Kenya opposition wants ‘fairness’ in new vote

Bloomberg

Kenya’s main opposition alliance demanded the electoral commission be overhauled and said it wants guarantees on fairness in place
before it agrees to participate in
a rerun of last month’s annulled presidential election.
The five-party National Super Alliance urged the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission to remove six key officials from its secretariat, including Chief Executive Officer Ezra Chiloba, before the vote is held on October 17, alliance leader Raila Odinga said.
Its list of demands includes creating a committee with representatives from the main parties to oversee the preparation, management and conduct of the electoral process, he said.
“There will be no election on the 17th unless the specific demands herein are honored,” Odinga said in an emailed statement. “We demand nothing less than a fully transparent and accountable electoral process.”
Kenya’s Supreme Court on September 1 upheld the alliance’s complaint that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory in last month’s vote was aided by rigging. The shock decision marked the first time a court in Africa has overturned the results of a presidential election. The country is the world’s largest shipper of black tea and a regional hub for companies including Google Inc. and Coca-Cola Co.
The IEBC named a six-member team to run the fresh poll, the
commission’s chairman, Wafula Chebukati, said late in a statement. The group will be led by a project coordinator, Marjan Hussein Marjan, and includes new heads of operations, logistics, training, legal, information technology and the national tallying center, he said.
“I wish to assure all Kenyans of my commitment to ensure that this fresh presidential election is done in accordance with the constitution, the relevant laws and that it reflects the sovereign will of the Kenyan people,” Chebukati said.
The commission had said that it would revise the “operational and procedural requirements for the conduct of the fresh election” soon. The authority is awaiting details
of the court’s judgment “to identify areas that require improvement
in the management of the fresh
election,” it said.