Former aide to opposition leader Raila Odinga, Silas Jakakimba, has revisited dramatic moments surrounding the disputed 2007 presidential election, following an NTV documentary that examined allegations the vote was manipulated.
Jakakimba, who served as Odinga’s personal assistant at the time, said the confusion and tension that marked the final stages of tallying remain vivid nearly two decades later.
His remarks came after the broadcast revisited claims that the opposition leader’s victory was allegedly altered during the final declaration of results.
According to Jakakimba, he spent the critical hours of the vote tally at both Nyayo National Stadium and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), where the Electoral Commission was consolidating results from across the country.
He recalled that earlier in the day he was stationed at Nyayo Stadium where votes from the then Lang’ata Constituency — now split into Kibra and Lang’ata constituencies — were being keyed into the system.
Jakakimba said he had to pressure the constituency returning officer to announce the parliamentary results after she reportedly hesitated, insisting she needed authorization from the Electoral Commission chairperson before doing so.
“At that moment, the chairperson was unreachable, yet the law required the returning officer to declare the results,” Jakakimba said.
He explained that confirming Odinga’s parliamentary victory in Lang’ata was critical because the constitution at the time required a presidential candidate to first win their parliamentary seat before being declared president-elect.
Jakakimba said ensuring the Lang’ata results were formally announced became one of the opposition’s urgent priorities that day.
He added that he spoke to Odinga around 3am during the tense night as the country awaited the final presidential results.
The situation later deteriorated as disputes over the national tally intensified at the KICC before the eventual declaration of President Mwai Kibaki as the winner. Kibaki was sworn in later the same evening at State House Nairobi in a ceremony that further deepened the political crisis.
Jakakimba now says the issues raised in the documentary and by individuals who have publicly discussed alleged irregularities warrant further investigation.
He called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine the matter, arguing that the events surrounding the 2007 election represented what he described as a major subversion of the will of Kenyan voters.
The disputed election triggered widespread violence across the country, leaving more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced before a power-sharing agreement eventually restored political stability.