Deputy President William Ruto has been accused of breaking election laws by engaging in early campaigns.
In a statement on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the National Election Observers Forum (NEOF) noted that Ruto has been holding numerous campaign rallies to drum support for his 2022 presidential bid, despite the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) having not gazetted the election date.
NEOF says that Ruto has broken Section 14 of the Elections Act 2011, which requires the IEBC to gazette the presidential general election specifying the period within which the candidates are supposed to conduct their campaigns.
“Our attention has been drawn to the numerous campaign rallies and meetings being held across the country by H.E Dr. William Samoei Ruto, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. We note that the IEBC has neither gazetted the date for the 2022 General Election nor the periods within which the campaigns should be conducted,” said NEOF secretary Nganga Mugambi.
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NEO also accused Ruto of using his official residence for campaigns and promoting the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), despite being the Deputy Party Leader for Jubilee Party.
“Ruto has held campaign rallies in all the 47 counties, held countless town-hall meetings as well as caucuses in the official residence of the Deputy President, donning UDA Party colours, promoting his candidature and the UDA party, which he openly associates with as its party leader while remaining Jubilee Party Deputy Party leader,” added the letter to IEBC by Mugambi.
“It’s our petition that in so doing the Deputy President has violated and continues to violate our national laws among them: The constitution of Kenya 2010, The Elections Act, 2011 and the Electoral Code of Conduct, The Elections (General) Regulations 2012, The Political Parties Act, and The Campaign Financing Act.”
Mugambi accused IEBC of being reluctant and failing to take action against Ruto, who has held hundreds of rallies in the last couple of months.
“It is of concern that IEBC, as the electoral body, has not reined in on the illegal and unlawful activities by the Deputy President, who has continued to engage in campaigns for the 2022 presidential election. In this regard, we petition the IEBC to put the Deputy President to account for engaging in electoral malpractices and illegalities. We also request the commission to ensure that electoral laws and processes are complied with to the letter,” the letter added.
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On Monday, Ruto has refuted claims that he has started to campaign for his 2022 presidential bid, saying that the rallies he has been going to across the country are official.
“I haven’t started the campaign because the campaign period has not yet been announced by the IEBC. What you have seen me do, is to do what my mandate permits; speaking to people, understanding their issues, accessing the extend of our government programs how far they have gone, and receiving feedback from the public,” Ruto explained.
Ruto has been crisscrossing the country asking Kenyans to join his party UDA as well as criticising his political opponents on various issues.
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