It emerged on Wednesday that the government and security agencies are brewing a plan to place CORD leaders behind bars and charge them with treason in what is viewed as an all-out effort by the limping Jubilee administration to muzzle Kenya's legitimate opposition.
Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka told a news conference that they had documents indicative of the existence of the ill conceived plan by Jubilee political machinations.
He said they had a letter dated June 24 by Chief of Staff and Head of Service Joseph reminding Solicitor-General Njee Muturi and Attorney-General Githu Muigai to implement resolutions of some National Security Advisory Committee meeting held in June 23 and arrest some of the leaders on treason charges.
“The letter demonstrates the desire and scheme of the Jubilee administration to use the law of treason to achieve political objectives, unrelated and extraneous to the principles and jurisprudence of Kenya’s criminal justice system,” said Kalonzo.
“This letter is the clearest indication that the Jubilee administration wants to arrest and detain the leaders of CORD on charges that have no basis in our Constitution and the law in order to emasculate the Opposition,” he told reporters at the coalition’s headquarters in Nairobi.
Musyoka who was in the company of CORD leaders Raila Odinga and Moses Wetangula said they would move on with plans to help Kenya and that they would not be cowed by Jubilee's political theatricals.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will compromise CORD’s relentless struggle to enable the people of Kenya reap the fruits of the new Constitution,” he affirmed.
Jubilee has been accused of attempting to re-introduce sedition laws to intimidate the Opposition. This first became apparent with the arrest of Lamu County Governor Issa Timamy for alleged terror activities. Police said that the governor would be arraigned on offenses under International Crimes Act, similar to those facing Uhuru Kenyatta at the Hague based criminal court. However, the governor was set free on bail by the courts and no charges have been preferred to date, with police requesting more time to allegedly build a case against the governor.
Musyoka called upon Jubilee to let the governor deliver on his mandate and stop interfering in the running of Lamu county.
The former VP also recalled: “In 1997 the law of sedition was repealed from our Penal Code under Act No. 10 of 1997 because of the trend in those years of dragging Kenyans into criminal courts under that law. The law of detention without trial has also been replaced.”
Raila on his part announced that they will release the referendum plans next week.
“There is no hitch; this is a very involving process because before we even announce the names (of committee members spearheading the process), we need to announce the structure. There will be those who are going to be advisors, the politicians will have their role, there will be a committee of experts, there is going to be the National Referendum Committee,” said the former premier.
CORD is preparing to collect one million signatures, among other logistical plans, needed to push for the referendum which currently is the only way to solve problems facing the country.
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