Curtailing Civic Education Benefits NO Campaigners

Nyamu-led Kadhi Court Ruling Boomerang

This past weekend, Infotrack released opinon poll results touching on the referendum and the effects of the Kadhi court ruling on voters. Only a mere two out of ten voters confirmed having been influenced by the ruling.

The Infotrack poll also put the YES-ers at 63% and the NO-ers at 21%. The poll reveals there are significant incidences of katiba ignorance in Rift Valley and Eastern provinces the same areas where the NO-ers get most of their 21% support.

Knowledge is power and it is sad in this day and age, a large portion of these populated provinces have little knowledge on what is on the cards in the katiba. The need to educate these voters is important for it will help them make informed decisions at the time of voting at the referendum. In the short term, it will help them heckle and tell of the likes of ex-President Moi and the Ruto-Mithika axis who have made it a habit of misinforming and distorting the provisions of the draft whenever they address their rent-a-crowd rallies. Moi has suddenly gained notoriety for stoking ethnic passions instead of using his status to educate the RVP peasants on the individual chapters or provisions they purport to be retrogressive. Moi’s opposition to the draft stems from the fact that he wants to keep his huge swathes of idle grabbed land tax free.

It is regrettable that the status quoist are using Uhuru Kenyatta (YES daytime and NO nigh time) to deny these populous areas the right to civic education. For instance, some areas of Eastern and Rift Valley can only be reached by helicopters, which the CoE have to hire daily to traverse the remote areas. The CoE also have to run expensive daily roadshows and media campaigns all over Kenya so as to effectively disseminate their educational messages. But without money, they cannot do it. The same tactics which the colonial government used in the 1950s in resisting the struggle for independence are the same ones Uhuru is now using to deny Kenya the right to information on the new constitution.

Instead it is the office of the Prime Minister which has so far donated Kshs. 90million for the CoE to use in civic education. For a national assignment as important as this, why not the Office of the President, or even why not the Treasury?

Back to the poll and not surprisingly, the two leading YES provinces coincidentally also happen to be the same ones worst affected by deliberate marginalization of the Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki governments. NEP at is YES at 96% and Nyanza is at 93%. They two are also the most informed about the contents of the draft and the least influenced by the recent bizarre ruling of the constitutional court on Kadhi courts.

Obviously these two regions are attracted to the proposed draft due to prospects of devolved government. After decades of paying tax to national government and watching helplessly as the same government overlooks their interests, there is hope at last in the new draft. Am looking at nearly 15% devolved funds comprising the national allocation to the County governments, powers to borrow and raise revenue, the equalization fund, the CDF and other forms of local resources will be put in the hands of the local people to decide for themselves at the grassroots what is best for themselves in the regions that they live. Too good to be true? What is more, the governor and county committee remains and are directly accountable to the people who elected them to these positions. In this case, there will be no PC or DC or even chief involved. It will be strictly by the people themselves.

What most ethnic kingpins and latter day politicians fear most about the counties is that the governors will overnight be transformed to become the new local political kingpins. The MP or even the power bokers will no longer be the ones calling the shots or hosting delegations. The governors will be. That will be on top of being on the development driving seat. Can you see the end of people like perennial fence-sitter Kalonzo and PEV masterminds Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta – those who do not have a political constituency beyond their ethnic enclaves?? You bet!! The era of 'our people this our people that' is GONE.

Back to our pet question: Do you approve the proposed new Constitution?

Mine is BIG YES.