Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has written a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon seeking a meeting to discuss Cord's weekly anti-IEBC protests and pertinent issues touching on electoral reforms in Kenya.
Kuria, in the letter dated 22nd May 2016, tells Moon that the anti-IEBC protests being held by Cord leaders and supporters were each day turning violent and are slowly dividing Kenyans along tribal and political divide.
The outspoken Jubilee lawmaker accuses Cord principals Raila Odinga, Moses Wetangula and Kalonzo Musyoka of threatening the unity of Kenyans.
Below is the letter in full;
“Mr Ban Ki Moon
Secretary General
United Nations
New York
22nd May 2016
RE: REQUEST FOR A MEETING IN NEW YORK TO DISCUSS THREATS TO REGIONAL PEACE & SECURITY POSED BY KENYAN OPPOSITION LEADERS RAILA ODINGA, KALONZO MUSYOKA AND MOSES WETANGULA
The above subject matters refer.
As a legislator in the national assembly, I would humbly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and exhaustively discuss pertinent issues touching on electoral reforms in Kenya.
The electoral reforms agenda in Kenya has always been an emotional and divisive issue; due to the nature of our Kenyan politics and the fact that we are a growing democracy. It is electoral disputes that almost tore the country apart threatening to make Kenya a pariah state in 2007/08.
In the last few days, we have seen a section of Kenyans led by Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga together with his colleagues in the CORD Coalition (a minority coalition in the national assembly) take to the streets demanding electoral reforms. We are well aware of their constitutional right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition but we are getting concerned on the nature, process, procedure and the outcome of those protests. The protests are each day turning violent and are slowly dividing Kenyans on tribal and political divide. They are at best threatening the fragile unity that Kenyans enjoy today.
The purpose of requesting a meeting with you is to help you understand how electoral reforms can be carried out in Kenya through the laid down legislative mechanisms as provided for by the Kenyan constitution. I will be glad to take you through on how we ended up having the current electoral reforms, how the commission was put in place and how the commissioners were appointed highlighting key roles played by former President H.E. Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga.
We fully concur that electoral commission's leadership must be broadly acceptable but we fully believe that this can be achieved through dialogue and within our Constitution. As Kenyan citizens we have a responsibility to build trust in our democratic system and to find ways to ensure the electoral and judicial institutions are strong and effective. We need to strengthen institutions, not destroying them.
What Hon. Raila Odinga is doing is to destroy Kenyan institutions that he played a great role in setting up. We all know that he is not after any electoral reforms, since he is well conversant on how such reforms can be achieved, but is using the same to set stage for confrontational and divisive politics that may most likely breed violence in 2017 with the hope that he will get sympathy from international community and force another grand coalition government where power will be shared. His intention is to be in government through the backdoor and if we allow this to continue we will be killing our growing democracy. This is a path we went through in 2007/08 and the script is the same.
Hon. Raila Odinga is known to met violence to any slight opposition especially when it threatens his political survival. In 1996 when Hon. Raila Odinga wanted to topple Kijana Wamalwa from the chairmanship of Ford Kenya, he hired goons who disrupted the meeting then held in Thika Municipal Stadium. The same was seen when he realized that his stooge would not win during the recent ODM elections. He unleashed his goons, popularly known as men in black, who interrupted the elections allowing his to do what he loves most. Engage in a shared leadership arrangement..
There are also several instances we can enumerate how the former Prime Minister has tried to rule the country through unconstitutional means. For instance, in 1982 it is believed that he was the mastermind behind the clamor by a section of the military to topple the then President Moi’s government. Though the coup was aborted there are Kenyans who lost their lives, others were maimed, injured, property looted leading to one of the worst economic period for Kenyans.
During the 2007/2008 Post election violence close to 1300 Kenyans died, 600,000 were forcefully displaced and or evicted from their homes. This was a result of a disputed election where Hon. Raila Odinga bitterly complained that his election was ‘stolen’ and was not willing to seek any constitutional mechanism to solve the impasse. His failure to observe constitutional mechanisms prompted, the already politically poisoned communities, to engage in mass action that led to deaths. Prior to the elections the then Presidential candidate had engaged in divisive politics that led to hatred among communities. He had discredited all constitutional institutions that would act as arbiters during that election and hence set them up for rejection in whatever outcome that would not favour him.
After the 2007 electoral disputes there are Kenyans who were charged at the International Criminal Court and this may have put Hon. Raila Odinga at bay in regards to 2013 elections that were concluded without any violence. His fear was that any violence would lead him to ICC. Now that the cases are over, we are seeing the true Raila Odinga doing what he does best. Incite masses, cause intolerance, discredit institutions, brew hatred and cause political intolerance. He knows that this is his last chance and not even ICC can stand on his way. The trend he has taken is the one he took prior to 2007 elections and the results are there for us all to see. His intention is to create confrontational politics and poison the political temperature brewing hatred between communities and law enforcement institutions with the sole intention of justifying that the leaders running the government are not tolerant and they actually took part in the planning, organizing and execution of PEV in 2007. His entire goal is to have the entire ICC review its processes and have the ICC Kenyan cases revived. This will allow him eliminate political competition and give him advantage of ascending to the presidency.
The above issues are what forms the basis of our meeting where I will be able to show how Raila uses divisive politics to force himself into ‘shared’ government and why he is willing to use the IEBC as a platform to advocate his political greed. I will also explain how his other mechanisms have failed and or failed to gain traction and why IEBC is his last hope!
I appreciate if we can meet at a mutually convenient time to talk and it is my hope that your busy schedule will allow you to meet with me. I am readily available and can be reached through my personal mobile. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from your office.
Sincerely,
HON MOSES KURIA
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR GATUNDU SOUTH
NAIROBI KENYA”
The Cord leaders have maintained that IEBC, led by Chairman Issack Hassan, cannot hold credible elections in 2017.
They say they will boycott the polls if the commissioners don't resign.
The leaders are accusing IEBC of colluding with Jubilee coalition to rig the polls.