Kenya: Contenders Vow to Accept March Outcome

ALLAFRICA.COM

Capital FM (Nairobi) [11/02/13]

By Olive Burrows

All the eight presidential candidates were united during Monday's presidential debate assuring Kenyans that they will each accept the outcome of the March 4 polls.

The National Alliance (TNA) presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta said that although he hopes to win the presidency he would concede defeat like he did in 2002.

"Kenya is far greater than any single individual and I do believe that a transparent democratic process will give Kenyans the leader that they want and it is for all of us to accept the will of the people and to join hands and support that candidate who I ideally hope will be me on March 4."

Raila Odinga, the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) presidential candidate, assured Kenyans that he too would not want to see a repeat of the violence that followed the last general election.

"We are all saying that we don't want a repeat of 2008 in this country. We have said as CORD that we will accept the results of the elections."

"If we are defeated we will accept defeat. If there are any complaints we will go to court."

NARC-Kenya presidential candidate Martha Karua urged her fellow contenders to seek legal redress should they be unhappy with outcome of the elections.

"They have seen us here laughing with each other, greeting each other so they should not allow us to mislead them with talk of ethnicity. We must be able to abide by the law, accept the results of election and if one is unhappy you go to court."

"Even in 2007 I said anybody aggrieved should have gone to court."

A position that the Safina presidential candidate, Paul Muite, supported, "We will support the results of free and fair elections and if you are dissatisfied now that the Judiciary is working we will go to court; we will not ask young people to go to the streets."

Amani presidential candidate Musalia Mudavadi called on his competitors to respect the election code of conduct to ensure to ensure the polls are peaceful. "We have all signed a code of conduct with IEBC, I think we should live up to it."

The Kenya National Congress candidate Peter Kenneth added that he has taken it upon himself to preach peace during his rallies. "I have never campaigned without preaching the peace message because there will be Kenya after March 4,"

"Irrespective of how each one of us here performs we are really so insignificant compared to the millions of citizens including children who cannot vote," James ole Kiyiapi said as Mohammed Abduba Dida called on Kenyans to accept the will of God.

"I don't know why people run away from God. God has designed and he knows who will be the president of this country."