Deputy President William Ruto has reportedly written to the United States and United Kingdom governments urging the two superpowers to ensure the 2022 presidential election in Kenya is free and fair.
For a number of months, state officers working in the government have been bragging about how they will rig the election in favour of opposition leader, Raila Odinga, since they have state machinery to manipulate the polls.
Cabinet secretaries and Principal Secretaries in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government are already in campaigns and this, according to DP Ruto, is against the constitution.
Ruto, who is United Democratic Alliance party leader, in a letter to the two governments, expressed his reservations with the inclusion of powerful CSS in the IEBC’s preparation of the elections.
The two; Fred Matiang’i (Interior) and Joe Mucheru (ICT), are members of the multi-agency team set up last week to oversee the poll preparations.
Ruto argued that Matiang’i has no business advising IEBC on anything as the commission is an independent body that knows what it needs from the ministry and doesn’t need to be advised on the same.
“In this regard, is it the Interior CS who should tell the IEBC what it needs as security support for the electoral process or it is IEBC which should define the level of support it requires to conduct the elections?” Ruto posed in a letter signed by UDA secretary-general, Veronica Maina.
Ruto further said Matiang’i and Mucheru have already announced that they will support Raila Odinga and this shows that the 2022 poll will not be free and fair because the two have already taken a political side.
