CS Mwangi Kiunjuri. [Photo/newsdaykenya]
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri on Saturday said IEBC and the Jubilee Party should appeal a ruling by the Court of Appeal that determined Presidential election results announced by returning officers as final.
Speaking in Turkana County, Kiunjuri said the decision by the Appellate Court will throw the country into chaos if any of the 290 constituency returning officers announce incorrect results.
“If elections are disputed or a returning officer announces results that are not acceptable to either of the parties before that (disputed) case is heard in court, the country will already be on fire,” said Kiunjuri, who has insisted on campaigning for president Kenyatta despite holding a position in which the constitution bars him from engaging in politics.
A section of Jubilee leaders in Turkana, including Senator John Munyes and Turkana North MP Christopher Nakuleu, echoed Kiunjuri’s sentiments adding that the finality of declaring Presidential at the constituency level is subject to manipulation.
“We are giving more responsibility to individuals who can collude to determine the presidential results,” said Munyes.
Nakuleu added the court’s ruling is not in order and must be contested in the highest court in the land.
The Appeal Court on Friday ruled that there are sufficient safeguards at the constituency tallying centres in the form of observers and party agents.
IEBC and Jubilee party, which had hoped for a favourabale ruling, have not indicated if they will be moving to the Supreme Court although legal experts have warned that the time left before the August Election makes it almost impossible for such suit to be heard conclusively because it will most lead to a postponement of the election.