On 02/12/2007, Lucy Kimani wrote:

Karume tells Opposition to accept voters' verdict

Story by NATION Correspondent
Publication Date: 12/3/2007

The Opposition should accept the election results if defeated by PNU, Defence minister Njenga Karume said Sunday. Addressing a rally at Mucatha trading centre in Kiambaa, Mr Karume said he was confident of PNU's victory because of the President's development record. ''Kenyans will vote for an action-oriented candidate who is President Kibaki,'' he said.

He said the Government would not accept anarchy after elections from an Opposition that was ''not democratic enough to accept results of a free and fair election.''

Peaceful elections

As the Minister of Defence, Mr Karume assured Kenyans that they would deal with anybody who will incite violence.

The minister asked the youth to support President Kibaki, saying, his Government had put in place structures to improve their lot.

The outgoing Kiambaa MP called for peaceful elections, saying, Kenyans should not allow themselves to be divided by an exercise 'that comes and goes after every five years.''Mr Karume announced that PNU leaders would embark on an aggressive campaign for votes in the Rift Valley. Mr Karume has for the past two weeks led a high-powered PNU delegation in the hunt for votes in South Rift.

This week, he is expected to lead another group to Nandi.Earlier, speaking at a church function, Mr Karume asked voters in central Kenya to turn out in large numbers during voting day.Mr Karume claimed voters in Kericho District were willing to support President Kibaki's re-election but had accused their counterparts in Central Province of poor turnout during elections.'You must first help yourselves if you want to be helped,' Mr Karume said during the opening of the All Saints Mucatha ACK parish.

In the last few weeks, the minister was campaigning for the President's re-election in parts of Rift Valley, which has about 3.2 million voters.On Sunday, he said that in the past, less than 50 per cent of voters from Central Province took part in elections. He asked them to change the trend this time round.The minister later addressed a rally at Mucatha shopping centre. Mr Karume will face 20 other candidates in the contest for the Kiambaa parliamentary seat.

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