By Pharis Kinyua
Calls for NASA to seek legal redress over Presidential election results impasse have heightened with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres making a similar call to NASA.
Former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan has also made a similar call in a separate statement.
Guterres through his spokesperson Stephane Duiarric, urged NASA principals to restrain their supporters from violence which has broken out in Kisumu, Mathare and Kibera.
“The Secretary-General calls on the political leaders to send clear messages to their supporters urging them to refrain from violence,” read part of the statement posted in UN’s website.
Guterres underscored the need for dialogue between the winners and the losers of the polls saying it will ease tension.
This is amid reports of violence in NASA strongholds.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 24 people have so far lost their lives in violent confrontation with police since the poll results came out.
The supporters of Raila Odinga are protesting IEBC’s declaration of President Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner of the polls.
Raila maintains that results announced were not correct. He said their tally has different figures from those announced by IEBC.
UN has since engaged disputing parties to remedy the situation that may spill out of control.
“The United Nations, in close collaboration with the African Union with other multilateral and bilateral partners, is fully engaged with Kenya’s political leadership and relevant stakeholders to facilitate the successful conclusion of the electoral process.”
Annan congratulated Uhuru for his win and hailed him for making effort to reach out to Raila.
He called on Raila to revert to legal channels to address his concerns with the results of Presidential polls.
“I urge him now to pursue his concerns over the electoral outcome through the due process of law and to put the interest of the nation first, as he has patriotically done on past occasions,” said Annan as quoted by the Star.
NASA through its lead counsel James Orengo on Friday ruled out the possibility of challenging the election results at the Supreme Court.
He said the matter now lies with the court of public opinion.