Constitutional change won't work if leaders don't concede defeat in polls - Ruto

 

Kenya is wasting time with changing the Constitution if its leaders will not concede when defeated in elections, Deputy President William Ruto has said.

Speaking during an interview with Radio Jambo on Tuesday, Ruto said the problem lies with people who do not believe in democracy and those who never concede when defeated.

“The big problem is in elections. Even now we are wasting time with changing the Constitution.. we can change it 100 times but if the one who is defeated does not concede he will still bring issues and even swear himself in,” he said.

Ruto was referring to ODM party leader Raila Odinga who swore himself in after the disputed 2017 elections in a mock ceremony at Uhuru Park.

“We need to agree that when I am defeated I will accept the outcome. I want to tell you that all these people can never say and they will never say it,” Ruto said.

He took a swipe at BBI saying that there was no place written that when defeated a loser will concede.

“In this BBI there is nowhere written that someone will concede... I do not have any problem with IEBC,” he said.

When put to task why he and his colleagues did not concede during the 2007/08 elections, Ruto said the problem back then was the commission.

“In 2007 elections,  it was not us the leaders or the opposition who said there was a problem... It was the chair of the commission who said there was a problem..he is the one who said he did not know what happened. It was not us ,” he said.

“It was true that Kivuitu said there was a problem but finally when it was decided we accepted and moved on to the opposition..since then did we swear in anyone? We just accepted.”

However, Ruto’s claims that they accepted and moved on is misplaced.

During the elections, the opposition which included Ruto protested the results that saw Mwai Kibaki being sworn in as the president.

The fighting erupted after Raila then an opposition leader, accused then-President Mwai Kibaki’s party of stealing the election.

About 1,300 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes in the ensuing battles.

Uhuru Kenyatta, now president, and Ruto were among six Kenyans charged at the International Criminal Court over their alleged roles in the deadly inter-ethnic violence.

Uhuru and Ruto both denied the charges and their cases collapsed due to insufficient evidence.

Ruto further told Radio Jambo that the case at the ICC did not only take him there but also Uhuru Kenyatta.

“The case took everyone there including Uhuru. I will accept the outcome of the elections if I lose. If you see others, ask them if they will accept the outcome of the elections,” Ruto added.    BY THE STAR