If the military has to deployed to man general elections on August 8, approval from Parliament is required, states opposition boss Raila Odinga.
Raila says that deploying KDF soldiers on any assignment without requisite approval from the National Assembly is a violation of the Constitution.
“It is not the responsibility of Kenya Defense Forces to get involved in issues of internal security. The Army is set in place to guard the country against external forces,” said Raila in Vihiga on Saturday adding that, “If the government wants to use the military in the coming elections, they must get approval from Parliament.”
The opposition Chief is taunting government’s move to have KDF deployed across the country to man elections.
Raila claims that manning elections is just a decoy but in the actual sense; the soldiers are part of a plot hatched by Jubilee to rig the polls.
He also said that government has enlisted the support of National Intelligence Service (NIS) to ostensibly rig August polls.
He warned Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery and his Defense Counterpart Raychelle Omamo against allowing officers from their ministries to be used by the government in rigging polls.
“I want to warn the Cabinet Secretary for Defense Raychelle Omamo; please trend carefully. Don’t be tricked into something that does not apply. Let military remain partisan when it to comes to elections.”
But Chief of Defense General Samson Mwathethe has dispelled Raila’s claims stating that the military has not and will not be used by any government entity in rigging polls.