Kenya: Odinga Withdraws from Election
Opposition leader Raila Odinga announced on Tuesday that he will be boycotting the upcoming presidential election.
The surprise announcement comes less than two weeks before Kenya is scheduled to hold an election re-run on 26 October.
The new poll was ordered by Kenya’s Supreme Court after Odinga challenged the results of Kenya’s August elections.
The August presidential poll, which gave President Uhuru Kenyatta a second term, was marred by irregularities and technological difficulties.
Odinga said that there is no prospect of a credible election re-run and that he has no choice but to withdraw.
He said: “We have come to the conclusion that there is no intention on the part of the IEBC [Kenyan electoral commission] to undertake any changes to its operations and personnel… All indications are that the election scheduled for 26 October will be worse than the previous one.”
The 72-year-old politician added that he hopes his withdrawal will lead to the elections being cancelled, to give the electoral commission enough time to introduce reforms.
Vice President William Ruto reacted to the news by calling on the commission to officially declare Kenyatta president.
Kenyatta said that the elections should not be cancelled, and that he is ready for them to go ahead as planned. He said, “It is [the people’s] sovereign right to choose their leader”.
