NASA principals Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila odinga and Moses Wetangula during a rally in Kisumu on Thursday, August 3, 2017. [Photo: Raila Odinga/ facebook.com]
The National Super Alliance (NASA) has cancelled the adopt a polling station model, which the opposition coalition planned to employ in protecting presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s votes on August 8.
Under the strategy, NASA had planned to select five youth to guard polling stations in all the 290 constituencies to ensure opposition votes are not stolen.Addressing residents of Kibos in Kisumu County on Thursday, Raila’s running mate and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka told opposition supporters to cast votes, retreat to nearest market centres and monitor people who wouldn’t have voted.He said youth should encourage opposition supporters to go to polling stations to vote.Kalonzo said the opposition is aware of an alleged scheme by acting Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i to use police to cause havoc in polling stations in the pretext of maintaining peace.“I want to tell you to cast your votes but don’t go home,” he said.“Go to market centres stay there until voting is over. Return to the polling station and oversee the process of vote counting. We have information the police will use teargas to scare our supporters and ensure they don’t vote if you remain at polling stations,” he added.NASA has been at loggerheads with Matiang’i over the legality of the ‘adopt a polling station’ scheme.Until Wednesday NASA maintained opposition youth would be deployed at polling stations to protect Raila’s votes “from being stolen like in 2007 and 2013”.Matiang’i on Wednesday after holding a meeting with county security chiefs said police will decisively deal with voters who will remain at polling stations after casting their votes.