Jubilee Party led by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday filed a contempt of case against opposition leader Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka on their party’s call to boycott elections.
The case was filed in the Supreme Court of Kenya a day after NASA flagbearer Raila Odinga called for nationwide demonstrations on election day which he dubbed ” the mother of all demos”.
According to Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju, Nasa principals have been in contempt throughout the entire period since the apex court ordered fresh presidential elections to be held within 60 days.
Tuju also cited that Nasa sympathizers and their leaders have continued to obstruct training of IEBC officials in NASA strongholds.
Jubilee also said in a statement that President Kenyatta might choose to meet with IEBC chairman Mr. Wafula Chebukati, but it should be clear that the meeting can only be general without any talks on ”changing anything on the election”.
In a statement, the president had earlier said that election issues can only be resolved by the court and not through dialogue between the commission and the candidates.
“As a referee, he (Mr. Chebukati) cannot call the teams and ask them: Hey guys, when do you want us to hold the elections? What rules should we use? In other words, there is no room for dialogue,” Mr. Tuju said.
Tuju emphasized that IEBC has no mandate to consult the candidates, adding that “it has to hold elections without consultation with anyone”
Earlier this week, Raila told Financial Times that he’s ready for dialogue. Deputy President responded saying they are open for dialogue too, but it has to be after the elections.
“The president and the Nasa candidate do not have the power to define the rules of the game. Where there is doubt or ambiguity, it is the duty of the Supreme Court to address it,” said Tuju