Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party presidential candidate Raila Odinga recently alleged a plot to rig the presidential election in favor of Deputy President William Ruto.
Odinga said he has sufficient and reliable information that there is a plot to print excess pre-marked ballot papers in a neighboring country and then sneak them in on Election Day.
The former Prime Minister went ahead and even threatened that he will boycott the polls unless a manual register is used.
However, in an interview with the International Media house on Monday, July 18, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential candidate William Ruto dismissed rigging fears in his bid for the country’s top job.
The second in command said Kenya is a democratic country with free and fair elections.
“People of Kenya ultimately make their decisions. There is a wrong narrative that elections are manipulated… It is very difficult to steal an election,” William Ruto said.
The former Eldoret North MP further exuded confidence that he will beat his main challenger in the State House race Raila Odinga.
“I am very confident that I will win this election,” he said.
According to the Raila Odinga-led coalition, Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula has close relations with the Greek Firm that was awarded the multi-billion tender to print ballot papers for the polls.
The Odinga faction said that in January 2021, Wetang’ula, who is a close ally of the deputy president, invited three Greeks to Kenya to discuss investment opportunities, and months later, the foreigners won the tender.
But on its part, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) allayed fears that the outcome of the much-awaited 2022 presidential results will be manipulated.
“We are committed to ensuring we have a transparent process. We are committed to giving Kenyans free and fair elections. We are telling Kenyans not to fear,” IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said.
