Azimio leader Raila Odinga has criticized the international community over their praise of the August 2022 elections in Kenya.
This comes after the US ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, stated that Kenya had the “freest and most transparent election” ever in the history of the country.
Raila expressed his disbelief in the ambassador’s statement, saying that she had only been in the country a few days before the election.
Raila emphasized that democracy should be measured by the same standards everywhere and should not be sacrificed for development.
He highlighted events that took place on August 15, when three election commissioners agreed on the election results while four others disagreed. He questioned whether this would be considered democratic in the United States or Europe and whether the election would still be considered transparent.
Raila called on the international community to question what happened during the election and to ensure that it does not happen again in 2027.
He demanded that the servers be opened to interrogate the results and that all four electoral commissioners be reinstated. He believes that Kenyans have the right to make their own decisions and that democracy is built by allowing them to do so.
Raila made these remarks during the burial of Mama Grace Onyango, the first elected woman MP and mayor, in Gem. He expressed his disappointment in the foreign diplomats who issued a joint statement praising the election, despite the questionable events that took place.
