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Bloomberg
The Kenyan government denied a claim by the main opposition group that it’s planning to use force to rig next month’s election and keep President Uhuru Kenyatta in office.
The National Super Alliance said on Friday it had “concrete evidence†of an “audacious plan†to subvert the August 8 vote. The ruling Jubilee Party has “clearly recognized†it will be defeated and is organizing for “regime-friendly†army officers to implement plans including cutting power and water and “militarily isolating†some settlements on election day, the opposition group said in an emailed statement, citing alleged confidential documents.
Kenyatta accused the opposition of fabricating reasons for the election to be delayed, the Daily Nation reported. Addressing a Friday rally in western Kenya, he warned them against “dragging our highly respected and disciplined security forces including the Kenya Defence Forces and Kenya police into petty politics,†the newspaper said.
Kenya, East Africa’s biggest economy, has faced questions about the credibility of its past two elections, with a dispute over the outcome of a presidential vote in December 2007 triggering two months of ethnic violence that left at least 1,100 people dead. Opposition candidate Raila Odinga has warned of possible violence if the election is seen as rigged. Kenya has never had a successful military coup.
The opposition group cited documents it said “indicate that very large numbers of officers and soldiers will be participating in the plot,†including new troops being trained at barracks.