Principal Administrative Secretary at the Office of the President, Kennedy Kihara, has said that the National Security Advisory Committee visited Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission over concerns that the presidential results would not be declared in time.
Kihara has said this in an affidavit that has been filed at the Supreme Court of Kenya.
This comes after Kihara was named among members of the security council who reportedly visited IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati in a bid to armtwist him to alter the results of the presidential election in favour of Azimio la Umoja candidate Raila Odinga or to declare a run off.
This accusation was made by the Chebukati in his affidavit to the Supreme Court.
Kihara says that he led a delegation comprising Kennedy Ogeto, Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai and Francis Ogolla to attend a meeting with Chebukati and IEBC commissioners at the National Tallying Centre at Bomas.
He claimed that on August 15, the team visited Chebukati because it was not clear that Chebukati would meet the 7-day legal timeline for tallying and declaration of the presidential results.
“I am aware that the law requires the result to be declared within 7 days which in the present case was to lapse on 16 August. The delay in declaring the results of presidential elections while lawful but particularly long,” Kihara said.
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He further claimed that the delay was considered a risk to peace and stability, which necessitated the meeting at Bomas.
“The meeting was necessitated by the fact that the NSAC in the discharge of its mandate had become ceased of information to the effect that the delays in declaring the results of the presidential elections and the manner in which results were being transmitted including the stoppage of the public display of results had generated considerable public anxiety and tension and risked creating the opportunity for chaos, violence and insecurity in parts of the country,” Kihara said.