Message from +1509xxx - To be neutral, ...

[mashadasms]

To be neutral, please remove the polical & chat room links 4 now

[chavez]

no other topic is more important to kenyans now than politics kibaki has taken kenya back to the nyayo eras of 1980s kenyans should revolt.thomas uk

[mukapa001]

thats being egocentric. kenyans should not revolt. we have been peace mediators for our neighbours for a long time. hapo umeongea kama fala.. peace with you. kenya needs prayers and divine intervention.

[Kip Nakuru]

Its a shame that mashada too is being misused by this illegitimate government!
What happened to the freedom of expression?

Originally Posted by mashadasms

To be neutral, please remove the polical & chat room links 4 now

[Mwananchi madhubuti]

Kenya: I Acted Under Pressure, Says Kivuitu





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The East African Standard (Nairobi)

2 January 2008
Posted to the web 1 January 2008

Isaac Ongiri
Nairobi

On Tuesday night, Mr Samuel Kivuitu made a damning admission that he announced results of the fiercely contested presidential election under pressure.

The announcement plunged the country into a post-election violence of a scale never witnessed before.


The magnitude of the Electoral Commission chairman's admission and the further dent on the credibility of the election was captured in his answer when asked if indeed President Kibaki won the elections: "I do not know whether Kibaki won the election".

Kivuitu continued with his stunning revelations when he said he took the presidential election winner's certificate to State House, Nairobi, after "some people threatened to collect it while I'm the one mandated by law to do so".

"I arrived at State House to take the certificate and I found the Chief Justice there, ready to swear-in Kibaki," Kivuitu said.

On claims that he was under undue pressure to declare results, Kivuitu said: "Some PNU (Party of National Unity) and ODM-Kenya leaders put me under pressure by calling me frequently, asking me to announce the results immediately".

President Kibaki ran for re-election on a Party of National Unity ticket, while Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, made his bid on an ODM-Kenya ticket. Mr Raila Odinga, who has said he was robbed of victory, ran on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.

On Tuesday, Kivuitu said the alleged pressure to declare results came in the wake of parallel pressure from a number of ambassadors from the European Union countries and Mr Maina Kiai of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights not to announce the results until complaints, which arose, were addressed.

"I had thought of resigning, but thought against it because I don't want people to say I'm a coward," he said. The embattled ECK chairman made the revelations shortly after meeting with 22 ECK commissioners.

On Tuesday, Kivuitu conceded that matters that arose from the poll results were so urgent that they should be taken to court, and the ruling done with minimum delay to ease national tension.

Court settlement

"If this matter is finally taken to court, the ruling should be made urgently so that if it were decided that Raila is the President, so be it. If it is Kibaki, so be it," he added.

Kivuitu said he made the decision, whose far-reaching implications are now being felt across the country. He said he announced the results because the commission had no legal mandate to investigate complaints raised by the opposition immediately.

Kivuitu fell short of naming the individuals from the two parties - PNU and ODM-Kenya - who coerced him to announce the disputed poll outcome, but went on to announce that the commission was consulting eminent lawyers over the next course of action "so that its actions remain within the law".

The EU observer team has discredited the poll results and urged for an independent audit.

On his part, Kivuitu said he backed independent investigation into what may have happened, but added that this would be only if the law would provide for it.

"We are culprits as a commission. We have to leave it to an independent group to investigate what actually went wrong," the chairman said, stunning local and international journalists, who had gathered at his Nairobi residence.

It has also emerged that some countries concerned with the poll outcome, like South Africa, had sent in their electoral officials to the country.

Relevant Links

East Africa
Kenya
Legal and Judicial Affairs



Kivuitu said the officials would be arriving on Wednesday "to look into the matter".

On Tuesday, Kivuitu was in a meeting with his 22 commissioners, which his deputy, Mr Kihara Muttu, described as "a house-keeping meeting".

In a signed statement, the 22 commissioners condemned the violence, which up to last night had claimed the lives of about 300 people.



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[Total_Balaa]

We Have the freedom To Express What we Feel and want. Thats what we call FREEDOM!!!

This Site sucks and U better wake up Kenyans R not Stupid

[Mishky]

It has been reported that Former president Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi kenyas second president that ruled for 24 straight years with an iron edge over democracy is behind the scene that is haunting Africas most peacefull and stable country. The others said to be working hand in hand with Rt. president Moi are The first lady Lucy kibaki, Stanley murage, Martha karua and the Internal security minister John michuki.

[mad_dawg]

Those are serious allegations that you are making there Mishky!.. is there any concrete proof to substantiate any of your claims,

on another issue, I think its irresponsible for some of our leaders to go on international TV. claiming that the on-going Violence are well organized and funded by members of the ODM.
I watched in horror on BBC Prof. Kivutha Kibwana claim that that the ODM camp was guilty of genocide and ethnic cleansing! geez!..imagine such scary words being used in kenya

[nyangao]

hey those talking of revolts ought to sit and think if its right for innocent children and women being burnt alive for being in a certain community. i have personaly being directly affected by this violence. some of my relatives who live /d in eldoret had all their property burnt and were only saved by a whisker by quickly escaping from the blood thirsty gangs. for u kip i bet you are now proud of this massacre.please know that you are not isolated and you will feel it later.

[Ishka]

Originally Posted by mukapa001

thats being egocentric. kenyans should not revolt. we have been peace mediators for our neighbours for a long time. hapo umeongea kama fala.. peace with you. kenya needs prayers and divine intervention.

Lets flip the coin and see that if Kibaki "lost", he would have lost with the same 300K votes. People, either way, this is a polarised country and either candidate got over 3million votes. Implying that he also got people voting for him.
We have lost lives, property and reputation because, as you say, egocentric attitudes. Who are losing? As Charles Onyango-Obbo. This is no longer a war of votes but economic expectations.
Nationmedia.com | Daily Nation | COMMENTARY | WHAT OTHERS SAY: The politics and economics of post-election violence