US ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec (behind the mike) speaks to the
press at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi on October 02, 2017. DENNIS ONSONGO
| NATION MEDIA GROUP
Diplomats
have asked Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and the National Super
Alliance (Nasa) presidential candidate Raila Odinga to stop playing
political games and undermining the electoral commission ahead of the
repeat presidential elections.
They also warned that
hardliners and inciters on both sides of the political divide could be
sanctioned by their countries, travel bans and denial of visas included,
if they were seen to be advocating violence and spreading hate speech.
Specifically,
they were critical of the attempts to make changes to electoral laws,
just days to the repeat poll and demands for staff changes at the
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“It
is international best practice not to make changes to electoral laws
without broad political agreement. If everyone were to agree on changes
that needed to be made, that would be fine but at the moment, we would
encourage everyone to look at international best practice and work
together to bring the election and make it free, fair and credible and
peaceful and hold it in the constitutional manner,” said US ambassador
Robert Godec.
The opposite
The
14 envoys spoke of their concerns after a meeting with the IEBC
leadership headed by chairman Wafula Chebukati, with commissioners
Consolata Maina, Roselyn Akombe and Richard Kurgat present.
They
said, in a statement read by Mr Godec, that while it was time for both
sides to show leadership, strengthen Kenya’s democracy and build the
country’s international prestige, the opposite was being done by the
political leaders.
“The “Election Laws Amendment Bill,”
for example, puts at risk the IEBC’s ability to conduct a better
election within the mandated 60-day timeline, and unnecessarily
increases political tensions,” they said.
Their problem with the bills is their timing so close to the elections and the lack of agreement.
“Wise
reforms to an established electoral process take time. They require
thoughtful reflection and broad agreement from all parties.
Well-established international best practice is to avoid changes to
electoral rules just prior to an election,” they said.
RELATED STORIES: Kenya opposition poll protests leave one dead
The
bill in Parliament has been sponsored by the governing Jubilee Party
and its existence was the reason for the collapse of talks between them,
Nasa and the IEBC at the Bomas of Kenya on Thursday last week.
Introduction
of the bills drew attention away from the Opposition’s many demands on
the IEBC, making them Jubilee’s political weapon against their rivals.
The
envoys said “the growing political demands, inflammatory rhetoric, and
boycott threats undermine the IEBC’s ability to carry out its
constitutionally-mandated job to hold a new election.”
“For
example, if IEBC personnel are to be removed, it should only be done by
the appropriate authorities and be consistent with the law and relevant
regulations,” the envoys said.
Watching carefully
Nasa
has since the day of the decision of the Supreme Court been on a
crusade against the IEBC and has singled out members of staff, with
chief executive Ezra Chiloba top of the list, they say should be sacked
before the repeat polls.
Asked about the threat to
impose sanctions on some politicians, Mr Godec said: “We are watching
what’s happening and if and when appropriate, we will take steps under
US law to hold people accountable. There are many different potential
measures we can take and I am not going to get into that speculation but
I will say obviously visa bans and other travel measures are one
possibility.”
The European Union’s official, Mr Bruno Pozzi, said they were looking at the situation and had not thought of any measures.
UK’s
deputy ambassador Susan Kitchens was more direct, saying: “We are also
watching carefully and anyone who is found to be inciting or engaging in
violence must be held accountable and that should be done by Kenyan
institutions. We are following too and the UK reserves the right to take
appropriate action which may include refusing visas.”
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