The evidence emerging supports my suspicions that ODM was clearly out to deceive the world that it won the elections. It did not. This is probably because it got over confident.
Evidence emerging suggests blatant elections malpractices in ODM strongholds and a deliberate attempt by ODM agents in other parts of the country to delay the announcement of results by unnecessary and persistent protests.
The evidence also makes a mockery of journalists who assumed that a “deeply flawed election” means that the government rigged itself back to power. Flawed means it that the election was characterized by blunders. These blunders are not necessarily one sided. In fact the conclusion that the government stole the election is a misrepresentation by the media. The statement, as framed simply implies that both sides of the political divide tinkered with the results.
According to a document purportedly written by the World Bank country Director in Kenya, a re-tallying of the votes on the night of December 29, at the request of ODM established blatant electoral fraud in 14 ODM strongholds in addition to other electoral malpractices. ODM requested the re-tallying alleging that PNU (Kibaki) strongholds had registered suspiciously strong voter turn out.
At this meeting at the electoral Commission’s offices, it was agreed that the cut off point for suspicious large voter turn out would be 90 percent. ODM strongholds posted turnouts in the upwards of 90 percent. In six of these, voter turnout was between 102- and 120 percent. The most outstanding cases of this blatant rigging were; Eldoret North (represented by William Ruto) 116 percent, Kisumu Rural (Anyang Nyong’o) 120 percent, Bondo (Oburu Odinga-Raila’s brother 102 %, Narok South( William Ntimama) 120%.All these are hotheads and warlords within ODM.
Others posted turnouts ranging between 93% and 115%. In Kibaki’s strongholds, the largest voter turnout was 90%. The document says that despite this evidence of massive rigging, president Mwai Kibaki was still ahead of Raila.
It was then agreed on the Night of Saturday/Sunday December 29/30 that Kibaki was the winner. The document says that the announcement of kibaki’s win was “correct.” It accused the EU delegate who issued that Press briefing that was quoted world wide as “talkative, in-attentive and imprecise” in analyzing the data provided to him. It accuses the ECK and international media of not being sufficiently vigilant to establish whether a man presented by ODM as an ECK employee who witnessed a case of rigging was in fact, an employee or a witness. He was neither.
The document also accuses PNU of being “unprepared to deal with a highly media savvy opposition.” For instance PNU should have reported and exploited the fact that it was unable to field agents in Nyanza, Raila Odinga’s home province.
Given the malpratices cited above, one can see why ODM cannot go to court. A large number of its seats will be nullified. The rest is hogwash. ODM MP cum lawyer James Orengo, is busy filing petitions against the election of PNU MPs yet he argues, the same courts cannot be fair to his boss. His seat is one of those that cannot survive a court Petition as the voter turnout is in doubt.
By the way Raila, the ODM presidential candidate, has his election as Langata MP being challenged in Court. A petition has already been filed in Court and the man is as usual busy crying wolf.
ODM is slowly slipping from the high moral ground it used stand as its illegal conduct is being highlighted almost daily. Last week, Human Rights Watch accused the ODM of inciting and fanning the violence that has engulfed the country over the past one month. The government side last week also named William Ruto, an ODM MP as being the paymaster of the anarchists causing mayhem in the country.
Last Night, the police Commissioner warned that those who are friends of the media will soon “have their day in Court.” facing capital offences. The Police boss said an estimated 1190 people are in custody over the violence. A group of lawyers is said to be in the Rift Valley collecting evidence of genocide and tribal cleansing with a view to prosecuting them at the Hague.
Since the government began pulling ODM down from its high Moral ground, violence has escalated and there are attempts to spread it Country wide so that the anarchists could escape the noose.
Last week, an ODM affiliate MP, Charity Ngilu, is alleged to have organized a group of idlers in to invade Kikuyu owned businesses in Machakos town some 70Km SE of Nairobi. Machakos is in Kambaland and the Kamba are not involved in any fight with anybody. In fact Residents of the town and the entire region have never been involved in a fight with anyone. Ngilu, herself a Kamba, is considered a lost sheep. The Kamba actually rejected ODM.
Now the idlers she organized got excited and spilled the beans so that by the time they reached Machakos town, the Police was ready for them. Two were killed and the rest escaped and are now in hiding.
There are also signs that the government would soon deploy the military to deal with the violence. In the last two days, there has been increasing calls for the use of the military. In fact, to day the military was used to control Kikuyu Youths bent on revenge mission in a place called Naivasha.
It seems like the Military made its maiden appearance against Kikuyu Youths so that when it is deployed elsewhere, no one will complain about being targeted. It seems like the use of the Police has served its purpose to collect intelligence on the causes, perpetrators and financiers of the violence. With these already in place, it seems the Military can now be unleashed to clobber sense on the hot heads. In fact, ODM seems very worried about such a prospect saying the Police can deal with the matter.
PS: One cannot help but salute the courage of the ex-SG of the United Nations, who is dealing successfully with the matter of brokering peace.