Go for dialogue, Coast leaders tell Cord

Security agencies, tourism sector players and a Muslim cleric have asked Cord leaders to stop street protests against the electoral commission and instead embrace dialogue.

Speaking from Kakamega on Sunday, Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Chairman Sheikh Abdalla Ateka said protests by the Opposition were unlikely to lead to the removal of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) leadership.

“Wisdom should prevail when dealing with constitutional issues that we ourselves participated in enacting,” Sheikh Ateka said.

According to him, the weekly protests aimed at forcing the nine IEBC commissioners to resign were damaging not only the country’s image, but also its economy because potential investors cannot make their investment in a chaotic or unstable country.

Even as he made the appeal, one of Cord’s top leaders, Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, on Saturday told Opposition politicians at the Coast to lead protests in the region Monday.

Taking the cue, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said protesters will converge in Mombasa town to demand the removal of the commissioners.

“Together with Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, woman representative Mishi Juma and MPs Hezron Awiti (Nyali), Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita), Badi Twalib (Jomvu) and Rashid Bedzimba (Kisauni) we will stage the biggest demonstration,” Mr Joho said.

He asked those who will turn up for the protests to carry white handkerchiefs for purposes of identification from goons who might infiltrate to cause chaos.

Mr Omar said the credibility of the electoral commission was so tarnished that the possibility of a free and fair election was unthinkable.

“The only honourable thing is for the commissioners to leave on their own volition,” he said.

Nyali MP Awiti said he was ready to join Mr Joho to ensure the commissioners are sent home while Mr Nassir claimed that more than half of the country’s voters supported Cord and were against IEBC.

And Ms Juma said Cord supporters would hit the streets to force out the commissioners.

DESTRUCTIVE ACTIONS

However, speaking recently in Likoni, area MP Masoud Mwahima criticised Cord and accused its leaders of violating the very Constitution they supported in 2010. Mr Mwahima is a Cord MP.

“If the principals are serious of changes at the independent body, they should respect the rule of law by petitioning the National Assembly rather than using unorthodox means to achieve the same,” he said.

He accused Cord of reneging on the democratic process by causing unnecessary tension through the weekly protests.

“Cord should stop these protests and instead embrace the laid down process through the Constitution to reform the IEBC,” he had said.

Cord leader Raila Odinga said in an interview on Friday the coalition was unlikely to take part in next year’s election if the commissioners are not removed.

At the weekend, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the protests to remove IEBC were futile as he had no power to remove the commissioners.

Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers Executive Officer Sam Ikwaye expressed fears that the protests might burn the government’s Sh5 billion recovery incentives meant to turn around the tourism industry.

“It will be a wrong move to conduct such protests in Mombasa ... the whole world is looking at Kenya and travel advisories are just a stone throw from us,” he said.