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October 26 gazetted public holiday

matiangi

Acting Interior minister Fred Matiang'i. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The government has declared Thursday next week a public holiday to allow Kenyans vote in the fresh presidential elections.

In a gazette notice on Thursday, acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the decision was backed by the Constitution and other relevant laws related to elections.

The notice, however, comes in a wake of a standoff between the leading coalitions of Jubilee and Nasa over the fate of the election, even as the electoral commission’s ability to conduct a credible election has been questioned.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is also reeling from shock following the resignation of commissioner Roselyn Akombe who, in her letter of resignation, said the commission was under siege due to internal wrangles among officers blinded by partisan politics.

Clarion call

While President Uhuru Kenyatta has insisted that the election will go on as planned and warned politicians against disrupting the process, his rival Raila Odinga of Nasa has re-energised his clarion call for no election on October 26, accusing the electoral commission of being friendly to the Jubilee administration.

Mr Odinga, on Wednesday, asked his supporters to boycott the polls and instead march to the streets on the Election Day, in what he termed a mega protest against electoral injustice and impunity.