The opposition leader in Kenya, Raila Odinga on Thursday called on his supporters to demonstrate nationwide over proposed changes to the country’s election laws.
The Kenyan parliament is in the process of revising the election laws ahead of the October 26 re-run presidential election following the nullification of the August 8 poll won by incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.
Key among the proposals being made through the motion is to have the counting and transmission of election results carried out manually and should be considered the primary mode of conducting elections.
That will mean that electronic system as was used during the previous election would be a complementary arrangement and not primary.
National Assembly passed the motion for these changes to be discussed despite resistance from opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) MPs.
Nasa MPs argued that any changes to the elections law ahead of the October 26 election would compromise its credibility.
A meeting on Thursday between the opposition, the ruling Jubilee party and the electoral commission hit a snag when the Nasa officials walked out of the deliberations.
Speaking at a news conference in Nairobi, Mr Odinga said the proposed changes were an attack on democracy.
He called for bi-weekly demonstrations starting next Monday and Friday to register their displeasure.
“I call on this generation to resist, to rise up and resist. We are calling our people to action,” Odinga said.
Kenya’s Supreme Court on September 1 annulled the results of the presidential election results citing irregularities and violation of the constitution by the electoral commission.
By a majority decision, it ordered fresh elections within 60 days. The electoral commission first scheduled the re-run poll on October 17 but had to push it further to October 26 to correct its management procedure for an improved electoral process.
Source: Africafeeds.com
