ODM’s response to ECK Explanations Advert

WHY KENYANS SHOULD NOT BE FOOLED INTO RESPECTING ECK’S VERDICT

ANYOONE WOULD THINK, from the ads the ECK and PNU have been placing in the press, that the recent general election went off without a hitch. Do they think Kenyans are stupid and can so easily be taken for fools?

The ECK and PNU have been desperately trying to answer the ODM’s expose of how rigging was done, which appeared in advertisements in the newspapers on January 20.

Where is the story in the ECK advertisement of the way the commission ignored returning officers at KICC, who were frantically trying to say that the results being announced were not the ones they had recorded in their constituencies?

Where is the story about the presidential results being held back while parliamentary results were announced, so that the poll could be rigged when ECK finally knew how many votes should be added to Kibaki’s total in order for him to appear to defeat Raila?

Where is the story of the teargas thrown into KICC’s corridors, and the building plunged into darkness as the power was switched off, and the press, diplomats, foreign observers, candidates and agents evicted, so that the ECK Chairman could hurriedly announce a fraudulent presidential result in secret?

Where is the story of how the Chief Justice and other dignitaries just happened to be all dressed up and ready to swear Kibaki in at State House 20 minutes later?

The military had been practicing at Nyayo Stadium for days, preparing for a joyous national occasion. Why did the swearing-in have to be done in a rush, away from public eyes?

The ECK’s attempted explanation of how Juja’s presidential votes grew from 48,293 announced by the returning officer at the constituency level to the 100,390 announced at KICC IS PATHETIC. Why would a returning officer announce results, convey these to KICC, complete the necessary Form 17a and go to all the trouble of typing an official letter confirming the results – if he knew that more than jhalf the votes in his constituency had not been counted? EVEN THE ECK’S LIES ARE SUBSTANDARD.

As for the statement that ECK officials are trustworthy and would never have tampered with the election documents after the tallying – the ECK CHAIRMAN HIMSELF has said that this has been going on.

And when it comes to the ECK Chairman – we trusted this man. His friendly demeanour, like a kind father, and his silly jokes, made us feel he would always be on the side of truth, would always fight for what was right. We supported the renewal of his contract because we believed he would serve Kenyans with justice.

But he betrayed us, and because of the great trust we reposed in him, Samuel Kivuitu’s betrayal is the worst betrayal of all.

Because of his cowardice and his doublespeak, hundreds of Kenyans have died, hundreds of thousands are homeless, and democracy in this country has been set back more than 20 years.

Samuel Kivuitu and members of the Electoral Commission of Kenya continue to betray Kenyans. The ads they are placing in the newspapers, trying to say that white is black and black is white, are costing more than HALF-A-MILLION SHILLINGS A DAY.

That is OUR MONEY, money paid in taxes by the people of Kenya for the development of this nation, money that could be spent on helping the displaced, paying hospital bills for those injured and shot during protests, and assisting those with terrible burden of funerals to bear.

Instead, this public money is being spent on trying to persuade Kenyans that their very eyes lied to them, that what they actually saw happening at KICC and elsewhere never really took place.

PNU spent hundreds of millions of shillings on advertising before the election. This didn’t persuade people to vote for them. Why do they think ads will change people’s minds now?

If nothing else, Kalonzo Musyoka’s endorsement of this “government” should alert us that something is wrong. This is a man who campaigned on an “integrity” platform. Throughout his campaign, he sneered at Kibaki, said he could never join him, and swore he would never condone an election that was flawed. Later, he said he would never accept the vice-presidency while people were dying. Is no one dying in Kalonzo Musyoka’s eyes?

Kalonzo apparently figured out another route to the glittering prize he so desperately seeks. At that point, ‘integrity’ flew out of the window as self-interest rushed to the door. It’s what you call a ‘jua kali’ miracle – one made by yourself at home. After all, apart from a few token appearances elsewhere, Kalonzo really only campaigned on his home turf, didn’t he? Wasn’t that rather strange for a presidential candidate? Was this a plan they had cooked up long before the polling exercise?

The ECK Commisioners and their backers have no moral or intellectual authority to say anything at all in this country, and they should now all pack up and go home and STOP WASTING OUR MONEY.

The Orange Democratic Movement and RAILA ODINGA.

Committed to respecting the will of the people.



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