register and file submissions by June 28.

The exercise will be carried out in coordination with the coalition's presidential campaign secretariat, according to council members.

“Our deliberations were arrived at after reviewing various reports regarding the party’s ongoing campaign preparations for the General Election and other matters related to the election,” said Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, the council's Secretary-General at KICC in Nairobi on Friday. 

Junet was in the company of Azimio presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga alongside members including Deputy Party leader Martha Karua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, NARC leader Charity Ngilu, Muranga Woman Representative Sabina Chege, and Taita Taveta MP Naomi Shaban.

The council noted that its Chairperson President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mombasa Governor Ali Joho were absent with an apology.

Kenyatta is in Kigali, Rwanda for the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

In the absence of the President, Raila presided over the meeting in his capacity as the council’s vice-chairman. 

The council tasked each constituent party in the coalition with implementing a strategy that will synergise and strengthen candidates in all elective positions, ensuring the coalition gunners over 15 million votes in the August 9 elections.

Friday’s meeting sought to review, formulate, and ratify the party policies to ensure the coalition gets the majority of the seats in both houses, Parliament and Senate. 
This was the second time the President was convening the meeting after presiding over the first on April 21.

The council’s directive comes after Odinga raised a 10-point demand letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati demanding answers from the electoral agency on measures in place to resolve the issues in question.

Among the issues he pointed out in the letter include; the electronic identification of voters and transmission of results, the integrity of the voter register, information on the audit of the register of voters and measures by the IEBC to ensure there are no lapses in security and logistics during the exercise.

Raila is among four presidential candidates who will meet with IEBC next Wednesday.