Inside Africa – EU urges Kenya to publish all election results

The European Union’s election observer mission in Kenya is calling on the government to promptly publish all results forms of the disputed August 8 vote.

Opposition candidate Raila Odinga has claimed that the election was rigged in favor of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who won a second term.

The EU statement also urges any candidate with a grievance to “provide clear evidence” and use legal channels.

Kenya’s Interior Minister Fred Matiangi has stopped an attempt to de-register two civil society groups that pointed out anomalies in last week’s presidential election.

The National Non-governmental Organizations Board has said it de-registered the Kenya Human Rights Commission and called for the arrest of the directors of the Africa Centre for Open Governance. Both groups monitored the elections in which President Uhuru Kenyatta won a second term.

In a statement on Wednesday, Matiangi said a committee will be formed to look into allegations that the two groups had tax compliance issues and one was not registered. He also ordered that no action be taken against the groups for 90 days.

Civil society activists say Kenya Revenue Authority officials and police have raided the offices of a group that found anomalies in the recent elections in which President Uhuru Kenyatta was re-elected.

Maina Kiai, a former expert for the United Nations on the rights to freedom of assembly and association, said on Wednesday that the raid comes a day after a request by the government’s body to oversee non-governmental organisations to arrest the board of African Centre for Open Governance saying they were not registered.

Kiai said the Africorg is not registered as non-governmental organisation but as a company which falls under a different oversight authority.

Kiai said the government is acting “like people who have stolen,” elections.

A top Kenyan electoral official, among those who oversaw this country’s disputed presidential election, has been stopped from traveling to the US, Kenyan officials said on Wednesday.

At least 24 people have died in protests opposing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election although international observers saying the official results, which show Kenyatta trounced veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga with more than 1 million votes, are credible.

Electoral commissioner Roselyn Akombe was stopped by security agents from boarding a flight to New York late on Tuesday, said the officials who insisted on anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Her luggage was offloaded and she was told to seek clearance to travel from the director of immigration, said the officials. Akombe, who is a dual US and Kenya citizen, was not given any reason why she stopped from boarding her flight, said officials.

The electoral commission later said Akombe who was to be traveling to the US for an official meeting was delayed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by officials who have since apologised. She was to board a connecting flight to the US on Wednesday morning more than 10 hours later, said the officials.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has rejected the official results of the presidential election which show he lost to incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta. Odinga claims that the vote was rigged.

Soure – News24