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The one place where Kenyans should keep a very careful eye on in the run up to the forthcoming polls is the Rift Valley province. There is no doubt that this will be a major political battle ground this time round.
The old Kanu guard led by aging former president Moi will be going all out to ensure that Kanu wins back all their parliamentary seats. Already violence has been unleashed in the province as a mere foretaste of worse things to come with flair ups in Molo and a very serious problem which has persisted in the Mount Elgon area.
It is quite clear that the likes of ODM will not be able to just walk in and take the parliamentary seats up for grabs without some resistance from Moi’s Kanu faction. One of the tricks that Moi will definitely use will be to frighten the ODM candidates in the province (many of whom are known looters and corrupt individuals) that a win for Odinga spells doom for their future safety from prosecution. Moi will also appeal to his community’s basic instincts to protect their own by telling them a vote for President Kibaki is the only way of keeping Moi and his family safe from prosecution and the ridicule of a prison term or a confession session in front of a truth and reconciliation commission.
Information that I am receiving from the ground tells me that...
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Chris, we all know the Rift Valley is home to almost all of 42 Kenya's ethnic communities. Of course, the Kalenjin are the most dominant in that province which is why you are connecting it with KANU. Young voters in this province are singing ODM. You need to commission a personal survey to confirm this yourself Chris. I hope you also took note that delegates from this province voted overwhelmingly for Raila during the ODM primaries although their 'son' was Raila's electoral opponent. The only trick these old school know is to buy votes (something they are trying very hard in Nairobi urban poor areas) and to use the provincial administration into blackmailing villagers to support the incumbent. That will not work this time!
ReplyDeleteBefore I comment on your post, I want to answer Vikii on a question he asked yesterday - HOW MANY SEATS WILL RAILA WIN IN CENTRAL PROVINCE?
I am reminding Vikii, without belittling any of the other contenders, that in the short multi-party history of this country, all political parties that Raila has been a member have always had an MP in each province of Kenya. FORD-K as the official opposition party had Paul Muite in Kikuyu (Kabete) in Central and Mohammed Farah in Lagdera NE Province. That wasnt an easy task by Jaramogi's government-in-waiting in the first multi-party polls in this country against the mighty Moi we once knew. After that, in 1997 a young and unknown but vibrant NDP had George Nyanja in Limuru - Central Province. Even Moi could not believe that. The same unknown party's presidential candidate, one Raila Odinga emerged a credible third (with a bronze medal if you like), in its maiden presidential contest only six month after he joined it through a by-election in Langata.
On the other hand both DP and KANU - as the only other official opposition parties this country has had - have only had MPs in their party chief tribal strong hold, although KANU tried a little wider than that as a former ruling party. Both parties have never had MPs in Nyanza province. During the time DP was in opposition, Raila personally anchored the campaings on behalf of the DP and he campaigned for DP candidate in Kipipiri by elections, and as FORD-K's deputy director of elections, he also ensured that the party won all by-elections it participated in eg. Nyatike, Webuye, Mathare (kasarani) and Kisauni, against a well oiled KANU machine led by President Moi. Can your DP or KANU claim any such feats? What does that tell you about Raila's mobilising skills and all round acceptability by the people of this country? Of course there are some instances where the party he is associated with have lost by elections, but that is democracy, we respect the verdict and accept the results and move on. We hardly call anyone names - something which is growing by the day in this blog by you-know-who! Credit must be given where it is due though, Vikii.
Back to your question Chris, the mere fact that the ODM is arranged as a team rather than an individual gives the party a headstart in terms of votes it will attract which will translate to parliamentary, civic and even presidential seats, and not just in RV province but all over the country. The party's ideology on a reform platform is attractive to all communities who fell they have been discriminated upon since the colonial days. Its pledge to entrench social democracy , respect for rule of law as well as strong resolve to fight high level corruption is what every right thinking Kenyan is so anxious to vote to ODM and its candidates across the nation. People are well informed about what they want and they know exactly who can deliver the goods. The people who are preaching the status-quo know exactly what they are gaining and exactly what they are protecting and just like everything else kina mwanzo na kina mwisho. The PNU (can you believe this) is now talking about allowing only the president to run on its ticket, never mind it is a being called a 'national party ' and its supporting parties are refusing to join-up into one political party. Where does this confusion leave the voter? Even worse, how is the Speaker expected to conduct parliamentary business next term in the unlikely event that Kibaki is re-elected?
The writting is in the wall for all to see. And now we received the unofficial Steadman dossier, even if they wont go public, can I post them here Chris?
It seems phil the kihii is a website idler. He has lots of time to paste his kondoo type contributions on this blog. I wish the fool could take less space.
ReplyDeletePhil you asked me if KANU could have won seats in Nyanza. They actually did. I can name you a hundred names; Simeon Nyachae, Sam Ongeri, Chris Obure, Henry Obwocha, Joseph Kiangoi and many many others. The only place they did not win seats is Central. Now getting a seat in Central province , does that make Raila a national leader? If it does then Ngilu must be an "International" leader coz she got many-----David Murathe, Moses Muhia,Stephen Ndicho and others.
ReplyDeleteFord Kenya won a seat in every province, fine. But do you think that is attribtable to Raila? Look at the people who won in those provinces apart from Nyanza and Western. In Central, Paul Muite could and can still win in Kikuyu/Kabete in any party. He could have joined George Anyona's KSC and still win. In Coast, Prof Rashid Mzee did not need Raila or Jaramogi. There was virtually no Ford Kenya presence in Kisauni, he was voted in as an individual. The same thing can be said about Sabaot and related constituencies which are just extensions of Western tribes in R valley. In Eastern, Kiraitu Murungi won the seat as an individual. He could have won it on KENDA's ticket. And even if they won coz of the party and you want to credit the party's "Deputy director of elections" with the achievement, why dont you blame DP'S deputy director of elections for any perceived failure to do so? Mwai Kibaki was never DP's deputy director of elections (I am surprised we are not even talking about the Director himself)
I can also point to you that with all the stars in Ford Kenya in 1992, that party should have done better. They were best placed to give Moi a real scare but they decided to nominate an extremely weak presidential candidate and that is why even lightweights like Kibaki at the time beat them. Can we also attribute their dismal performance in those elections to the party's deputy director of elections?
Vikii mwano, Today you are talking. Sijui ni pitie IBIZA nikuwachilie tuwili...tutatu?? Jana ulikua unabonga mbaya - ulikua umetumia nini?
ReplyDeleteThat little deputy director of elections is the reason a lot of souls at state house are having sleepless nights; and others who amassed corruption money are seriously considering relocating abroad. Matter of fact, the incumbent owes his position to that little ford-K deputy director of elections. He is the most potent threat to the system that took over from colonialists.
PS. Chris are you aware that some Kshs. 750m NGO funds will be spent on democracy media reporting, including interactive blogs like Kumekucha, in Kenya within the next few weeks??
Simon says..
ReplyDelete>> Anonymous said...
It seems phil the kihii is a website idler. He has lots of time to paste his kondoo type contributions on this blog. I wish the fool could take less space.
5:05 AM<<
Wow!!
Phil manze pitia.Niko Bananas thika Rd na tunakagua mahaga za mamanzi wa USIU. Hii Kole ni gifted why lie?
ReplyDeleteJust a correction Phil, i did not call Raila a 'little deputy director of elections'. My point is that the successes of Ford kenya as a party had nothing to do with raila. Oginga Odinga, Masinde Muliro, James Orengo, Michael Wamalwa, Paul Muite, Gitu Kahengeri are the people u should be talking about. Raila Odinga was a nobody in Ford Kenya, Phil.
It seems that all theses people referring to kihiis or whatever are obsessed with the male sex organ, perhaps they are all homoseuxals. The fact that the Luo do not have ceremony to mark manhood does not make them any less manly than men from tribes that do, in fact most civilized societies around the globe do not have this practice. I understand and respect that it is a part of many cultures here in Kenya, however just that is not inately part of the Luo culture does not mean that Luo men do not get circumcized in hospitals like the majority of the civilized world, which (wink wink) includes many kikuyus, etc. So for all those on this blog that use the term kihii or whatever other derogatory term they wish to use, they should know that they are like racist whites who call blacks niggers, they look foolish and dumb because they lack the mental capacity to come up with criticism that is not based on hate. Because I am an optimist I belive that those who fall victim to ignorance and use terms like kihii are most likely embarassed homosexuals obsessed with their preferred penis type, and embarassed that their women love these men from the lake that they despise.
ReplyDeleteso what word should we use to described these uncircumcised jingas? I thought the word kihii is know by all kenyans. It ceased to be a kikuyu word ages ago. What is the word for a kihii in jaluo language? is it ogwambo? Can a jaluo Doctor perform circumcision? Can a circumcised Kenyan throw stones? of course not!!
ReplyDelete