This archive report was first published on 11 November 2021.
On November 11, 2021, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to take action against the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) following the chaos in Kondele on Wednesday where Deputy President William Ruto's convoy was stoned by unruly youth.
UDA National Chairperson Johnson Muthama stated that the IEBC should consider disqualifying ODM from the upcoming general elections slated for August 9, 2022, to send a strong message that election violence will not be condoned.
‘The IEBC needs to come out in force and say in no uncertain terms, will it allow politicians inciting Kenyans to contest in the elections,’ Muthama said in a statement released on Thursday.
He further stated that the violence witnessed in Kondele is a wake-up call not only to the electorate but also to the institutions charged with ensuring a peaceful election and transition in 2022.
He blamed various government institutions tasked with ensuring peaceful co-existence for their failure to act on such issues, pointing out that the Kenya Police, National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) have remained aloof and have not acted in a way that would inspire confidence from Kenyans.
He also rubbished the statement by police headquarters that Ruto had been warned against visiting the area, saying, ‘Yesterday, Kenya Police issued a lame statement stating that the Deputy President had been warned of chaos prior to the visit. Nothing could be far from the truth.'
‘The question that police should answer is when did they know about the chaos and what did they do about it to ensure the stoning does not happen and it is stopped?’ the former Machakos Senator asked.
ODM party leader Raila Odinga distanced himself from the chaos, accusing Ruto of provoking the youths.
