Nairobi, KENYA: A section of Jubilee legislators have downplayed opposition chief Raila Odinga’s allegation that National Intelligence Service is interfering with voter registration by registering new voters from the neighboring countries.
In a press briefing at parliamentary building on Tuesday, Sirisia legislator who is also the Jubilee party chair in Bungoma county John Walukhe, dispelled such allegations terming them baseless.
Walukhe said that it is incorrect for Odinga to make such serious allegations against the security agencies, arguing that there are millions of Kenyan voters who have not registered whom jubilee will target to register instead of going to register foreigners.
Also, in a statement sent to newsrooms Jubilee nominated member of parliament Johnstone Sakaja said Odinga’s allegation is to try to discredit the ongoing voter registration exercise.
“Objective of this statement is that Raila is trying to delegitimize the ongoing voter registration process and the final voter register, because he knows that the results will not favor him because his vote blocs have lower numbers than Jubilees.” read Sakaja’s statement.
Odinga in a statement to news rooms on Tuesday, alleged that NIS is interfering with the current voter registration involving taking BVR kits across Kenyan borders into Uganda and Ethiopia; assisting citizens of the two countries to register in a Kenyan election process.
He also alleges that the agency is also assisting citizens of these neighbouring countries to acquire Kenyan identification documents then helping them cross into Kenya and register as voters.
“We have credible information that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is once again heavily involved in the on-going voter registration with the aim of influencing results in August in the same way it did in 2007 and 2013.”Odinga’s statement indicated.
“The NIS is also interfering with the voter registration process by having youths whose data were collected through the dubious National Youth Service exercise over the last few years and registering them as voters, without their knowledge.”The statement added.
