Kidero: Government planning to sponsor violence in Nasa strongholds
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has claimed that there are plans by the national government to “sponsor” violence in Nasa strongholds in the city.
Speaking at AIC Pipeline on Sunday, Dr Kidero said the Jubilee Party has resorted to using dirty tactics to scare away Nasa voters in Nairobi, which he says is the opposition outfit’s stronghold.
The governor further claimed that another tactic the Jubilee Party plans to use is to open Nasa stronghold polling stations very late on voting day and close early in a bid to lock out voters.
“We know plans are underway by the government to sponsor violence in Nasa strongholds. We will not let this happen,” said Dr Kidero.
ADOPT POLLING STATION
Dr Kidero also lashed out at Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi’s for his directive to ban Nasa’s plan to adopt polling stations.
He said Dr Matiangi’s sentiments amounts to intimidation of voters and interference with the work of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“The national government has to keep off the elections as it is a preserve of the IEBC. They should leave the running of the elections to the IEBC as the law does not delegate such roles to the government,” said Dr Kidero.
The governor said that adopting polling stations simply means having agents at polling stations and the IEBC has not banned that.
DEFY DIRECTIVE
In his directive last week, Dr Matiang’i ordered the police not to allow unauthorized persons in or around the polling stations after voting on the material day of the polls.
Nasa has however vowed to defy the directive and intends to have at least five people per station to safeguard their votes.
At the same time, Dr Kidero exuded confidence that Nasa will carry the day in the forthcoming elections and downplayed an opinion poll that showed he is locked in a neck-to-neck race with Jubilee candidate Senator Mike Sonko.
“Forget about those opinion polls, Nasa is winning in Nairobi and nationally. Nasa has 56 per cent popularity in Nairobi and what I can tell you is that Nasa is going to win clean and by a big margin,” he said.
