Raila alleges Venezuelans were used to rig election
Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga addresses a crowd at KICC on August 22, 2022.
Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga says his legal team has enough evidence to prove that foreigners were allegedly used to rig the August 9 presidential election.
Speaking to his supporters at KICC, the ODM party leader alleged that Venezuelans were involved in a poll rigging plot. He also alleged that the foreigners were brought into Kenya to steal Azimio's victory, but added that his coalition is confident justice will prevail.
“We have enough evidence to show foreigners, those people from Venezuela, were brought into the country to try to steal our victory but it won’t be possible,” said Mr Odinga.
The matter of the Venezuelans is also one of the arguments he makes in his Supreme Court petition, brought before court on Monday. In the petition, Mr Odinga's legal team argues that three Venezuelans had the ability to remotely access and manipulate IEBC's data.
"Combined with the capability of the foreigners and anyone in possession of the contents and information in the electronic devices to remotely access and manipulate the entire IEBC data; and the manifest discrepancies and irregularities manifest during the General Election and the tallying, verification of count and declaration of the presidential election result; it is the inevitable conclusion that not only was the presidential election not secure, it is not verifiable, accountable, neutral or transparent," Mr Odinga's petition states.
In July, three Venezuelans --Jose Gregorio Camargo Castellanos, Joel Gustavo Rodriguez Garcia and Salvador Javier Sosa Suarez -- were arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after they were found with election materials in their luggage. In the investigations that followed, detectives wanted to know why election materials considered highly confidential were not being transported as sealed cargo, but by individuals.
The material included a laptop, a personal monitor, five flash discs, one mobile phone and an assortment of personal computer accessories and stickers that was intended for use in labelling Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (Kiems) kits bags.
Later, IEBC clarified the matter, saying the three people worked for Smartmatic International B.V., a firm contracted to deploy technology during the upcoming polls. The elections agency said they were arrested without justification after landing in the country.
Smartmatic, the Greek company that won the tender to run the all-encompassing Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (Kiems), also insisted that three Venezuelans arrested at the airport with election kit stickers in their luggage were their full-time employees through a subsidiary company.
In the August 9 elections, the former prime minister was up against his main rival, Kenya Kwanza coalition leader William Ruto, Roots Party presidential candidate Professor George Wajackoyah and Agano Party’s David Mwaure.
Dr Ruto was eventually declared by IEBC chairperson Mr Wafula Chebukati as the president-elect after garnering 50.49 percent of votes.
However, Mr Odinga has disputed the declaration alleging massive irregularities in the process, culminating in his presidential petition filed at the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon.
Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga (center) flanked by his running mate Martha Karua (left) and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka at KICC on August 16, 2022.
“I want to tell Kenyans that we have enough evidence and we are confident that truth and justice will prevail at the Supreme Court. I urge you to be calm but vigilant as we start the court process,” he said.
Download a copy of Raila's Supreme Court petition: Raila Odinga petition download
