Matiang’i declares October 26 a public holiday

The government has declared Thursday, October 26, a public holiday. In a special Kenya Gazzete notice, Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i said the move will allow Kenyans to take part in the fresh presidential election.

The latest development came as a meeting called by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati at 2.30 pm to dialogue on various issues surrounding the fresh poll was resecheduled.

Chebukati only met with Nasa leader Raila Odinga and said he would announce the next steps after meeting President Uhuru on Monday.

Kenyans will be waiting to see if Raila will rescind his decision to withdraw from the contest.

However, speaking at a campaign rally in Sirisia, Bungoma county, Uhuru insisted the election is still on and he would not engage in boardroom deals as it is the people who have a right to choose their elected leaders.

He accused senators Moses Wetang’ula and James Orengo of hypocrisy, saying it is the same IEBC that supervised their election.

President Uhuru, who was also scheduled to tour Nandi county to mark the 112th death anniversary of the community’s supreme chief Koitalel arap Samoei, told Raila that no one, including himself, has the power to stop Kenyans from casting their ballots to choose their leaders.

Raila was scheduled to lead the Nasa brigade for rallies in the county later Thursday.

On Wednesday, Chebukati had announced he will lead dialogue between Nasa, Jubilee and other political players, saying as it presently stands, he could not guarantee a free, fair and credible election.

He cited divisions among commissioners and interference by political formations as some of the reasons that could plunge the country into further crisis.

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He also demanded that senior officials led by CEO Ezra Chiloba step aside to allow the project team he had put in place to supervise the election work without interference.

Earlier, Commissioner Roselyn Akombe resigned after detouring from Dubai to New York citing security concerns as well as political interference in the commission’s operations.

In a statement , Akombe said the rerun is unlikely to be free, fair and credible.

She added that the commission is not addressing the safety and security concerns of its officials in Nyanza and Western, who are fearing taking part in the election.

Akombe cited attacks by Nasa supporters on IEBC staff undergoing training in Mumias, Bungoma, Homabay, Siaya and Kisumu.

“These acts must be condemned by all and action taken against the perpetrators,” read part of the statement.