Raila responds to claims Azimio secretariat squandered agents’ money
Raila has defended the Azimio campaign secretariat from claims it squandered money meant for agents in the August polls.
Azimio coalition on Sunday, September 11, addressed the alleged mismanagement of funds meant for hiring enough agents to oversee the August 9 General Election.
Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat Spokesperson Makau Mutua refuted the allegations in a statement, saying that not a single penny had been taken improperly.
Additionally, Mutua defended Junet Mohammed, the MP for Suna East, stating that he was an Azimio secretariate campaign leader and did not handle money intended for agents.
Bitter arguments have dominated the former prime minister’s camp since President-elect Dr. William Ruto defeated him in the general election in August, with his lieutenants blaming one another for the defeat.
The Azimio Secretary General and Suna East MP Junet Mohammed, the former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, and the Azimio Secretariat CEO Elizabeth Meyo are some of the prominent individuals who have been targeted primarily on social media.
According to the Raila Campaign secretariat, the accusations against the group are false and border on defamation.
They have been accused of sabotaging the election by neglecting to send out enough agents around the nation.
Through a spokesperson for his presidential campaign, Prof. Makau Mutua, Raila Odinga claimed that his team had fulfilled its mission and shouldn’t be blamed for Azimio’s defeat.
“For now, I want to address one particular issue that has been misunderstood and is being used maliciously. This is the matter of the recruitment and management of agents. The issue was managed by a dedicated and hardworking team. Our view is that the staff did a largely successful job in a challenging environment,”
“Importantly, let me state clearly that the issue of agents was not the cause of a bungled election. We must appreciate that it is not the responsibility of candidates to protect the vote or conduct a free and fair election. That constitutional duty lies squarely with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) working in concert with relevant institutions. No one should blame Azimio or our candidates for stolen votes or a fatally flawed election,” said Prof Mutua in a statement.
He added that at no point did the Suna East lawmaker handle the funds meant for agents since he was with Mr. Odinga in the campaign trail.
“We have seen shameful and disgusting attacks on some members of our campaign on the question of agents. Defamatory and obviously false allegations of the misappropriation of campaign funds are flying on social media. Specifically, I have seen scurrilous attacks on Junet Mohammed accusing him of misappropriating funds meant for agents. Let me state without equivocation that Mr. Mohammed was a campaign leader in the field supporting Raila Odinga.
He at no time even once handled funds meant for agents. Nor did Mr Mohammed have anything whatsoever to do with the management of agents,” said Prof Mutua.
He added: “Those attacking in such brazen and false propaganda must cease and desist forthwith. We acknowledge there is disappointment about how the election was conducted by the IEBC and with the decision of the Supreme Court, but maliciously allegations against Mr. Mohammed and any of the Secretariat staff including the CEO Elizabeth Meyo who worked so hard and selflessly should be beneath the dignity of every person. Let us get back to the business of protecting our democracy.”
This comes after it emerged that Azimio had no agents more so in Mount Kenya and Rift Valley and where they were deployed.
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