SDA West Kenya Union Conference President Pastor Kenneth Maena says holding the repeat poll tomorrow will infringe on the rights of Adventists to freedom of worship/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27- Pressure is mounting on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati to drop the planned repeat presidential election in the four counties in Nyanza region.
Chebukati announced on Thursday that the Commission will hold repeat polls on Saturday in the counties of Siaya, Homa Bay, Kisumu and Migori.
The Seventh-Day Adventists Church (SDA) is now appealing to the Commission to consider changing the date.
SDA West Kenya Union Conference President Pastor Kenneth Maena says holding the repeat poll tomorrow will infringe on the rights of Adventists to freedom of worship.
“It has to our attention through a media announcement yesterday evening by the IEBC that there will be a national presidential repeat election in the following counties that is Siaya, Kisumu, Homabay and Migori,” SDA West Kenya Union Conference President Pastor Kenneth Maena.
“The Seventh Day Adventist church in Kenya wishes to strongly appeal and object to IEBC consider the change of this date to any other date that will not infringe on the right of the seventh day Adventists and their right of freedom of worship.”
The political leadership in Kisumu led by the county Senator Fred Outa instead has made it categorical that there will be no repeat election.
Outa says it is within the people’s right not to vote and should not be forced into submission.
“There will be no repeat election here and therefore we want to allow the people of this region their democratic right to boycott and we said before, that our people must stay away and they will be continuing away from the polling stations. We do not want the repeat election scheduled for tomorrow,” Senator Outa said.
He called upon the residents of Kisumu to stay away from polling stations.
The legal fraternity in Kisumu city joined the chorus in urging IEBC to shelve their plans for a repeat election in the region.
Former East Africa Law Society President Aggrey Mwamu said the repeat poll should be postponed as holding it will lead to further violence.
Mwamu advised IEBC to go ahead and announced the results minus the four counties and if need be to get an advisory opinion in the Supreme Court.
“We call on the IEBC to postpone any repeat election in the four counties,” he said.
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