Saturday August 27, 2022
By GEOFFREY LUTTA
Uhuru accused of blocking Ruto from being sworn iBy GEOFFREY LUTTA President Uhuru Kenyatta casts his vote at Mutomo Primary School in Gatundu South, Kiambu County, on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.FILE
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party secretary general, Veronica Maina, has accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of being the main backer behind the Supreme Court petition filed by Azimio la Umoja that seeks to annul William Ruto's presidential poll victory.
In her petition filed at the Milimani Law Courts on Friday, August 26, Veronica accused the head of state of pushing former Primer Minister Raila Odinga and Martha Karua's petition, to claim that the August 9 polls were rigged against them.
Raila and Karua want Ruto, who was declared president-elect on August 15 following a tight presidential race, to be blocked from taking the oath of office.
"The substance and purpose of the current petition is no different. Secondly, the State apparatus, controlled by the Commander-in-Chief, who has doubled up as the Chairperson of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, has unashamedly spared no effort to ensure that the ninth respondent is not sworn in as the Fifth President of the Republic of Kenya," her petition read in part.
Veronica detailed that Uhuru was engaged in a scheme that would see Raila succeed him for the country's top job by using state machinery including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The UDA Secretary General maintained that the demands by the Azimio team for the DCI to produce information regarding the Venezuelans apprehended at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is part of the wider plan to block Ruto from ascending to power.
She added that the detectives frustrated Kenya Kwanza party officials and deployed spies to track their activities. She also alleged that Uhuru used chiefs and other state officers to suppress voters and lead a grassroots push for Raila's presidency.
According to Veronica, Cabinet Secretaries openly endorsing Raila was part of Uhuru's succession plan.
"The outgoing President has with bravado encouraged State officers and public servants, from Cabinet Secretaries to Chiefs, to County Commissioners, to engage in intimidation of supporters of the ninth respondent," she stated.
"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations, based on ‘orders from above’ undertook a series of false apprehensions, confiscation of electronic equipment from people related to the party and the candidate, and illicit surveillance of supporters of William Ruto; targets were politicians, IT personnel, Party and Secretariat premises, and technical staff," she added.
In her submission to the highest court in the land, Veronica urged the judges led by Chief Justice Martha Koome to uphold Ruto's victory.
She maintained that the process was transparent, applauding the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for conducting credible polls.
Veronica dismissed claims raised by the four dissenting commissioners arguing that they were out of order since the law stipulates that IEBC chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, is the national returning officer.
She accused the four commissioners led by the IEBC vice chairperson of absconding their duties, thus sabotaging the commission's mandate.
Through his battery of 54 lawyers, Ruto also dismissed allegations raised by Azimio and other petitioners, maintaining that he won the August 9 polls fairly.
Following their response, the Supreme court led by Chief Justice Martha Koome is set to deliver a ruling on September 5.