US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has given the results of the August 9, 2022, General Election a clean bill of health.
Speaking at the opening of the Devolution Conference in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Whitman described last year’s election as ‘remarkable’.
“I arrived in Kenya days before the August 2022 elections. What I witnessed was nothing short of remarkable,” she said.
The US ambassador said most analysts and commentators agreed that the election was the most credible in Kenya’s history.
“Kenya held what many analysts and commentators was the freest, fairest and most credible election in Kenyan history,” she added.
Whitman further stated that the polls were observed by various election observation missions and the results were vindicated by the Supreme Court.
“The elections were observed by international and local election organizations and the results were upheld by the Kenyan Supreme Court and power was transferred orderly and peacefully at the time,” she said.
Bipartisan talks
Whitman’s comments come at a time when the government is engaging the opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance in a bipartisan talk to end the political impasse in the country.
A 10-member team co-chaired by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah is leading the bipartisan talks which is spearheaded by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Among the agendas Azimio insisted must be addressed include; the high cost of living, the audit of the August 2022 presidential election results, restructuring and reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) among others.
Azimio insists last year’s election was not credible and has been leading street protests to demand a forensic audit of IEBC servers.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga on August 5, 2023, warned that they would get back on the streets if talks reach no agreement by August 31.
