UDA has written to IEBC complaining about the decision by some cabinet secretaries to campaign for Raila Odinga ahead of 2022 elections.
Through its leadership, UDAÂ wrote a letter to IEBC’s chairman Wafula Chebukati demanding that he warns Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru against being involved with the presidential campaigns.
UDA’S Secretary General Veronica Maina mentioned that in the 2017 presidential petition ruling, the Supreme Court held that elections are not an event, but a process beginning with the preparation to the declaration of results and cabinet secretaries should not be part of that process.
Maina said that when the cabinet secretaries openly declared their support for the ODM leader, they interfered with the election process while calling upon them to resign.
“The stand of the two CSs has compromised the offices they hold and they should resign and engage in a full-time election campaign,” part of the letter read.
Maina further complained that the Cabinet Secretaries are part of a multi agency team planning for a free, fair and transparent General Election, yet the Constitution only allows the IEBC to oversee and conduct elections and accused them of being intruders.
“IEBC is an Independent Commission which, pursuant to Article 249 of the Constitution, should not be subject to direction or control by any person. In this regard, is it the CS Interior who should tell IEBC what it needs as security support for the electoral process or it is IEBC that should define the level of support it requires to conduct the elections?” Maina posed.
“How are the other candidates and Kenyans supposed to have faith in a constitutional commission that is being run by the two partisan CSs? On this one, IEBC is playing on dangerous grounds and it must stop forthwith,” the secretary general went on.
She further questioned whether IEBC will hold a credible election if the two cabinet secretaries openly declared their support for the former prime minister.
“To what extent are Kenyans guaranteed that elections next August shall be free and fair?” the party asked.
Maina also criticized the electoral commission for holding consultative meetings with the two secretaries regarding election preparedness with the aim of achieving a free, fair and transparent election yet they are not mandated to conduct elections in the country.
This comes after Matiang’i , Health CS Mutahi Kagwe and Defence CS Eugene Wamalwa endorsed Raila’s presidential candidature during a fundraiser at Nyamira county last week.
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