Election Watch 2013: William Ruto - Jubilee Running Mate talks to Aljazeera

 

Key Take Aways
First order of business is fighting unemployment

Potentials
Tap into tourism and agriculture

Bombshell from the Chief Justice - Kenya

The Letter

Election Watch 2013: UK High Commissioner Interview with Citizen TV

Event: Tuko Rada I Choose Peace Festival, Feb. 16 2013 @ KICC Courtyard Grounds

Tuko Rada Poster

National Youth Bunge Association (NYBA) the Kenyan leading youth network of County forums which represents the Village Youth Bunges at the National level will hold the biggest peace festival of the election year dubbed “Tuko Rada”.

Leading Kenyan artists, celebrity athletes, footballers, youth leaders, media personalities, Business leaders, peace stakeholders, NYBA County youth forum members and over ten thousand peace loving Kenyan youth from all over the country will converge at the KICC Courtyard to pledge peace in Kenya and be the ambassadors of peace in the coming months as we head towards the election. 

Date: February 16, 2013

Venue: KICC Courtyard

Time: 10 am to 6 pm

Lessons from Party Primaries: The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected

The party primaries came and passed. Now that calm has returned there are some lessons we can draw from the fiascos of party primaries;

·     We need a public holiday to conduct party primaries

The state should give a holiday for the electorate to participate in this exercise. We saw a good number of good candidates loose the party primaries because the so called middle class we at work and the aspirants with street swag we’re able to mobilize support.

·     IEBC needs to conduct the Party Primaries

Most of the party primaries we’re done in haphazard manner. In some cases there we’re delays of days because the election materials we’re not in polling stations on time.

·      Party Boys will always be Party Boys

We witnessed broad day light rigging in some regions. Especially in ODM and TNA zones where primaries are as good as elections. Some of the areas where there were question marks were Nyanza and Central Province. In the lead up to the election days we might be witnessing new voting patterns is this dissent we witnessed was quelled by party organs that rigged in the party boys

·       The Fall Out in Nyanza Province

Some commentators have gone as far as calling it a Luo Spring. How this shapes up is yet to be fully seen but in an area like Nyanza Province where the Prime Minister has commanded a spell over might be finally coming to an end.

We witnessed a good number of Odinga’s vying and the electorate refusing them. The era of an insightful voter is coming to the being and this can be attributed to;

1.       High literacy levels in these areas

2.       Technology especially mobile penetration

3.       Access to information through local radio station

The fall out was not exclusive to Nyanza because we witnessed a fall out in Othaya [President Kibaki’s backyard] where Mary Wambui and Gichuki battled it out and we witnessed some drama.

·       Get bloggers party to cover your opponents Primaries and ‘expose’ short comings

During the primary exercise we witnessed some bloggers who we know their party affiliation all of a sudden move to their opponents regions to cover the primaries. The idea here was to report as much filth as possible on nomination exercise of their opponents. In so doing they painted a bad picture of their opponent’s primary exercise.

Read: Kenya election: a bewildering dance of candidates andcoalitions 

Elections Watch 2013: Acquaint Yourself with International Crisis Group Africa Report # 197

International Crisis Group

Kenya’s 2013 polls are being closely followed by many actors as a result of what happen in 2007/08. Among the many international actors in town one actor you need to keep a close watch over is International CrisisGroup.

ICG normally would be expected to be undertaking reports of our neighbouring countries which have had their fare share of strive. This however is not the case because Kenya is at a crossroads with a huge stakes election which has many variables that look like a script straight from Hollywood. The major variables which make Kenya a high stakes affair are;

The Good

·         A new constitution promulgated in 2010

·         A new judiciary lead by Chief Justice W. Mutunga

·         IEBC lead by Isaac Ahamed

·         New Police Commissioner

·         A vibrant Civic Society

·         A vibrant press [currently organizing Presidential Debate – first of its kind in Africa]

·         Devolved government structure which reduced a concentration of power at the center and reduces an all stakes scenario as was the case in 2007.

The Ugly

·         The Post Election Violence observed after 2007 bungled polls. Over a thousand people we’re killed and people we’re internally displaced and are yet to be settled to date

·         The ICC shadow in 2013 polls. Jubilee presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his party Vice President nominee William Ruto are facing charges at the International Criminal Court. A win by Jubilee Coalition would be a game changer since it would alter how the ICC operates.

·         IEBC preparedness. After the disputed polls there was a international intervention lead by Kofi Annan. One of his outcomes of the mediation process was the setting up of commission to look into the cause of violence. One of their recommendations was the abolition of Electoral Commission of Kenya [ECK] which was lead by Samuel Kivuitu. In the meantime an Interim Independent Electoral Commission was set up which was preceded by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission which was set up a year to the election after the passage of the new constitution in 2010. The commission has been facing a number of huddles. Despite its short stint it is expected to carry out the March polls which meet international standards.

·         A reformed police force. Kenya has a police force as opposed to a police service. As we approach the polls a lot will be expected on the new police commissioner who ascended into office on January 2013. In 2007/08 the questions we’re raised on the character of the police institution. We’re they compromised?These are the things which election observation crew will be looking into.

The ICG had a set of 17 recommendations which can be found here 

Download the whole report here

Elections 2013: President Obama's Message to the People of Kenya

President Obama took time off his schedule to send this message to Kenyan's. This signals the significant role US attaches to Kenya as a gateway to this region. Also, it shows that president Obama has not broken his links with his Kenyan roots.
This could also be a message to the ruling elites that US is closely watching Kenya as we head to the polls.

Presidents Obama message was received with a mixture of good sentiments especially the candidates appreciating the US stance of NOT having a candidate in the race [so they say]. There we're others who question if there has been any other country that POTUS has taken time to send a message. 

However, the tweet of the day was this;

President Kibaki should also send a message to the People of USA to stop their senseless shooting of children innocent children!
— The Makodingo® (@makodingo) February 5, 2013