KENYA ELECTIONS DECEMBER 2007

NEW YEARS EVE

It’s been 5 days since Kenyans went to the polls to elect their new president of the republic of Kenya. 4 days since excitement reigned high amongst different political groups as each leader of the political divide: that is, Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National unity (PNU), Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Kalonzo Musyoka of the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K) made final ditch attempts at reigning in their supporters. 

By then it was clearly evident to all sides that their supporters nationwide were about to determine their political destiny for the next 5 years with the mark of the ballot paper; and only one of them was going to ascend the much coveted presidential throne.

5 years ago this time, we democratically elected President Mwai Kibaki into office ending a 40 year rule under the now retired President Daniel Arap Moi. The process was not without its excitement, anxieties and suspicions. Nevertheless, Kenyans proved to its African brothers and sisters and the world in general, that they had in fact matured in the democratic process and in turn much of the nation was in triumphant jubilation and euphoria for weeks thereafter.

Today is Monday the 31^st of December 2007, New Years Eve. 

The country should be celebrating, a new president has been sworn in by the chief justice at State house. His Excellency, the president Mwai Kibaki yesterday was declared the winner of the just concluded presidential elections by the Electoral Commission Chairman (ECK) Mr. Samuel Kivuitu after 4 long drawn out, exhausting, politically electrifying and emotionally charged days. 

Yes without a doubt, we should be celebrating. It’s New Year’s Eve and we have a newly ‘democratically’ elected president. But should we? Maybe; But how can we? How can the whole nation come together in song and dance when deep down something is erroneously amiss? 

For the past 4 days political leaders of various political associations and affiliations have hurled angry words laden with accusations of political manipulations of presidential election results; and rigging claims have been thrown at the sitting government. According to the ECK, by the fourth day they were ready to announce the presidential tallying results and Mwai Kibaki had garnered about 4.5 million votes against rival opposition leader Raila Odinga’s 4.3 million votes cast. Kalonzo Musyoka managed slightly over 800,000 votes.

But my focus is on Raila and Kibaki. Even before the elections ODM leaders had announced their suspicion of the sitting government’s plan to get Kibaki back into government by hook or crook. Amid their rigging claims PNU leaders dismissed them as desperate and unfounded attempts at maligning the government and that in the end it was up to the electorate to decide; nothing from their end, would affect the democracy of Kenya.

Voting complete, tallying of ballot papers began and the media, acting as the people’s conduit and polling watchdog kept the nation abreast of all results coming in from various polling stations countrywide and for the initial 3 days according to all government and independent media, ODM leader Raila Odinga appears to be maintaining a competitive lead in 6 out of 8 of the provinces of Kenya. It was slowly becoming more apparent that perhaps, maybe, possibly, despite the close margin between him and his rival presidential running mate Mwai Kibaki, perhaps the people had finally decided.

Day 3, after much media speculation and obvious glaring delays of results from various polling stations, especially it seemed from Mwai Kibaki’s home turf, as well as results from the Eastern Province (Kalonzo’s home turf), tensions began to rise and it was clear that something was just not right. 

That evening, Mr. Samuel Kivuitu the ECK chair was about to complete his work an announce the results, but the ODM leaders petitioned him not to announce the presidential results because they believed them to be flawed and manipulated. Upon their examination, they gave their evidence, gathered and seconded by their ODM party agents based in the field who confirmed that what was announced at the ground by the returning officers were not the same results announced by the ECK.

Amidst PNU leaders opposition to any further announcement delays, Mr. Kivuitu conceded and agreed to do a proper analysis overnight, of all the tallied votes from all the 210 constituencies, to look for any discrepancies which he agreed to some extent appeared to be in question. Two party agents from all competing partied were allowed to sit in with the commission that night, during which the scrutiny of the votes would take place. Though he appeared to be under much pressure from opposing invisible forces, it was evident to Mr. Kivuitu that certain results from certain constituencies had undeniably been grossly exaggerated in favor of the sitting President Mwai Kibaki and needed some further scrutiny.

Day 4, Kenyans woke up to await ECK’s final decision on the presidential race. Would the results be nullified and thereby a new election date set (an obvious expensive affair) as requested by ODM leaders, or would president Kibaki be announced the new President of the Republic of Kenya against justifiable rigging claims according to ODM leaders and supporters, subverting the democratic rights of all Kenyans.

At about 5pm, the ECK chair back at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) took his sit and oblivious to eager ODM leaders who wanted a ‘positive’ feedback, began to read out the final results of the presidential contest which evidently appeared to still be in favor of Mwai Kibaki. Before he had gone too far in his announcement ODM leaders interrupted the process protesting that what was happening was undemocratic and they would have none of it. Their protests, in full view of both local and international live media as well as election observers, completely disrupted the press conference. The military personnel were standing in line awaiting orders to dispel any possibility of fracas and or chaos as the ODM leaders staged a walk out. 

Half an hour later all media personnel, election observers and civilians were pushed out of the KICC building by the military personnel as the ECK chair prepared to privately announce Kibaki as president in the VIP lounge at the KICC, and only in the presence of the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation KBC. 

The announcement made, Kibaki was sworn in at State house with the obvious absence of independent media and opposition leaders of government. It is rumored that there was an obvious split within the ECK commissioners monitoring the election process itself on this announcement but nothing could be done to abort an announcement of Mwai Kibaki as president. A deep contrast to his overwhelming glorious swearing in ceremony 5 years ago at the Uhuru Park in Nairobi in the presence of national leaders and ecstatic local wananchi was evident at the state house grounds as onlookers solemnly watched the proceedings. Even government supporters it seemed were not as joyous and blissful as they had been on that memorable day, 5 years ago. 

It has been decades since we last saw our country at silent war within themselves.

Within half an hour of the announcement of Kibaki’s presidency, more than 10 people were killed in clashes in various parts of the country. It was like the ice had been broken to let out a torrent of anger and betrayal. Honorable John Michuki the former Internal Security minister who had managed a comeback for another 5 year term, announced a total media blackout of all live political news coverage. 

Day 5: for the last 18 hours as per Mr. Michuki’s public decree, there has been no live news aired by any of the local media houses, a tactic adopted with the assumption of giving a political blackout to the ODM, a ploy perhaps seen to avert any further chaos countrywide. 

Within this time period the death toll of citizens reported to have died in clashes with police ravaging various towns has been more than 100; again country wide. Rumors are running rampant via short messaging texts that ODM will be swearing in Raila Odinga as the new President of the Republic of Kenya at a ceremony later in the afternoon at the Uhuru Park in Nairobi. 

It is however unlikely that this meeting will happen because anti riot police have cordoned off all parts of Nairobi leading to the Uhuru Park where this alleged ceremony will be taking place. Moreover any movement from outside Nairobi into the city has been discouraged in suspicion that these movements could be towards the rally. 

The media are now back on, airing prerecorded news broadcasts and reports are now raging that the Chief Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, has resigned, a possible reaction to the current ongoing political events and that the army has in turn split into two for the same reasons. Also it has been mentioned that ODM leader Raila Odinga and his running mate William Ruto, have been arrested.

PNU leaders together with the police have been quick to reject all these claims dismissing them as untrue.

What is true though is that, in just a matter of hours the country has dramatically gotten a new face. A country that has never faced war and has been reveling in abundant peace may soon have to contend with just that as is evidenced by the ongoing clashes. Where before we were laughing and looking forward to the New Year, that brings with it new things, new jobs, new lives, new opportunities, new resolutions, new hopes and dreams, we seem not to be moving forwards, but backwards; and not just politically; economically too.

All shops and supermarkets are closed, businesses are closed. No one is sure yet when it will be wise to venture into town or back to work. Because of these elections some people quit their jobs to see through their dreams of getting to State house. Because of these elections Kenyans have been on holiday for more than a month now, more so mentally and emotionally. Glued to their TV screens day in, day out ingesting all manner of political lingo, economically the country has suffered and we will continue to suffer if we do not immediately resolve our personal, political and ethnic differences. 

At his swearing in speech ‘President’ Mwai Kibaki declared the 31^st be a national holiday, understanding full well that Kenyans needed their rest so as to be able to return to their past state of normalcy.

Nonetheless with the two apparent presidents and two self declared governments in power whether legitimate or not; with most if not all businesses at a stand still, with streets emptied filled only by anti riot police and military personnel, who knows when this much needed state of normalcy will return. And will this normalcy apply only to those in power or to the normal wananchi who will soon run out of food and will eventually have to emerge from their safe havens only to be faced by the reality of men in uniform, guns, death and violence all around them.

It’s about time our leaders took a grim look at who in the end will indeed suffer if this state of emergency continues much longer. Fact: The presidency will and can never be bigger than the nation. The earlier individuals of both sides of the political divide understand this verity, the better for us all. 

We all make up this nation and its economy. Once known as a working nation it is possible that we are soon becoming a blundering nation. In as much as the wealth of our country is only in the hands of a few as is unmistakable in most capitalist economies, these few bourgeois must very well understand that they too still depend on the bulk of the nation to survive at its helm.