Kenya Kwanza yesterday told Azimio coalition not to take part in the August elections if they had got cold feet.
Deputy President William Ruto, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential candidate said his Azimio competitor Raila Odinga had sensed defeat and wanted to make the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) the scapegoat.
He was speaking in Marsabit where together with other Kenyan Kwanza-allied politicians, they have been for two days.
“We are telling them that they must make up their mind whether they want to participate in the next elections. If not, let them stop giving threats and ultimatums,” Ruto said at Loiyangalani in Laisamis Constituency. “It is like they have forgotten the IEBC is an independent institution that cannot work under the whims of anyone. It cannot take instructions from any candidates neither can it be blackmailed.”
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He added that Kenya Kwanza fully accepted that IEBC had the mandate to run this election and that the commission had already set the game for August 9.
He said it was ironical that Azimio is crying foul over preparedness for 2022 when all along they had exhibited confidence that this was their election for the taking.
“They said they have the Deep State and the system. Now they are the ones making noise. They must understand that it is not a must that one man must be in this election,” Ruto said.
Azimio has recently complained about issues they claim could derail a free and fair general elections.
But Ruto said it was Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) that had gone to court in 2017 to demand an electronic register only for them to move goalposts in the present circumstances by demanding a manual register.
