President Uhuru Kenyatta finally held a meeting with Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati at his Harambee House office yesterday. The Head of State had shunned a previous meeting called by IEBC, preferring instead to send his deputy, William Ruto.
All along, the contention has been that Jubilee had no issues with the electoral commission as long as it conducts repeat presidential elections in a manner prescribed by the Supreme Court.
In spite of the cloud of anxiety hanging over the elections, it has been difficult for the IEBC chairman to bring the main contenders; Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, to a roundtable discussion table mainly due to their mistrust of each other and hard-line positions adopted by their lieutenants.
The resignation of IEBC Commissioner Roselyne Akombe, who had fled the country to the US fearing for her life, appears to have thrown IEBC and the country into a spin.
A day after Akombe’s resignation confirmed that indeed, the Commission is sorely divided and that those divisions could undermine the delivery of a free and fair election.
One wonders what other warning the leaders will heed.
Be as it may, the contested 2007 presidential election results offers us sobering lessons; that a mishandled election can lead to conflict and bloodshed the strict adherence of the law notwithstanding. At yesterday’s meeting with Chebukati, President Kenyatta reiterated his earlier call; that elections must go on as scheduled.
On the other side of town, NASA was preparing for mass demonstrations starting today. Nobody can begrudge NASA members their right to hold demonstrations as long as they don’t infringe on the rights of other Kenyans going about their business.
Because it has no demands or conditions on IEBC, the Jubilee Party feels that it is okay for the elections to go on despite the misgivings from NASA. Whatever the case, both Jubilee and NASA owe the country a sense of magnanimity.
This is no time to moralise about the Constitution. After all, the law was made for man: it should work for all Kenyans, not the other way.
The law spells out when elections must be held; it also gives the right to demonstrate. None of them should be to the detriment of the country.
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