President Kenyatta in his campaigns in Murang’a on Wednesday accused Opposition leader Raila Odinga of practicing a brand of politics aimed at dividing Kenyans along tribal lines/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 22 – President Uhuru Kenyatta will on Thursday lead Jubilee campaigns in Nyeri as the National Super Alliance campaigns in Kitale.
The opposing teams are as is the nature of politics, are expected to trade accusations touching on incitement and rigging.
President Kenyatta in his campaigns in Murang’a on Wednesday accused Opposition leader Raila Odinga of practicing a brand of politics aimed at dividing Kenyans along tribal lines, with Odinga accusing him of conspiring to rig the August General Election through the printing of ballot papers.
Odinga has also accused the Kenyatta administration of seeking to use the military to unfairly secure a victory in the August polls.
As accusation and counter-accusation are flung, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has complained of getting caught in the middle of the mess.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati on Wednesday pleaded with the parties to cease and desist with the inflammatory, unsubstantiated allegations, particularly Odinga who has claimed that presidential ballot papers have already been printed for use in favour of President Kenyatta’s re-election.
Odinga’s ‘Adopt-a-Polling-Station’ strategy where his National Super Alliance plans to deploy five agents to every single one of the over 40,000 polling stations is the most recent point of disagreement.
Chebukati on Wednesday was categorical that their plan to have five agents at every single polling station was a recipe for chaos especially if other parties decided to go the same route.
“So we encourage parties to have one agent per polling station for all their candidates.”
READ: IEBC warns cases threaten poll date, says presidential ballots printing starts July 18
In Nyeri, ahead of the President’s visit, there were already simmering tensions between the Jubilee Party nominees and independent candidates who’ve pledged fealty to him.
The Jubilee nominees have required of their party leader an endorsement of their election bids while the independents argue that such a move could alienate him from their supporters.
The campaigns take place with Kenyans unsure whether the elections will take place on August 8 as stipulated in the Constitution on account of Odinga’s threat to once again move to court over the awarding of the ballot printing tender to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC which he argues is compromised.
A court action which IEBC warned on Wednesday, could jeopardise the election date.
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