By our reporter
As the election re-run process still goes on in several parts of Kenya, it seems Raila Odinga, the main opposition leader has successfully managed to register the biggest electoral boycott in the country.
Yesterday, while addressing his supporters at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Raila said the National Super Alliance (Nasa) had transformed from a political coalition to “a resistance movement”.
The opposition leader, who has since pulled out of the repeat election, asked Nasa supporters to boycott the electoral process thus urging them to instead hold prayers away from polling stations or stay at home as the country holds what he termed as a “sham repeat presidential election”.
He reiterated his call to Nasa supporters to not to stage street demos on the election day, warning that that government had deployed police “to kill” them.
Now, some good hours have passed and it seems, a number of voters have obeyed his call since the turn-up is so low even in the areas earlier viewed as Uhuru Kenyatta’s strongholds.
Some polling stations in opposition strongholds did not open on Thursday, while voting in Kenyatta’s hometown of Gatundu and other areas was marred by heavy rains and power cuts.
Supporters of Raila who has lost three previous elections claiming fraud in two of them, blocked roads leading to some polling stations in Kisumu to prevent residents from voting.
Officials cited fear of attacks for the failure to deliver voting equipment to some polling stations in the region which remained locked and chained up to date.
The Kenyan Supreme Court in August cancelled the election of President Uhuru saying it fell short of the principles in the constitution of the Republic of Kenya. The court gave the electoral body IEBC to organise another election in two months.
However, the 60 days have been charaterised by a lot of drama including counter accusations at the IEBC, as well as the opposition’s NASA calling for the resignation of the entire electoral body management who they fault for organising the rigging of their victory in August.
NASA leader Raila Odinga also shocked Kenya and the world when he pulled out of the election, saying he cannot be party to a process he does not believe in. He called upon his support to shun the process.
The poor showing up at polls and the IEBC poor management of the process poses questions on the legitimacy of the process and it waits to be seen if no one will come out to challenge the October 26 polls as more illegitimate than the August one!
