A section of Kiambu Town locals have rubbished threats by the opposition to boycott the 2017 general elections if the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will be overseeing the elections.
The locals said that opposition leaders are not sincere and should stop threatening and intimidating the electoral commission.
“We are used to opposition threats and that this time round should make true their threats and boycott the 2017 elections,” said Emmanuel Mburu, a resident in Kiambu town.
Mburu said that issuing threats was not the right way of handling issues and urged the opposition to seek dialogue with IEBC.
Geoffrey Kimani, a bodaboda operator at Kiambu town accused the opposition of trying to intimidate the electoral commission
He said that opposition should be realistic and dialogue instead of giving ultimatums and threats.
On Saturday, Coalition for Reforms and Democracy threatened to boycott the 2017 general elections if IEBC commissioners will still be conducting the polls.
The Coalition leaders said that IEBC was not suited to oversee the 2017 general elections.
Speaking at a rally held at Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi on Saturday, Cord co-principal Raila Odinga said that they have no faith in IEBC.
Raila stated that IEBC has been manipulated and is being controlled by the Jubilee government. “We will not go to the elections if the electoral commission is not reconstituted,” said the ODM leader.
Odinga’s views were echoed by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka who said that there is need for reconstitution of IEBC.
The former Vice President said that the current IEBC is not neutral and is being allegedly controlled by external forces.
“If you want to know that IEBC is not suited to conduct the next general elections why have they not explained to Kenyans why the BVR kits failed to work during the 2013 general elections,” he said.
Musyoka said that the electoral commission will still repeat the same mistakes if allowed to conduct the 2017 elections.
Speaking at the rally former deputy speaker Farah Maalim said “We must take the advice being given by a section of churches and observers that IEBC is not suited to oversee the next general elections.”
Maalim regretted that he was part of the team that endorsed the current IEBC commissioners.
“I often ask for God’s forgiveness because by then we didn't know that the people we were endorsing to head IEBC were crooks,” added the former Lagdera MP.