Azimio- One Kenya Alliance presidential contender, Raila Odinga now claims that if the election is handled in a free and fair way, he will accept the results.
In a live interview, Odinga alongside his running mate Martha Karua said he had no “problems” accepting defeat.
“I would easily accept defeat and congratulate the winner. I know whoever doesn’t accept defeat is not a competitor,” he said.
Odinga also explained that as a sportsman, he recognizes that success and failure are a part of every situation.
The Azimio flag bearer perceived as the toughest opponent in the polls, Deputy President William Ruto, has likewise vowed to accept defeat.
Odinga has challenged the outcomes of the presidential elections in 1997, 2007, 2013, and 2017 while running for office.
In any case, Ruto joined him in contesting the 2007 results. This resulted in a confrontation with the late Mwai Kibaki, Kenya’s president at the time, which erupted in violence that left more than a thousand people dead and 100,000 homeless.
The Azimio coalition submitted to the electoral agency five demands, including a full list of voters by polling place and the ID numbers used for registration before today’s meeting.
Through their lawyer Paul Mwangi, the coalition stated that they had written to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) requesting access to the complete list of the voter’s registration that KPMG had inspected.
They also requested that Wafula Chebukati release a list of every voting place in the nation along with its location.
They further asked for information on all election technologies to be deployed, such as the KIEMS kit and the polling station networks’ connectivity.
“In this election, there is a very slow response at answering questions that have been asked, unlike previous elections. The chairman last time indicated that they had identified people who had tried to sabotage the system and he promised that he will reveal who they were and what action was taken against them,” stated Mwangi.
The Raila-led camp also demands a thorough report on the measures taken against three election officials who were under investigation for improperly transferring voters.
Mwangi emphasized the need for the electoral commission to reassure all candidates of the fairness of the voting process.
“The problem is that if you sabotage the technology on that day it means that some polling stations will not operate because they will not have the voters register,” he said.
Azimio additionally questioned the lack of information provided to presidential candidates on the printer of the ballots while the team urged the electoral authority to arrange a tour of the printing facility for the candidates.