No to EU, US observers - Kenyan activist
2013-02-14 09:16
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Nairobi - An activist asked a Nairobi court on Wednesday to
compel Kenya's polls body not to accredit European or US election observers for
the 4 March presidential elections, accusing them of bias.
The activist, Samson Owimba Ojiayo, wants the High Court to
issue an order directing Kenya's Independent Elections and Boundaries
Commission (IEBC) not to accept representatives from the European Union or
United States, saying that they have already taken a stand on the vote.
"It is clear from the position taken by these countries
that they will not be impartial in monitoring the election," Ojiayo's
lawyer told the courtroom.
The court certified the matter as urgent and the case is to
be heard on Monday.
Kenya's foreign minister has accused European diplomats of
trying to influence the presidential elections, where a key candidate faces
trial for crimes against humanity.
But the EU has denied issuing threats of sanctions against
Kenya should one of the presidential candidates, ICC suspect Uhuru Kenyatta,
and his running mate William Ruto take power.
Kenya's foreign affairs minister Sam Ongeri on Monday
accused foreign diplomats of attempting to interfere with the electoral process
in Kenya and questioned the involvement of the EU commission observation group,
which was accredited by the IEBC.
Kenya is less than three weeks from a presidential election,
the first since the bloody 2007-08 polls that left more than 1 100 people dead
and hundreds of thousand displaced.
- SAPA
