Nairobi News

Heads of missions drawn from the United States and European countries have asked the opposition to give the IEBC space to complete its task and make its final declaration of the presidential results.

Led by US Ambassador Robert Godec, the envoys noted that the Kenyan constitution was clear on how electoral disputes are to be addressed.

They warned the opposition against “short-circuiting” or “curtailing” the ongoing result transmission process and urged it to instead support the commission.

“No election is perfect, whether in our countries or in Kenya. A range of international and domestic observer missions have praised the commission for its work in exceptionally challenging circumstances,” the envoys said at a press conference at the National Tallying Centre at Bomas of Kenya.

DECLARE WINNER

The envoys spoke a day after Nasa claimed that its candidate Raila Odinga was the winner of the Tuesday election and asked the commission to declare him the winner.

At a press conference on Thursday, Nasa demanded that Mr Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka be given power because the results being declared are the product of the alleged hacking.

They claimed that Mr Odinga had won with 8.04 million votes against Kenyatta’s 7.7 million. However, only IEBC is legally mandated to declare a winner.

As at 12:30pm Friday, President Kenyatta was leading with 8,174,741 votes (54.25 per cent) against Nasa candidate Raila Odinga’s 6,760,801 votes (44.86 per cent), according to IEBC.

But in their statement, the envoys said there has always been one way to run the elections in line with the Kenya constitution and through the institutions mandated to by that constitution.

“The commission plays the central role. Its independence and its credibility have been, and remain, critical to the success of these polls,” said Mr Godec.

Besides the commission, the envoys observed, the judiciary and many other institutions prepared for the elections.

PROTECT INDEPENDENCE

They said the institutions have worked hard to discharge their responsibilities as they have unfolded, and pointed out that their independence must also be protected.

“If there are disputes the Kenya constitution is very clear on how they will be addressed. Violence must never be an option. No Kenyan should die because of an election. Kenya’s future is more important than any election,” he said.

They reminded all leaders that they had, prior to the elections, declared their aspirations to hold an office established in the Kenya constitution and that each candidate hoped to one day to take oath of allegiance to the constitution as the winner of the election.

“Now is the time for leaders across the political spectrum to demonstrate their commitment to that constitution and to the institutions it creates and the values it sets out,” he said.

“Kenya’s democratic progress has been hard won and must be protected. Democracy is never easy and is always a work in progress.”