Raila: Why I challenged IEBC's move to declare Uhuru president

Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses a news conference in Nairobi March 16, 2013. Mr Odinga said he would challenge Uhuru Kenyatta's win in the General Election. He is flanked by Kalonzo Musyoka (left) and other Cord leaders. JENNIFER MUIRURI  

By JUSTUS WANGA
Posted  Saturday, March 16  2013 at  13:57

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has outlined a series of electoral irregularities that informed his decision to challenge the presidential poll at the Supreme Court.

Mr Odinga was quick to point out that he has confidence in the judicial system that Cord believes will adjudicate the matter and serve justice.

“… the one institution in which all Kenyans still have faith is our new Judiciary. It is a faith based on their achievements in the last two years," he said urging Cord supporters to stay calm as the judges handled the matter.

"Your (supporters) commitment to the rule of law and to peace has put to shame the prophets of doom who were convinced the supporters of the declared loser on 4th March would embark on a bloody course," he said during news conference in Nairobi Saturday.

Mr Odinga, flanked by his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka, said there was gross failure on the part of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) leading to the declaration of Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner in the presidential election.

"We spent tens of billions of shillings. And yet every mechanism and every instrument the IEBC deployed failed miserably,” he charged.

Mr Odinga said some of the glaring anomalies observed in tallying included: The result were declared on the basis of unsigned Form 36, multiplicity of Form 36, and variants of entries in some constituencies, alterations on files and brazen disregard by the IEBC of the entries on the files of constituencies which were eventually reflected in the final tally of Presidential election results and which were announced without signed verification Form 34s. DOWNLOAD: (Summary of Raila Odinga petition.)

Mr Odinga said choosing not to object the election was an option he wrestled with for sometime but realised that it would amount to betrayal to democracy.

“I am not challenging the election outcome because I am determined to be declared president but to do otherwise would be betrayal of the new constitution and the democracy given the malpractices,” he said.

And declaring that he would accept the court’s verdict on the petition, the premier called on Mr Kenyatta, the president-elect, to follow cue and publicly state whether he would embrace whatever decision the court will come up with.

“I have repeatedly indicated my commitment to respect and abide by the Supreme Court ruling. I invite my brother Uhuru to publicly do the same. His joining me would strike a huge blow for the rule of law in Kenya and would also immediately reduce tensions generated by this election outcome,” Mr Odinga said.

He claimed as early as February, the IEBC had made numerous alterations to the voter register that it was hard to know exactly which one they eventually used on the election day.

“Between February and March, the IEBC had tinkered with the final register severally, and it is not clear which register was in fact used in the final tallying of votes,” he said.