Deputy President William Ruto has warned CORD politicians to forget reforms at IEBC, saying the institution does not vote. The DP also blasted CORD over recent claims that it will boycott the elections if reforms are not carried out at IEBC.
CORD co-principal Raila Odinga recently said the opposition will boycott the 2017 elections if IEBC is not reformed. CORD, through Okoa Kenya referendum initiative, has proposed far-reaching reforms on IEBC which the Jubilee side is uncomfortable with. One of the proposals is to remove the chair of IEBC as the sole returning officer of the presidential vote and replace the position with 47 county returning officers.
This way, in future disputes, only the regional officials will be sued at individual and regional level, not the whole national level and not the whole commission.
The opposition maintains IEBC bungled the 2013 general elections by cooking figures for President Uhuru at Bomas. This happened as only the chair of IEBC is allowed by law to declare presidential results and whatever he declares, if it differs with what the presiding officers and the returning officers had announced at the polling and tallying centres across the country, remains the legal results.
It is this loophole which made it possible to declare different results and give Uhuru an undeserved as some of the results by IEBC were  tripled tenfold!
IEBC also frustrated CORD petition at the Supreme Court by deliberately providing inadequate materials which CORD needed to lodge an effective case against President Uhuru.
DP Ruto told CORD to work on its elections strategy rather than threaten to boycott the 2017 elections. The Deputy President informed the opposition that there will be no reforms on IEBC.
“The IEBC does not vote. It is the Kenyan electorate that votes to elect leaders.
“So anyone who is aspiring to be elected to any leadership position in the country should demonstrate that by work and service to the people and not blame commission,†he said.
Mr Ruto said it was unfortunate that some leaders in the Opposition were threatening to boycott the 2017 elections and hold demonstrations if their demands about changes at the IEBC are not met, saying they would not succeed in their machinations.
“Let me tell them that the 2017 elections will not be won by demonstrations and boycotts but by the work they will have put into service for the people,†he said.
Speaking in Nanyuki Town after attending a church service at the Nanyuki PCEA Church on Sunday the Deputy President said the IEBC does not elect leaders but the people of Kenya do.
He said it was wrong for the Opposition to blame their failures on the IEBC.
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