KENYA: Lawmakers protests, demands resignation of election officialsKENYA: Lawmakers protests, demands resignation of election officials
KENYA: Lawmakers protests, demands resignation of election officials
Opposition lawmakers in Kenya boycotted parliament opened on Tuesday by President Uhuru Kenyatta to partake in a rally calling for the immediate resignation of election officials before a re-run.
Speaking at the rally held in Kibera, the capital’s largest slum, Kalonzo Musyoka, running mate of Kenyatta’s presidential rival Raila Odinga, rejected the October 17 re-run date unless officials on the election board, whom they blame for mishandling the polls, resign.
“Now we are putting it squarely to you that the Supreme Court of this country has found you incompetent,” he said.
However, Kenyatta after opening parliamentary session delivered a thinly veiled warning to the opposition lawmakers who had chosen to stay away from parliament.
“My government will not tolerate anyone intent on disrupting our hard-won peace and stability. Under no circumstances must Kenyans ever allow our free competitive processes to become a threat to the peace and security of our nation,” he said, to foot-stamping and cheering from ruling party legislators.
“We shall continue to encourage vibrant democratic competition; we shall not allow destructive division.”
Last week, Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati revealed that key personnel for Kenya’s presidential re-run have been appointed meaning that different staff will be in charge of the Oct. 17 re-run of the presidential election.
Chebukati revealed in a statement that it had appointed for three months a project coordinator and officials to run the information technology, logistics, operations and training as well as the national tallying centre during the re-run.
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