After the was said to be fair, free and credible election repeat in Kenya, a Kenyan politician appeared in the Supreme Court on Monday 6, November, to say that the election process was the opposite.
The petition was filed by Harun Mwau, a former Kenyan legislator, who claims that he and his team have enough evidence that the repeat polls that Kenya held on 26 October, and the same that Uhuru Kenyatta was once again announced the winner by 98%, was not credible.
It is explained that the Supreme Court that comprises of seven judges, has 14 days to listen to the petition and make a final ruling about Mr. Kenyatta’s win. It is still said that if the Court will nullify the repeat polls’ results, then Kenya will have to re-hold elections and redo the process, within 60 days.
However, if the results will be upheld, then Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta will have to be sworn in as President elect on November 28.
Earlier in the day before the petition reached the Supreme Court, a coalition of civil society groups said that they were being targeted by the government to prevent them from petitioning and lodging cases against the 26 October election.
‘They are trying to attack everywhere to see who is preparing to go to court so that they stop it,’ said Tom Oketch, Secretary General for the Coalition for Constitutional Implementation.
Following Kenya’s this year elections, this is the second time Mr. Kenyatta’s presidential win is being petitioned.
It is remembered that Kenya held her original election polls on August 8, where the main competitors were Uhuru Kenyatta from Jubilee Party and Raila Odinga from the NASA Party.
According to the then IEBC results, Raila Odinga lost to the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta. Mr. Odinga petitioned the results in the Supreme Court with enough evidence that the Court nullified the August polls and on September 1, the Court ordered an election repeat.
The Supreme Court explained to have sighted irregularities and illegalities in the August polls’ results.
However, in the new polls that were on October 26, Mr. Odinga pulled out of the race after the IEBC failed to make the reforms he had sought for, for him to participate – he claimed.
The October polls were held despite a lot of difficulties whereby some counties didn’t cast votes because they barred the electoral commissioners from reaching their areas, following Mr. Odinga’s boycott request – reports showed.
After the recent petition has now been tabled challenging the October polls, the World now waits to see what happens next.
Reporter: Shamilah Namuddu
