Elders fear 'Yes' may rig referendum vote

The Kalenjin Council of Elders has said the referendum could divide the country at a time it was still smarting from post-election violence.

Led by the council chairman major (retired), John Seii, the elders expressed fears over claims of planned rigging of the vote by the ‘Yes’ team.

They called on the Interim Independent Electoral Commission to ensure free and fair referendum vote to protect the integrity of the draft.

"The wounds of post-election violence still hurt. Many internally displaced persons remain unsettled," Major Seii said.

He said the contentious issues of the draft should have been corrected before the referendum vote.

The elders reiterated that they were on the ‘No’ side.

Seii said a win by a small margin by the ‘Yes’ side at the referendum would rob the draft of legitimacy.

"What do we make of a situation where one group wins of loses by a nominal margin? Can we honestly and freely say we the people of Kenya own the document?" he posed.

The elders spoke at a press conference in Eldoret.