Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday called upon President Uhuru Kenyatta to support Cord’s call to have electoral body commissioners sent home over integrity and credibility issues in their line of duty.
Mr Musyoka said, though the president has no constitutional powers to dissolve IEBC, acknowledging that the Issack Hassan team was unsuitable to conduct elections was enough to necessitate disbandment of the “tainted” commission.
Speaking when he met residents of Mui Coal Basin in Kitui County, the former vice president challenged the head of state to prove his commitment to uphold democracy in this country by sanctioning substitution of IEBC’s officials with “new and credible” commissioners.
“For Kenya to hold free and fair elections that are acceptable to her citizenry and the international community, we need an electoral body that is independent and non-partisan as stipulated in the constitution.
“The current commission is compromised and credibility of the commissioners is questionable. We can allow ‘poll thieves’ to continue overseeing elections,” he pointed out.
The Cord co-principal maintained that the opposition would go on with its weekly, peaceful demonstrations outside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission headquarters until the commissioner relinquish their offices.
“Tell the government and IEBC officials that we will be there again on Monday next week and other Mondays after that until they give in to our demands,” Musyoka noted.
He said escalating police brutality against anti-IEBC protestors would not deter their push for the disbandment of IEBC.
“They are bent on silencing our call for civil change but no force can quell our determination to ensure Kenya enjoys free and fair elections in 2017 and beyond,” Musyoka noted.
This comes barely two days after IEBC chair Issack Hassan, in what could be interpreted as bending to mounting pressure from the opposition, declared that only a political deal arrived at after dialogue and made law would allow the commissioners to exit office honourably.
He maintained that, in absence of such a deal, anyone seeking their ouster will have to follow the constitutionally stipulated procedure of a tribunal.
Coalition for Reforms and Democracy leaders and supporters have for three times in the past two months held spirited demonstrations outside IEBC’s Anniversary Towers offices in Nairobi demanding dissolution of the electoral body citing ineligibility of the officials to conduct credible polls.