Sapit warns against delaying polls, asks leaders to obey law
By Alvin Mwangi, July 25, 2021
The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has warned against any move to postpone next year’s General Election or extend President Uhuru Kenyatta’s term.
In a statement, Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit said the 2022 General Election should be conducted as stipulated in the Constitution.
He asked leaders seeking to postpone the elections to allow the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to do its work.
“The country cannot afford another disruption after Covid-19 pandemic and locusts invasion,” said Sapit adding: “In order to have peaceful and credible elections, we urge the following to be addressed: Elections must be held as stipulated in the constitution and those calling for the postponement cease to do so.”
Avoid chaos
The cleric also called for proper preparations of the election by providing IEBC with adequate resources to facilitate voter registration and civic education.
Calls to postpone the elections have triggered criticism with Deputy President William Ruto and Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi maintaining that polls should be held at the stipulated time to avoid chaos as witnessed in 2017.
Mudavadi, who was speaking in Nyandarua over the weekend disagreed with the African Court on Human Rights which gave a green light for the postponement of elections citing the impact of Covid-19 on African countries.
“The Supreme law of this country is the Constitution of Kenya. That is the law. If there are any other treaties or external agreements, they have to be domesticated in the context of Kenya’s Constitution.
You cannot have a treaty or advisory from outside the country that can override the supreme law of the nation.
Our Constitution comes first and we have to follow it to the letter,” Mudavadi said.
Ruto termed calls to postpone polls as just propaganda. “Elections will be held on the second Tuesday of August next year as is required by the law.
Don’t listen to those who want the poll postponed, those are just empty threats,” he said.
However, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary general Francis Atwoli has been vocal calling for the postponement of the elections, arguing that “it is out of the reality that the outcome of such elections would have a negative effect on the welfare of workers.”