At least two of the victims were shot dead, reports said, while others may have been stoned to death by a mob.

Riot police were present but did not use any live rounds, a police spokesman said, blaming the deaths on the crowd.

The supporters of the opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) had gathered to welcome home its leader, Raila Odinga, from an overseas trip.

On Monday, the Supreme Court is due to rule on the legality of last month’s re-run election, won by the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta with 98% of the vote.

The vote was widely boycotted by the opposition and denounced by Mr Odinga as a sham. He went away on a 10-day speaking tour in Europe and America after withdrawing from the election.

On Friday, Mr Odinga’s convoy snaked through Nairobi to avoid security forces who tried to block off routes to public grounds where a rally could convene, the BBC’s Tom Oladipo reports from the city.

Demonstrators threw stones in response. A police truck was set on fire. Police spokesman George Kinoti said in a statement that officers had used only teargas and a water cannon.

“No live fire was used,” he said. “We are however aware that sections of the mobs accompanying the Nasa convoy, looted property and five persons were killed by stoning in different incidences after having been caught stealing by enraged crowds.”

Mr Odinga has called for a “national resistance movement” to “restore democracy” following last month’s vote, in which turnout was only 39%.

“Today is the day we are launching Kenya as a third republic,” he said from his car on Friday, to cheering supporters.

“What you have seen is a signal that a third liberation is coming soon,” he added.

–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya election: Five dead as Raila Odinga returns home appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Uhuru Kenyatta won last week’s re-run of the election, after the Supreme Court declared August’s poll invalid.

President Kenyatta said on Monday that he did not agree with the new election law, however he did not send it back to parliament.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga pulled out of the re-run, calling it a “sham”.

The Supreme Court said there had been “irregularities and illegalities” in the original poll, which was also won by Mr Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga said the necessary reforms had not been put in place before the re-run, which was boycotted by his supporters.

Mr Kenyatta won 98% of the vote in the re-run, with turnout at just under 39% – less than half that recorded in August’s vote, according to the election commission.

Among the changes in the new law is a clause forbidding any court from invalidating election results for non-compliance with any laws, if this “did not substantially affect the result of the election”.

When taking the unprecedented step to annul the August election, the Supreme Court did not make any mention of whether the overall outcome had been affected, but it said the correct procedures had not been followed.

Another change makes it possible for the head of the election commission – the IEBC – to be replaced by a deputy or another member of the commission if the position becomes vacant.

Just days before the re-run, IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati said he could not guarantee a credible vote, and criticised political parties for interference in the process.

A senior member of the IEBC also fled to the US in the days before the re-run, saying she had received death threats. Roselyn Akombe claimed the IEBC was under political “siege”.

The amendments have been condemned by the opposition as well as Kenya’s foreign allies.

Because Mr Kenyatta did not send the bill back to parliament within two weeks, it automatically became law.

–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya election law amendment takes effect appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In its statement on Friday, the EU particularly took issue with declarations made by a section of politicians against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warning that such reckless utterances “could have an adverse effect on its ability to fulfill its Constitutional mandate”.

The statement also raised concerns about proposed changes to election regulations, the EU saying such modifications should not be carried out.

“Unreasonable demands, threats of boycott or attempts to change electoral regulation are to be avoided,” the communiqué read.

The union urged both the Jubilee Party and National Super Alliance (NASA) to take engagements with the electoral commission seriously and support the poll agency as it prepares for the fresh presidential election scheduled for October 26.

“All parties should seriously engage with the IEBC in a dialogue about processes and procedures, and support its work as it prepares for the new election,” the EU urged.

Equally, the U.S. State Department in a separate statement issued Friday warned politicians against unwarranted attacks on the electoral commission.

In the brief authored by the Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Bruce Wharton, the U.S. urged the political class to cease from making unreasonable demands on the IEBC and instead embrace dialogue to iron out contentious issues.

“While we support freedom of speech, baseless attacks and unreasonable demands on the electoral commission are divisive,” Wharton’s statement read.

“We fully support the commission’s efforts to engage leaders and parties in dialogue, and urge all to participate openly, seriously, and in good faith,” he added.

The U.S. State Department also discouraged changes to electoral laws ahead of the fresh presidential election.

“Changing electoral laws without broad agreement just prior to a poll is not consistent with international best practice, increases political tension, and undermines public perceptions of the integrity of the electoral process,” the statement read.

Kenyans were also urged to reject violence and instead use “the opportunity for the fresh poll to inspire and shape the future of the African continent”.

In light of the bi-weekly NASA demonstrations, the U.S. encouraged security services to exercise utmost restraint while quelling riots and ensure their response is “proportionate and appropriate”.

–

Source: Capitalfm Kenya

The post EU, US warn Kenya against election boycott threats appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Supreme Court annulled the result of the 8 August poll after finding irregularities and declaring it “neither transparent or verifiable”.

The electoral commission had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by a margin of 1.4 million votes.

A re-run, originally scheduled for 17 October, will be held on 26 October.

Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Keriako Tobiko, asked the police and anti-corruption agency to investigate whether any electoral or criminal offences had been committed by members of the electoral commission.

He asked investigators to examine allegations that two senior opposition officials had gained illegal access to the commission’s servers.

Although no individual had been blamed, he added, this did not prevent the court from ordering an investigation.

The electoral commission (the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) had announced that Mr Kenyatta had won 54% against opposition leader Raila Odinga’s 44%.

But Mr Odinga, of the National Super Alliance, went to court insisting that he had been cheated of victory.

Supreme Court judges concluded that Mr Kenyatta’s re-election was “null and void” and took the unprecedented step of annulling the result on 1 September. They ordered a re-run within 60 days.

The court’s full judgment accused the electoral commission of having failed to run a legal or constitutional poll.

In response, the commission said it needed more time to address the issues that got the first vote annulled and it imposed a delay of nine days.

Mr Odinga has said he will not take part in new elections unless members of the electoral commission are replaced.

Mr Kenyatta has described the Supreme Court’s decision to annul the original poll as a “judicial coup” against the people.

Observers fear that Kenya’s political temperature is rising, reviving fears of political violence.

Around 1,200 people died in clashes after the disputed 2007 presidential vote.

–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya election: Chief prosecutor orders inquiry into electoral commission appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Last week, the Supreme Court annulled August’s election result saying the electoral commission (IEBC) had not followed the constitution.

Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner by the IEBC.

The court said a new election needs to be held by 31 October.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Odinga said that the fresh vote must held in an environment where everything that went wrong can be corrected.

“We know exactly what transpired in these last elections, we know what the IEBC did and we know that if we were to go back there will be no different results and that’s why will say there will be no elections on the 17 October,” he said.

Mr Odinga’s opposition Nasa alliance went to the Supreme Court to challenge President Kenyatta’s win arguing that the results had been tampered with during transmission from the polling stations.

They alleged that someone gained access to the IEBC’s computer servers to tweak the results in favour of Mr Kenyatta.

The court found that, among other things, the IEBC had committed “illegalities” in the transmission of results. But as it has not released its full ruling it is still not clear exactly what went wrong.

The Supreme Court said on Friday that it would make its full ruling public within 21 days.

Mr Odinga wants the IEBC to strictly follow the constitution’s guidance on conducting elections.

He also wants some of the commissioners to be sacked, alleging that they are partisan, and he is pushing for access to IEBC’s electronic voting and result transmission system.

Mr Odinga criticised the IEBC for announcing the new election date saying that opposition parties had not been consulted.

Nasa sent a letter to the IEBC arguing that the date for the fresh election “should be a product of consultation with concerned parties and not a unilateral decision”

The opposition leader alleged that the election date was set by the governing Jubilee Party.

Mr Odinga also faulted the IEBC for saying that the new election will just be between him and Mr Kenyatta. There were eight candidates on the ballot paper in August.

“The entire election was cancelled by the Supreme Court,” he said. “So it means that you do a repeat of the presidential elections afresh.”

For his part, President Kenyatta said last Friday that while he respected the court’s annulment of the election he disagreed with the decision.

Speaking to supporters later that day, at an impromptu rally in the capital, Nairobi, he described Chief Justice David Maraga as a “crook”. On Saturday he vowed to “fix” the Supreme Court if he was re-elected.

–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya election: Raila Odinga threatens re-run election boycott appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Wafula Chekubati also confirmed that only President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga would be on the new ballot.

Mr Kenyatta had been declared the winner of last month’s vote.

But Mr Odinga complained of widespread irregularities and the Supreme Court declared the first poll void.

The decision is the first time in African history that a supreme court has upheld an opposition challenge in a presidential election and ordered a re-run.

In a ruling on Friday, Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August election, in which Mr Kenyatta won 54% of the vote, had not been conducted in accordance with the constitution, declaring it “invalid, null and void”.

They said that some members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had committed “irregularities and illegalities” in the transmission of results.

The opposition demanded that some IEBC officials be removed to ensure that the problems are not repeated in the second ballot.

In the shock verdict, the court said it would give further details about the decision within 21 days.

IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati said it was “imperative that a detailed judgement… is released in order to allow the commission to identify areas that require improvement”.

After the Supreme Court’s decision Mr Odinga called the electoral commission “rotten” and called for its members to resign and face prosecution.

He hailed the decision as a “a historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa”.

It is the third time Mr Odinga has disputed national election results, having also lost against the sitting president in 2007 and 2013.

Mr Kenyatta initially called for calm after the decision in a television address, but later referred to the judges as wakora (meaning crooks in Swahili), saying they had “decided to cancel the election”.

The decision to only include Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga on the ballot has been controversial, with at least one of the six other candidates threatening legal action over their exclusion.

The poll had raised fears of major violence similar to that following a disputed vote in 2007, when post-election violence left 1,200 people dead.

Although the unrest after this year’s vote was not as serious as that in 2007, days of sporadic protests left at least 28 people dead.

–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya election: Date set for Kenyatta-Odinga re-run appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Coincidentally, the head of a group of the election observers is reported to be our own John Dramani Mahama whom activists of free, transparent and fair elections, and anti-corruption crusaders had accused during the 2016 Presidential election in Ghana of using his appointment powers under Articles 43 and 70 of our Constitution for a rigging agenda. Having won the 2012 Presidential elections by a razor thin edge vote of the Ghana Supreme Court, he was cynical in advising the losing party in the Kenyan elections to concede defeat or challenge the results in the Kenyan Supreme Court, in the belief that once incumbent Presidents are declared winners of an election their Supreme Courts normally docilely endorse the declarations of the Electoral Commission even in the face of the glaring rigging of the election.

John Dramani Mahama had benefitted from such a situation in the Presidential petition of 2013 and cynically thought his good friend, the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, whom he had invited as the special guest of honour during Ghana’s independent Celebrations in 2016, would have the benefit of the docility of the Kenyan Supreme Court just as he was the beneficiary of Ghana’s razor thin edge Supreme Court decision in 2013. I also have no doubt that John Dramani Mahama’s cynical advice to Mr. Odinga was informed by past decisions of the Kenyan Supreme Court where incumbents have been declared winners of the Presidential elections and his personal experience in Ghana.

By breaking the cycle of automatic endorsement of rigged elections in favour of incumbent Presidents in Africa, the Supreme Court of Kenya has made not only Kenya but the whole of Africa proud in showing that there are Supreme Court Justices who will maintain their oaths of office to do justice even if the heavens fall.

The Kenyan Supreme Court decision annulling the Presidential elections and ordering a new one within 60 days is just an interim but welcome victory for those of us who believe in free, transparent and fair elections in African constitutional democracies run under a regime of good governance and the rule of law. Kenyans need the support of the whole of Africa and the world in general to re-run a successful free, transparent, and fair election within the next 6o days.

The incumbent Kenyan Government’s responsibility in this regard is very onerous but the condemnatory pronouncements of President Uhuru Kenyatta against the Supreme Court at a rally on 2^nd September 2017 do not appear to help the situation. I can personally understand his pain in the annulment of the flawed elections since I went through worse losses in the 2000 Presidential elections in Ghana with the late Prof. Atta Mills. But Kenyatta ought to remember that the hallmark of a good sportsman is his ability to accept temporary defeat. In the Kenyan case there is another chance for both alleged winner and loser within the 60 days election and who knows upon whom success will shine.

The Kenyan Supreme Court decision is a land mark decision in Africa and must be acknowledged without any attempt to intimidate the Court. I salute the justices of the Supreme Court of Kenya for a bold and unprecedented decision. May other Supreme Courts or Constitutional Courts in Africa be bold to follow such independent steps in the future where the facts dictate similar outcomes.

–

By: Martin A. B. K. Amidu

(Citizens Vigilance for Justice)

3^rd September 2017

The post Martin Amidu writes: Congratulations to the Kenyan Supreme Court appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This is great news for a country that has gradually moved from autocracy to democracy. By this judgement, Kenya, has set the pace for entrenchment of justice and democracy, while providing lessons for autocratic countries that are yet to experience democracy in any form.

The election and the court’s judgement in itself have presented very critical lessons that cannot be ignored.

Supreme Court’s cojones: The Supreme Court’s judgement that saw an annulment of the election is very impressive. It is historic. Never has an African court invalidated a presidential election. In Ghana, the then Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party , Nana Akuffo- Addo lost the election petition case filed in 2013, after losing to then President John Mahama in 2012. Zambia’s Constitutional Court also dismissed the petition filed by the opposition’s United Party for National Development (UPND) against the re-election of President Edgar Lungu. In 2016, the Ugandan Supreme Court dismissed Amama Mbambazi’s petition against the election of President Museveni. The same apex court dismissed Besigye’s appeal against Museveni’s election both in 2001 and 2006.  In most cases, there are needless delays in the dispensation of electoral disputes which have become an albatross in the electoral process in many African countries.

Odinga’s resilience rewarded:This was actually Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga’s fourth attempt at the presidency and the second time of filing an election petition. Taking a decision to contest an election for four consecutive times is not an easy task. Odinga however decided to toe this path despite the tendency of losing to his opponent. And when he lost this year’s election, he refused to back down and just like he did in 2013, he went to court one more time to challenge the results. His resilience is indeed an inspiration.

Role of international observer missions: The critical role international observer missions play in elections cannot be overemphasized. Their accounts on elections are mostly held in high esteem since there is the firm belief that they are objective and fair.  In fact , the mission for US NGO , the Carter Centre’s positive assessment of the 2017 Kenya election was used in the court. It is therefore necessary for international observer missions to exercise restraint in passing premature judgement on elections as this could possibly set the precedent for violence.

The IEBC’s role: The court had stated that the election was marred by not only irregularities but also illegalities and was not conducted in accordance with the constitution. If it is subsequently established that the results were tampered with then the IEBC officials should be held responsible. It would be inexcusable for a body tasked with the responsibility of facilitating free, fair, credible and verifiable elections to be compromised. Hacking claims by National Super Alliance (NASA) should be thoroughly investigated.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Marian Ansah writes: Lessons from Kenya’s election appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr Nyenze had just won the Kitui West parliamentary seat and the then young Administration police constable was picked as one of his security aides.

Like hundreds of police officers attached to members of parliament as bodyguards, Mr Mbai’s daily routine included escorting Mr Nyenze from his residence to Parliament and to his various engagements as a cabinet minister.

The job involves accompanying one’s subject wherever he goes including public meetings, and spending long hours idling in cars as the leaders engage in debating chamber or close door meetings, sometimes late into the night.

However, beyond the call of duty and unknown to many, Mr Mbai who was yesterday declared the MP elect for Kitui East constituency had a burning desire to emulate his boss by joining the hallowed corridors of the National Assembly as elected member.

The allure of power and privilege that comes with being an elected MP must have fuelled the ambition of the man who grew up herding goats in remote and windswept Zombe area in Kitui County to join elective politics.

Political debut

And with his successful political debut, Mr Mbai will now join the man whom he used to provide sentry duties from 1998 to 2002 as equals, after both were elected members of 12th parliament.

Mr Mbai won on Jubilee ticket in a region dominated by the Wiper party beating the incumbent MP a retired military officer Major (rtd) Marcus Mutua Muluvi by a wide margin.

He garnered 14,256 votes against his closest rival Militonic Kitute of Narc party who got 10899 votes. Major Muluvi of Wiper party came a distant fourth with 5436 votes.

After Mr Nyenze lost in the 2002 elections, Mr Mbai was redeployed to provide the same security services to Dr Alfred Mutua after he was appointed the Government spokesman.

He served as Dr Mutua’s bodyguard and trusted aide for close to ten years until he quit government service to contest the Machakos governorship.

In 2013, Mr Mbai resigned from the police service paving way for Dr Mutua to appoint him as one of his chief officers – a senior rank in county government which is equivalent to principal secretary in national government.

–

Source: nation.co.ke

The post Kenya election: MP’s bodyguard wins Parliamentary seat appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Chief electoral officer Ezra Chiloba told reporters the systems were not compromised at any point.

He spoke out after presidential candidate Raila Odinga rejected provisional results indicating a strong lead for President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The opposition’s claim led to sporadic outbreaks of violence.

Mr Chiloba said his team had “established that the claims being made could not be substantiated”.

He added: “I wish to take this opportunity to confirm that our elections management system is secure. There were no external or internal interference to the system at any point before, during or after the voting.”

His comments were made amid repeated calls for calm. Many fear a repeat of the violence after the disputed election 10 years ago when more than 1,100 Kenyans died and 600,000 were displaced.

After this year’s vote, two protesters were shot dead in Nairobi, where police also fired tear gas at crowds who burned tyres and blocked roads throughout the day.

The city’s police chief Japheth Koome said the young men had tried to “attack our officers with pangas (machetes) and that’s when the officers opened fire on them”, according to news agency AFP.

Regional police chief Larry Kieng also confirmed to AFP officers killed two men in the western town of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold.

They were allegedly part of a gang which attacked a vote tallying station, stabbing one man. The motive was not known.

Raw polling data published on the website of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says that with almost 97% of results in, Mr Kenyatta – who is seeking a second term – is leading with about 54.3%, to Mr Odinga’s 44.8% share of the vote.

These suggest Mr Kenyatta is heading for a first-round victory.

However, the results have not been certified officially by presiding officers of polling stations.

But Mr Odinga said in a tweet that his party’s own assessment put him ahead of Mr Kenyatta.

He alleged hackers had gained access to the IEBC computer system by using the identity of the commission’s IT manager, Chris Msando, who was killed last month.

Observers from the African Union and the European Union among others issued a joint statement urging political parties “to use the legally provided channels of dispute resolution in case of any dissatisfaction with the process”, adding that police should “avoid excessive use of force”.

They also said the IEBC should carry out the tallying process “with full integrity and transparency”.

The commission has not said when it will publish the final results. Legally, it has to announce the results within seven days of polling stations closing.
–

Source: BBC

The post Kenya poll officials deny hacking claim appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.