Pressure is piling on the Kenyan government to hold free, fair and credible polls from the Unites States government.
US Congress on Monday raised eyebrows over what three of its members termed as delays by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
IEBC was accused of failing to test its voting equipment with less than three weeks to the elections.
“Kenya has had two consecutive national elections — 2007 and 2013 — each of which was marked by questionable results and violent aftermaths,” said Representative Eliot Engel, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Engel was quick to note that the delays are forming a cloud which is denting the credibility of elections.
In 2013, the opposition was itchy about technology failure in IEBC’s part and they have over time been lobbying the commission to ensure that a repeat of the same does not happen.
The US Congress now wants active participation by civil society before and after elections. It believes this will help in maintaining a peaceful environment even with soaring political temperatures.
This is part of the resolutions it has tabled for assistance by the State Department and USAID since the US is Kenya’s largest bilateral donor in the election process.
“We’re introducing [these measures] because we consider Kenya a strategic partner for the United States and because of the potential for these elections to have far-reaching implications across the continent,” Engel added.
He challenged Jubilee, NASA and IEBC to ensure that Kenyan citizens get a chance to participate in building the country’s democracy by having credible and undisputed polls.
“We call on the ruling party, opposition parties and the electoral commission to ensure the election is transparent. The United States has long encouraged Kenya’s democratic consolidation and I commend our Ambassador to Kenya, Bob Godec, for his work on this issue in the past five years.”
European Union observers led by Chief Observer Marietje Schaake have expressed fears of violence breaking out during the polls.