Kenyan new election postponed to Oct 26

NAIROBI: Kenya’s new election has been delayed to October 26, the polls commission said on Thursday, as it seeks more time to fix issues that led to the initial vote being annulled.

The decision comes a day after the Supreme Court issued a detailed judgement lambasting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for failing to properly conduct the election.

The court ordered a fresh election, which had initially been set for October 17. However doubts had piled up over the ability of the commission to conduct necessary reforms and preparations in such a short time.

In a statement, the IEBC said it had decided to push back the vote as the full court ruling “impacts on the election operations and in particular (the) technology to be deployed.”

“In order to ensure that the commission is fully prepared to deliver an election that meets the standards set out by the Supreme Court, we wish to notify the public and all stakeholders that the fresh presidential election shall now be held on Thursday October 26.”

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Thursday the country’s Supreme Court staged a “coup” against the will of the people when it annulled his win in last month’s presidential election, his toughest rhetoric yet in the wake of the August 8 vote.

“A coup in Kenya has just been done by the four people in the Supreme Court,” Kenyatta said in a televised meeting with supporters, delivered mostly in Kiswahili.