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08:15, 20-Oct-2017
Kenyan main opposition leader meets electoral chief
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Kenya’s main opposition leader Raila Odinga on Thursday met with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati ahead of a planned presidential repeat election scheduled for next week.
According to Musalia Mudavadi, a fellow principal in the NASA opposition coalition, the meeting was about knowing the recent developments in the commission.
The East African country has been engulfed by political uncertainty since the September 1 nullification of the presidential vote by the Supreme Court.
The court cited malpractices in the tallying and transmission processes, ordering a repeat within 60 days of the ruling.
The opposition then demanded reforms at the IEBC, particularly taking aim at some staffers it accused of being behind the malpractices.
Last week, Odinga withdrew from the race, saying he would not participate in an election overseen by the IEBC as is currently constituted.
On Wednesday, October 18, one of the eight IEBC Commissioners resigned, saying the body was “under siege.”
Commissioner Akombe tendered her resignation from the US, where she had flown to after making a visit to Dubai, to oversee the ballot printing process.
“The resignation of Roselyn Akombe and Chairman’s [Chebukati] statement that IEBC cannot guarantee credible elections on October 26 is extremely serious development in our country. This informed our meeting as it points out to our previous concerns,” Mudavadi said after the Thursday meeting.
The ruling Jubilee Party is adamant the election will go on as scheduled.