Jan. 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of Kenya, William Ruto, has denounced the existence of a plot to kidnap and assassinate the head of the electoral commission, Wafula Chebukati, after the ratification of his victory in the August 2022 presidential elections.
Ruto was declared the winner of said elections with 50.5 percent of the votes, although former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, backed by the outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, rejected the results and denounced fraud.
“We know that there was a direct attempt to kidnap Wafula Chebukati and assassinate him so that the commission would be paralyzed or achieve a complacent commissioner who would overthrow popular sovereignty,” he said, according to the Citizen Digital news portal.
“They were hard, cold and lonely moments, the threats were great, but the promised rewards have been abundant,” he said, before accusing the “system” of this alleged plan to assassinate Chebukati.
Ruto has also stated that Chebukati and other senior officials of the electoral commission “were offered stupendous financial rewards if they cooperated with the agents with impunity.” “They resisted bravely,” stressed the Kenyan president.
“We also know that, after that, they were threatened with harsh consequences for themselves and their families,” he pointed out, while applauding “the unwavering commitment” of these people with their “constitutional responsibility” when confirming the electoral results. .
The Supreme Court of Kenya rejected in September the appeals presented by the opposition and endorsed the victory of Ruto, until then vice president of the country and estranged from Kenyatta due to his constant tensions in recent years.
For his part, Odinga said that, although he “respects the opinion of the court,” he disagrees “vehemently” with the decision made by the country’s highest judicial body. The former prime minister also refused to attend the inauguration of Ruto, which took place on September 13.
