The National Election Observers Forum (NEOF) has asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to take serious actions against Deputy President William Ruto for violating election laws.
In a statement on Thursday, November 25, NEOF noted that the deputy president has been holding numerous campaign rallies to popularise his quest to replace retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta despite the fact the poll’s body has not gazetted the campaign’s date.
NEOF says that Ruto has broken Section 14 of the Elections Act 2011, the Electoral Code of Conduct, The Elections (General) Regulations 2012, The Political Parties Act, and The Campaign Financing Act.
“Our attention has been drawn to the numerous campaign rallies and meetings being held across the country by William Samoei Ruto, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya,
“We note that the IEBC has neither gazetted the date for the 2022 General Election nor the periods within which the campaigns should be conducted,” said NEOF Secretary Nganga Mugambi.
NEO further accused the deputy president of using his official residence for campaigns and promoting the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), despite being the Deputy Party Leader for Jubilee Party.
“In this regard, we petition the IEBC to put the deputy president to account for engaging in electoral malpractices and illegalities. We also request the commission to ensure that electoral laws and processes are complied with to the letter,” the letter added.
But on Monday, November 22, the deputy president said his countrywide meetings are not campaigns but a ‘meet the people tour’ to seek and understand their views.
“I haven’t started the campaigns because the campaign period is not yet announced by IEBC, what you have seen me do is to do what my mandate is, speaking to people, understanding their issues, assessing the extent of our government programs on how far they are and receiving feedback from the public,” Ruto said.
He was responding to an earlier statement from IEBC which warned politicians against engaging in early campaigns.
The electoral body did not name any specific politicians but William Ruto and ODM leader Riala Odinga have since come out to claim there rallies across the country should not be mistaken for campaigns.
