Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has dismissed the opposition's request for the opening of IEBC servers for scrutiny, saying the plea is not anchored in the existing laws.
Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga insists that an audit of the electoral body's servers is the only way to verify the presidential election results of 2022, which he claims he won.
But speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday night, Cheruiyot said there was no law in place that can compel the government to open the servers, adding that Raila's demands were nothing but "blackmail and idle talk".
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The Kericho senator argues that the legitimacy of President William Ruto was settled by the Supreme Court ruling of September 5, 2022, which upheld the Kenya Kwanza's victory.
“Azimio tells us If we don't open the servers, we'll go back to the streets, and many sad stories that we are used to, you know, because we have dealt with them long enough, same characters, never change. This issue is completely bar talk,” Cheruyiot said.
According to the lawmaker, ballot boxes are the primary source of poll data.
He said the Supreme Court had allowed Azimio's request for a recount of votes in several contested polling stations but found no disparities with the final tally declared by Wafula Chebukati, the former chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
“Azimio was given the opportunity by the Supreme Court and told to pick 46 ballot boxes from different parts of the country just as a sample and you know, statistics is about sampling. Because you couldn't open 46,000 ballot boxes,” Cheruyiot said.
Raila bases his claims on allegations of election rigging by an alleged anonymous whistle-blower at the IEBC who alleges that the former premier won the election.
Raila claims he garnered 8.1 million votes against Ruto’s 5.9 million.
He insists that the issue of servers must be addressed by a parliamentary committee formed to lead dialogue between the opposition and government.
Raila is also demanding the lowering of the cost of living and reinstatement of former IEBC vice chair Juliana Cherera and three other former commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Irene Masit and Francis Wanderi.
Raila has vowed to call for a return of anti-government protests suspended recently if the demands are not met.
