Kenyan military dismisses claims of plot to rig August poll for President Kenyatta

The Kenyan military has shrugged off allegations by the opposition of plans to rig the August 8 elections in favour of incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta terming them as unfounded and aimed at tarnishing the name of the forces.

Responding to the claims by the opposition NASA that KDF was involved in clandestine preparations which involve zoning slum areas of Kibera and Mathare and declaring them cholera prone in a ploy to rig the polls among other plans, defense minister Racheal Omamo said the military was in no way planning to participate in rigging the polls.

The minister however confirmed all the military units were currently involved in training ‘as a matter of routine. “It is standard practice for the military world over, to prepare contingency plans with respect to any foreseeable situation that may negatively prejudice national security.The Kenya Defense Force is no exception,” the minister said in a joint presser with his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i.

Opposition leader and NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga alongside his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka said Friday it had obtained minutes of meetings at State House Nairobi detailing how the military would transport pre-marked ballot papers to rural parts of the country.

“They are planning to transport ballot papers to rural areas, code named Special Transit Goods or STG. They will register telephone lines in the names of dead soldiers,” NASA said.

“The documents indicate that very large numbers of officers and soldiers will be participating in the plot. Also included will be 226 new soldiers, being trained at Mariakani Barracks to be deployed on this mission. The new soldiers don’t have networks in the military.”

Omamo took issue with the opposition terming the disclosure of soldiers and their contacts contained in the dossier as detrimental to their safety and national security.

“Such disclosure may be exploited by enemy entities such as Al-Shabaab to the detriment of the officers and their families.”

Kenyans will go to the polls in August 8 in a hotly contested electoral battle which features Kenyatta’s Jubilee and Odinga’s NASA as major competitors. Odinga who lost to Kenyatta in 2013 will be giving the poll his last shot.