President Uhuru Kenyatta should take responsibility over the ongoing protests against the electoral body IEBC, notes Prof Nyachieo Bogonko.
The protests staged by opposition Cord have allegedly led to the death of three people, leaving scores of other civilians and police officers injured.
But Bogonko who spoke to the reporter on Wednesday said the president had ‘powers’ to convene a dialogue to solve the IEBC stalemate rather than relying on constitutional means.
“We all understand the process of removing the officers but extraordinary situations requires extraordinary measures and this is what the country is in,” he said.
“The President should take full responsibility over the protest because he has powers to convene dialogue with the aggrieved party. He cannot watch police killing people yet he is the Head of State who is mandated to protect lives of his people,” Bogonko added.
He said President Kenyatta should heed to calls from opposition to have a national dialogue over the reconstitution of IEBC to avert further damages to the country.
“Raila Odinga had written to him and that is a fact. They are top leaders in the country and I don’t think having a cup of tea to discuss the IEBC is a big issue. The President has got this wrong and he should fully take responsibility over the chaos,” he said.
Bogonko urged the President to mobilize his side of the coalition to support removal of the commissioners to combat fierce rivalry between government and opposition which have been witnessed in the recent days.
“He can as well talk to his coalition MPs to accept changes in IEBC now that one team is not comfortable. Kenya belongs to all of us and that must remain in our hearts,” he said.