Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday said Opposition leaders have sensed defeat and are looking for shortcuts to declare themselves winners during the August General Election.
Ruto said by planning to establish a parallel tallying centre during the election period was a clear indication that Opposition leaders were in a desperate situation after sensing defeat.
Addressing a rally at Eldama Ravine grounds in Baringo County Ruto challenged opposition brigade to seek votes from Kenyans and let IEBC do their work as enshrined in the constitution.
“It is now obvious that our friends in the opposition have no formula of winning an election because they have neither agenda nor candidate and they want to have shortcut to win the August election by planning to establish a parallel tallying centre to announce results for themselves as winners,” Ruto said.
He said, “It is only IEBC which is constitutionally mandated to have a tallying centre during elections”.
Ruto said the opposition should rather concentrate on having a presidential candidate who will battle with Jubilee’s candidate before thinking of having a parallel tallying centre.
Ruto further exuded confidence that Jubilee will beat the Opposition hands down come August General Election because of its development track record.
He said Jubilee has fulfilled most of the pledges it made during the 2013 elections and that’s why Kenyans will give it another chance come August elections.
“Kenyans will elect leaders based on their development track record and not on their ethnic backgrounds. Gone are the days when some leaders banked on their respective communities to get elected,” Ruto said.
According to him, Kenyans will have an opportunity to choose between leaders who are focused on development and those bent on rhetoric’s.
Ruto’s sentiments were echoed by Water and Irrigation CS Eugene Wamalwa who said having a parallel tallying centre is a recipe for chaos.
Wamalwa said, “It is only one institution that is mandated by law to carry out elections, create a tallying centre and announce results. But for NASA to tell us they will come up with parallel tallying centre to give different results is dangerous and will trigger post election violence”.
Ruto was accompanied by Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, MPs Hellen Sambili (Mogotio), Moses Lesonnet (Eldama Ravine), Jackson Kiptanui (Keiyo South), Grace Kiptui (Women Rep) and former MP Musa Sirma.