Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey
Dr Emmanuel Akwetey of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), who served with the AU Observer mission in Kenya during the East African country’s August polls, has said President John Mahama, who led the Commonwealth Observer Mission acquitted himself well and so must not be condemned for his work following the voiding of the presidential results by Kenya’s Supreme Court.
Citing irregularities, the Supreme Court said a new poll should be held within 60 days.
The election commission had declared incumbent, President Uhuru Kenyatta, the winner of last month's election.
But the opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, claimed that the commission's IT system had been hacked to manipulate the results.
After the Supreme Court declared its ruling, opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga said: "This is a historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa."
Reading the decision – reached by a majority of four to two among the judges – Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August poll had not been "conducted in accordance with the constitution", contrary to the clean bill of health given it by the various observer missions led by former US Secretary of State John Kerry, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and Mr Mahama.
John Kerry, who led the Carter Center observer mission, said: "The process that was put in place is proving its value thus far". "Kenya has made a remarkable statement to Africa and the world about its democracy and the character of that democracy. Don't let anybody besmirch that."
The AU mission led by Mr Mbeki said it found the polls to be “largely peaceful and credible”.
The European Union just as the Commonwealth observer missions also gave the poll a clean bill of health.
Back home in Ghana, Mr Mahama has been trolled on social media over the cancellation of the results.
In his defence, however, Dr. Akwetey wrote on Facebook that: “Please hold your fire. Prez Mahama and Prez Mbeki acquitted themselves well as leaders of the Commonwealth and AU Elections Observer Missions to Kenya, respectively. I was in Kenya as an observer of the elections, too.
“First, all observers agreed that the voting, vote counting and the e-transmissions of the results were transparent and credible. Therefore if the results published by the IEBC followed logically from the observations at the polling stations, then the results ought to be accepted as credible too. However, Raila and the NASA’s allegations about hacking and tampering with Form 34 A/B, they effectively raised doubts about the transmission of the IEBC results.
“Secondly, the international observers and their leaders could neither investigate the hacking etc. allegations on the spot nor stop the declaration of the results, which the IEBC alone was empowered to do. The two leaders however engaged the IEBC and reported back to observers and the international media the IEBC had rejected the allegations by Raila & Co. Prezs Mahama and Mbeki repeatedly advised Raila & Ci to resort to the Supreme Court to deal with their claims.
“Thirdly, Raila & Co initially rejected the two Prezs advice and rather accused them of being friends or sympathisers of Kenyatta. But the leaders maintained their composure and their stand that the elections as observed were transparent and credible. But doubts about the credibility of the results ought to be sorted out in the SC, which was empowered to scrutinise the issues being raised by Raila & Co.
“Fourthly, Raila & Co proceeded to resort to the streets by calling for a nationwide strike. But the strike flopped; thereafter they decided to go the SC, as Prez Mahama and Mbeki had earlier advised. It is a good thing that Raila & Co eventually went to the Supreme Court as they had earlier been advised.
“By eventually respecting the advice of Prez Mbeki and Mahama to pursue justice in the SC, Raila and Co saved Kenya from explosive post-elections violence. Both those who insisted on the SC route and those who acted accordingly have been vindicated.
“The Kenyan SC has ruled that the process of transmitting the results had serious flaws. Serious enough to undermine the integrity of the results and warrant a re-run of the Prez elections in 60 days.
“Today is a good historic day on which Kenya set a higher standard for credible elections, democracy and the rule of law in Africa.
“Let us, therefore commend, rather than condemn, Prez Mbeki and Mahama as experienced African statesmen who uncompromisingly pointed Kenya in the direction of the SC; thereby, they played a critical role in steering Kenya away from a second post-elections violence in August 2017”.
