Competitors and IEBC owe Kenyans credible elections

Kenya made major steps last week towards the August 8 general election, partly with the Appeal Courts ruling that the Dubai-based Al Ghurair can proceed with printing the presidential ballot papers.

It must have been a big relief for the electoral body IEBC whose tender award was blocked by the High Court on the grounds that the constitutional provision of public participation was not followed.

What’s more, it is a big relief that opposition Nasa that faulted the direct tendering said it would respect the verdict of the Appeal Court but continue to monitor the operations of Independent Electoral and  Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in its quest for a free and fair elections.

General elections are an important public event that is hotly contested, has many participants and interests, draws a lot of attention, and is usually full of theatrics and propaganda by the competitors.

This is because rising to the helm to lead the country as President, being a lawmaker at the national level or counties or governing the counties is a dream-come-true moment for many people. And, so, the high stakes are understandable.

We want to commend the competing parties for remaining vigilant and considerably orderly in the pursuit of a credible election by resorting to the courts as the ultimate arbiter where they think either their opponents or the electoral commission were taking the wrong turn, possibly reducing their chances of winning.

The use of the courts is also a bold  manifestation that Kenya’s democracy was maturing and thus allowing other businesses to continue in the season of vote-hunt.

We commend Nasa for accepting the court verdict, but promising to remain alert in its pursuit for a poll whose results will be acceptable to all and sundry and will give Kenyans the leaders they deserve.

Political formations should, therefore, to continue with the same spirit 14 days to the polls.

We ask the IEBC to deliver above-board elections because the country is more important and bigger than the politicians, individuals, or the electoral body.