Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has spoken out after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Imran Okoth as the victor in the Kibra by-election.
Writing on Twitter on Friday, Dr Willy Mutunga expressed his deep disappointment with the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.
According to the former president of the Judiciary, the campaigns were no different from the past ones as ethnic divisions took centre-stage instead of policies.
He said that the electoral vices were being committed with the blessings of the handshake.
"How many sins are committed in the name of the handshake? This election reflected, as many others before it, ethnic baronial divisions, the supreme curse of our national promise of democracy," the former chief justice wrote.
Willy Mutunga's intervention is consistent with concerns from other Kenyans who hold the view that the Kibra by-election campaigns were waged along tribal lines and not on substantive policy issues.
There were also the concerns that campaigns were not driven by interests of the residents of Kibra but were rather powered by the supremacy wars between veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and his political adversary Deputy President Dr William Ruto.
The ODM party, which prevailed amid stiff opposition, by and large, sought to woo the voters on the contention that the constituency was Raila Odinga's 'bedroom'.