Police beat up a civilian at a past confrontation [PHOTO/hrw.org]
NASA flag-bearer Raila Odinga has spoken of an alleged plan by the government to curtail campaigns by the opposition.
Speaking on Sunday after receiving clearance from the IEBC to run for president, Raila said that the Jubilee government was preparing a well authored scheme to use force on opposition candidates and their supporters.
“On behalf of our supporters, I have serious concerns about the use of security forces during this period, particularly to try to intimidate and interfere with the normal campaign.
Raila said that Jubilee was also plotting to arrest opposition leaders and their supporters on the pretext of fighting hate speech.
"We are also concerned that hate speech is going to be used as an excuse to try to muzzle people from campaigning peacefully,” he said.
Raila also challenged the commission to ensure thy deliver free, fair and credible polls, assuring the IEBC that they will in turn concede defeat should they lose in a fair contest.
“We . . . don't want to have a situation where we have to go to court to contest the results. We are going to cooperate with the Commission during this challenging electioneering period,” he said.