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Govt Dismisses CORD Claims Of Plot To Rig Polls

The government spokesman told a news conference that he contacted General Karangi and Gichangi over the allegations which they all denied. FILE.

NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 17 – The government has denied claims of plotting to rig elections in favor of Jubilee Alliance and accused CORD of laying ground to reject next month’s poll results.

Government Spokesman Muthui Kariuki said the claims were reckless and asked the politicians to avoid making such emotive statements that may lead the country into a repeat of the 2008 post election violence.

“The allegations by the CORD alliance are part of a political strategy by the alliance to reject the elections should the outcome not favour them. The script is unfortunately too familiar,” he told a news conference on Sunday.

He added; “I would (therefore) like to appeal to the PM and indeed all politicians to reign in on their troops and think of this country before making certain utterances.”

CORD Presidential Candidate Raila Odinga’s campaign team had alleged on Saturday that Chief of Defence Forces Julius Karangi, National Intelligence Service Director-General Michael Gichangi and Head of Civil Service Francis Kimemia were “actively involved” in Uhuru’s campaigns.

The government spokesman told a news conference that he contacted General Karangi and Gichangi over the allegations which they all denied.

Soon after the government responded, CORD’s campaign chief Eliud Owalo dismissed Muthui saying “Is he (Muthui) implying that Kimemia, Karangi and Gichangi is the government. He needs to be reminded that the PM and VP are senior members of the same government which he purports to speak for.”

Kariuki said that General Gichangi had told him that he was in Uganda on official duty on the day he is alleged to have been holding a meeting in his office.

The Government Spokesman said; “If the author (FORA) of this story cared to investigate just a little, anybody in the streets of Nairobi would have told them that General Karangi is extremely intelligent and not one to go holding such sensitive meetings in the kind of place he is alleged to have held them.”

Muthui said he had also called Vice President Kalonzo Muyoka who is part of the CORD team to express the government’s disappointment.

“I have tried to get in touch with the (PM Spokesman) Dennis Onyango because I don’t have the PM’s number, I was not able to get them. But I did get the VP and I did express the disappointment of the government on this matterm,” Muthui said.

The Government however, says it will not take action on any of the CORD politician over the outrageous claims.

Jubilee Alliance leader Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier rubbished the allegations saying his competitors in CORD were creating excuses “because they sensed they had fallen behind in the race to State House.’

“The Jubilee campaign is self-propelling and supported by millions of Kenyans and asked Raila to concede defeat when he loses,” Kenyatta said.

In their statement, Cord claimed that Kimemia recently met six permanent secretaries in Elementaita and advised them to support Jubilee

Odinga’s team also claimed that members of the provincial administration had been directed to draw up a strategy of suppressing voter turn-out against one candidate.

Source:Capital News