A fired-up President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday told his nemesis Raila Odinga he has no powers to derail or stop the October 26 rerun.
Speaking at a Busia rally, Uhuru told off the ex-Prime Minister over his "no elections without reforms" threats, calling them "imaginary and nonsensical".
Tension has been heightened since NASA called for mass peaceful action countrywide on Mondays and Fridays. They will protest against Jubilee's proposed radical changes in election laws and demand major IEBC reforms.
Among other things, amendments will make it virtually impossible for the Supreme Court to nullify an election, as happened on September 1.
To block election, NASA plans to use a section of the Constitution saying the IEBC
must hold elections in all 290 constituencies.
Sources tell the Star the opposition hopes to prevent elections in some constituencies in its strongholds. Then it will argue
the repeat poll was invalid because it was not held in all constituencies.
The President said the state will act firmly against any attempts to prevent Kenyans from voting.
“There is no way the government will allow anyone to block any voter from exercising their right to choose the leader of their choice,” Uhuru said.
On September 1, the Supreme Court upheld Raila's petition and annulled Uhuru's August 8 reelection victory, citing enormous"irregularities and illegalities".
The historic judgment enraged Uhuru and Jubilee and sent shock waves throughout the region and beyond. An African court has never before overturned the election of a sitting President.
The apex court ordered a rerun within 60 days. IEBC chief Wafula Chebukati set the duel for October 26.
Kenyatta warned his arch-rival, the NASA flagbearer, against threatening Kenyans.
"The election is about and belongs to the Kenyan people and not the candidates," he said.
DP William Ruto told the opposition not to "mislead your followers that you can stop the election.
"We know your strategy is to have demonstrations that will lead people to fight so there are no polls. Then you call for a nusu mkate government. It will not happen," he told a Ruto told Busia rally on Friday.
Raila, making his fourth stab at the presidency, has said there will be no elections unless IEBC meets demands the opposition calls "11 irreducible minimums". Most have been rejected.
Among other things, the ex-PM demands the IEBC send ECO Ezra Chiloba and 10 other officials packing, He says they bungled and rigged the August 8 polls and cannot be trusted to conduct the rerun. Only four people have left, not Chiloba.
Raila's persistent threats of no eleciton on October 26, despite the court order, have increased anxiety 25 days to Election Day.
Article 138, on the procedure of presidential elections, states, "If two or more candidates are nominated, an election shall be held in each constituency."
Both Jubilee and NASA-leaning lawyers, say an election shall be considered null and void if a constituency or some constituencies do not participate.
However, practically, it might be difficult to ensure zero-participation. Just one vote means the election was held in the constituency.
DP Ruto told the NASA leader to prepare "because there shall be an election".
“I want to tell Odinga that if President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, cannot stop elections in this country, who is he to tell us he will stop the
October 26
elections?" Ruto said in Busia.
"It is only the Kenyan public who can stop any election," Ruto said.
Yesterday's strong statements appeared aimed at reassuring the election will go on, despite demonstrations.
Jubilee's proposed changes are contained in the Election Offences Amendment Bill 2017 and the Election Laws Amendment Bill 2017. They were published on Tuesday.
Jubilee MPs voted to fast-track the process by reducing the time between publication and voting from 14 days to 1. So it will radically affect the rerun.
The opposition walked out of Parliament.
"I have enough supporters to carry out protests, you can't threaten me...you will not see me in the streets but you will meet Kenyans, there is no reason of going to the elections," Raila said.
The President has personally told Jubilee lawmakers to amend the election laws, ostensibly to fix the numerous problems identified by the Supreme Court.
He told Raila to let the MPs do their work.
"Wenzetu wanasema walifurahia uamuzi wa Korti, sahi wanasema mambo ya masharti. Jameni uchaguzi sio haki ya kiongozi ni haki ya mwananchi, waache Bunge ifanye kazi yake (Our friends said they were happy with the Supreme Court ruling, and now they are talking about conditions. Elections are not the rights of politicians, they are the rights of citizens. Let Parliament perform its duties"), he said.
Kenyatta said the amendments are good for the country and told Raila to realise an election is coming stop complaining "about anything".
"Hii ndio kitu wabunge wanafanya. Sasa, tumefanya nini ya makosa? Mwingine anazunguka akinitusi ati mimi ni kifaranga cha computer hehehehhe (This is what our MPs are working on, what mistake have we made? Someone is moving around insulting me as computer-generated," Kenyatta said.
Ruto said, “Our friends in the opposition are not interested in elections because they have no votes. They have sensed defeat and that’s why they're looking for ways of getting to power through the backdoor.
“They have resorted to demonstrations to cause chaos and bloodshed, with the hope of making the country ungovernable so they can negotiate for a nusu mkata. But that won't happen."
The President and DP spoke on their first day of a fierce offensive against NASA in its perceived Western stronghold.
Jubilee managed to scoop eight MPs in both Bungoma and Kakamega on August 8 and wants to build on those gains.
The region voted overwhelmingly for Raila in August.
Today NASA campaigns in Vihiga and Kakamega counties. Kenyatta will be in Bungoma a
National Assembly chief whip Benjamin Washiali's homecoming.
Countering Jubilee, Raila will campaign in Mumboha, Luanda and Mumias town.
Water CS Eugene Wamalwa and former ministers Paul Otuoma, Ababu Namwamba, Chris Okemo and Fred Gumo say they'll mobilise voters in Western for Uhuru.
Otuoma, who decamped from ODM, said he supported Raila since 1992 but has no development to offer to the people of Western and Kenya at large.
“My brother William Ruto left us in ODM still singing about Baba and now he is Deputy President. We have said enough is enough and this is why we want to support Jubilee, the winning team,” Otuoma said.
Ababu said they will do everything possible to increase Jubilee's Busia votes from
35,000 to 100,000 in Busia.