Azimio coalition has opened a new battlefront against the US and its Western allies, accusing them of aiding alleged electoral fraud in Kenya and spearheading double standards on democracy in Africa.
The wrangles spiralled last week after US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman declared the August 9 polls — which were unsuccessfully challenged at the Supreme Court — as the “most transparent elections in the country's history”.
Whitman also described President William Ruto as, “very strong, smart, strategic, and gets things done".
But Azimio leaders now say the US has become praise singers for African presidents and turning a blind eye to electoral credibility and human rights violations for their own selfish business interests.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi cited the recent Nigerian polls, where the US swiftly congratulated Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite widespread reports of electoral fraud.
“This sends a very bad signal… and once the leader they support gets power, they seem to make decisions that are favourable to the Western powers,” Osotsi told the Star.
At the heart of the dispute is electronic management of the polls in which American firm, Smartmatic, was the chief supplier of the election kits.
Azimio leader and 2022 presidential candidate Raila Odinga has maintained the system was compromised and has since demanded the servers holding the results of the presidential elections be opened for scrutiny.
In 2017, similar technology was provided by French firm OT-Morpho, now Idemia. The results were nullified by the Supreme Court.
The David Maraga-led bench ruled that the electoral commission had committed irregularities "in the transmission of results", thus failing "to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the Constitution".
The opposition has bitterly contested the outcome of the last presidential election and even taken to the streets, claiming their victory was stolen with the complicity and help of Western countries.
Raila has, for example, questioned how the US would support the outcome of the polls when four out of seven commissioners disowned the results.
On multiple occasions, Raila has queried Western diplomats in Nairobi if such an outcome would be acceptable in their own countries.
“There is no European democracy, American democracy and African democracy. It must be measured by the same standards universally,”Raila said.
“We are totally surprised to see this diplomat completely turn a blind eye to violation of fundamental human rights in Kenya in the name of development,” Raila added, cautioning Western diplomats to refrain from lecturing Kenyans.
In responding to this, the Supreme Court said: "We, however, take cognisance of the fact that the four commissioners actively participated in the verification and the tallying exercise from the beginning up to nearly the end of the result declaration".
Three of the commissioners have since resigned while the fourth, Irene Masit, had her contract terminated on the recommendation of the tribunal formed to consider the petition for removal of Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Masit and Justus Nyang’aya from office.
But government insiders say Raila is a sour loser who is looking for a scapegoat in the US.
“You’re out of order by blaming the international community. The international community now knows you. You presented yourself as a defender of democracy and human rights but now they know who you are. It's not possible for America to assist Raila to undermine democracy in Kenya,” Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua hit back.
The Azimio team has, for instance, taken exception with the lifting of the ban on the importation and distribution of genetically modified products.
The move is widely seen as victory for US multinationals that had for years pushed for the liberalisation of the Kenyan market.
“We consider the decision to lift the ban on GMO foods and their importation a betrayal to our country. On this, the Ruto administration is not working for Kenya,”Raila declared three weeks ago as he called for mass action.
Since President Ruto was voted into office, several US officials, including US First Lady Jill Biden, have visited Nairobi.
As Azimio protests rocked the capital on March 27, President Ruto and Ambassador Whitman led Kenya and the US in hosting the annual AmCham Business Summit in Nairobi in which the US envoy strongly praised Kenya’s outstanding business environment.
In December 2022, President Ruto attended the US-Africa Leaders Summit and closed a number of business deals.
Raila's team views the developments as a systematic and well-organised strategy to ensure the voices of opposition are dimmed in exchange for US interests to take root in Kenya.
“They are claiming they do not get involved in local politics but we have evidence that they are,” ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna told the Star.
“Once they support you to get power, they will push you to sign deals with their companies and then everything else, including democracy, is relegated,” he reckoned.
The US has, however, consistently said they have no interests but support free and fair elections in Kenya.
Last week, the Western diplomats in Nairobi reiterated their stand that the polls were free and fair and unanimously confirmed by the Supreme Court.
Ruto was declared the winner with Sh7.17 million votes or 50.5 per cent of the votes cast against Raila’s 6.94 million votes or 48.8 percent of the votes cast.
However, Raila and his team have what they termed as whistleblower results that claim he beat Ruto in the elections. The results claim that Raila got eight million votes against Ruto’s 5.8 million.
Consequently, the opposition are demanding an audit of the election servers to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the whistleblower’s claims. The alleged whistleblower's revelations were not part of the evidence Azimio tabled at the Supreme Court.
Political observer Martin Andati said Western powers’ involvement in Africa revolves around their interests.
“They look at their interests. Their interest supersedes any other thing. They are commercial, military and many other interests. Democracy is just a cover up,” Andati said.
Raila's attack on the US and the wealthy western nations has also roped in his family members and close allies, signalling the deep war the opposition chief has with the nations.
In November last year, Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, scathingly attacked the US and Western countries for turning Kenya into their own playing field. Winnie accused the foreign powers of constantly interfering with Kenya’s elections.
“Absolutely, Kenya is their favourite. Kenya is like their PlayStation. Have you ever worn virtual reality glasses? That is what Kenya is to them. You just put it and you play - we know all their tricks,” she responded when asked whether the August elections were interfered with by the Western powers.
“It’s not the first time I have heard concerns about interference in the election by Western countries and specifically…. the US,” she said.
In October, Raila termed Ruto’s declaration by then IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati as president as a coup d’état engineered by foreign powers.
The former prime minister made the sensational claim during the launch of a book, Stronger Than Faith, authored by ODM executive director Oduor Ong’wen on October 5.
“The international community could not condemn Mr. Chebukati's actions because they knew what had happened."
"The African right wing has always been in conspiracy with the international monopoly capital since independence and Kenyans must be prepared to further sacrifice to win this struggle,” he added.
Ong'wen claimed foreign powers were uncomfortable with what he termed another "Magufuli in East Africa".
The late John Pombe Magufuli is the former Tanzanian President who was seen to have passionately fought corruption and brought efficiency to public service.
But Raila's fight with the US is not surfacing for the first time.
In 2017, Western election observer groups gave the polls a clean bill of health as Raila fought the credibility of the elections.
Among the groups was the Carter Center observer mission then head by former US secretary of State John Kerry.
“Kenya has made a remarkable statement to Africa and the world about its democracy and the character of that democracy. Don't let anybody besmirch that,” Kerry had said.
The declaration triggered a barrage of accusations from Raila’s then team, who accused the international community of abetting electoral malpractices in the polls.
“Some of them just have big names but have nothing to offer on matters of observing the elections,"James Orengo, who led Raila’s legal team in the historic case, told off the observers.
"They can do what they want to do or say whatever they want but they should not tell us to go to court because it is not our option.”
When Raila went to the Supreme Court, the election was nullified.
