Sotik and Bomet By-Elections: ODM in Landslide Victories

Dr. Joyce Laboso and Mrs. Beatrice Kones (pictured above) are the new MPs elect for Sotik and Bomet constituencies respectively.

Dr. Laboso garnered over 23,380 votes against her nearest competitor, UDM's Alexander Sitenei who garnered 13,843 votes, while Mrs. Kones garnered more than 30,210 votes against KANUs Nick Salat who garnered 15,015 votes .

The two ODM politicians emerged the winners in by-elections conducted yesterday occasioned by the deaths of Lorna Laboso and Kipkalya Kones in a fatal plane crash.

More information here

Additional post by Chris

The good news for me is that we have an extra woman in the august house. This should be good news to Kenyans too.

Meanwhile all hell is breaking loose in Nyanza: Hospitals swamped with men who want to be circumcized.

Are you in Nairobi? Order the latest DVD movies online from the comfort of your home and receive them at your doorstep.

Another Political Showdown Looming in the Horizon

New ODM Civic Leaders Expected to overhaul local government service delivery in major towns

Past Nairobi Mayor's elections; Kama mbaya, ikue mbaya!

Former Mayor Joe Aketch gets one on his head!

In the not so distant future, the Orange Democratic Movement will flex its political muscles yet again when the local government elections are held for mayors, their deputies and chairmen of county councils. Local Government minister Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to announce election dates anytime before the end of next week and then political parties will be expected to nominate additional councilors and thereafter hold elections of mayors and chairmen of councils.

For many years (actually since multi-party politics returned to Kenya in 1992), Kenyans have watched with bitterness as their local authorities are rundown by inefficient councillors who are better at grabbing plots than working for the public. Most of our civic 'leaders' have been semi illiterate, corrupt and uncivilized. They are known to openly resolve differences through fistcuffs and bickering , chair fighting, name calling and all sorts of drama during official council meetings.

Councillors preside over huge budgets and make decisions that impact directly on local city/town residents when it comes to provision of water and sewerage, roads and infrastructure, primary education, health clinics and many other social institutions like markets, social halls and play grounds. For instance, during the eighties, any city resident could use their water bill to obtain a new aluminum dust-bin from Nairobi City Council. NCC run clinics were the best in the city. Sadly, these are no more. Corruption is openly conducted at city hall when contractors 'send' councillors for all-expenses paid weekend 'retreats' in coastal hotels before important council decisions or mayoral elections.

Thank God, due to their strong showing in the December 2007 elections ODM managed to get a majority in the country’s top civic bodies. Not just that. The majority means the party gets greater nomination slots which it can then use to nominate additional individuals who possess the necessary skills and experience for management of public affairs, that is just in case none of the party's own elected councillors meet the qualification criteria. It is refreshing to learn that not any other Tom, Dick, John or Harry will be sitting at the mayor’s parlour.

ODM intends to change the negative perception of Kenya’s civic bodies and has made no secret of the fact that it is targeting control of the major cities the country (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru) through election of professional, experienced and dynamic mayors. ODM wants to replicate the high standards of service delivery that Kisumu residents enjoyed during the reign of former Mayor Shakeel Shabir (now MP). Not only was Kisumu roads repaired, but the town was cleaned and basic services like water and garbage collection restored. During that time, Kisumu was elected the cleanest Kenyan town and it went further and achieved ‘city status’. Shabbir had been nominated and then elected Mayor through the National Development Party (NDP).

The current civic elections also give the ODM an opportunity to implement its pre-elections affirmative action proposals in that women, youth and other disadvantaged groups can be elected into positions of leadership not because of they belong to any dominant party or tribe.

Thank God Kivuitu will not be announcing these results and lets hope this time PNU will not manipulate votes in favour of its candidates.

ODM is Calling on Patriotic Volunteers

THE COALITION OF ODM VOLUNTEERS ELECTION MONITORING SUPPORT (26TH TO 28TH DECEMBER 2007)

Dear members and supporters of ODM,

You are requested to kindly provide ODM with the following support:

1. Material, logistical and financial resources to monitor the General Elections; and
2. Volunteer Monitoring at the polling station where you will be voting, and real-time relaying of intelligence and vote tallying results to ODM’s main Call Centre.

ELECTION MONITORING DEMANDS ON ODM

• There are 23,000 polling stations countrywide;
• Each polling station has upto 5 voting streams, thus up to 115,000 ballot boxes;
• ODM requires 2 Agents per ballot box, so upto 230,000 Agents countrywide;
• Each Agent requires the following so as to operate efficiently:
- A cellular phone loaded with sufficient airtime to liaise real-time;
- Food, water and refreshments during their 48-hr stay at on the job; and
- Intelligence on relevant election activity that they should look out for.
• ODM requires back-up Agents to fill in vacancies that may arise between 26-28th Dec.
• The ODM Call Centre requires an alternative channel of both verifying and receiving election intelligence and vote tallying results so as to reduce the risk of sabotage.

HOW YOU CAN ASSIST ODM IN ELECTION MONITORING SUPPORT

You can participate in providing Election Monitoring Support as follows:

1. Volunteer and also recruit others volunteers to be ODM’s Agents and Support Monitors countrywide. The criteria being:
a. You must have both an ID card and a voters card;
b. You must be registered as a voter in the particular polling station that you intend to volunteer as an agent or a monitor; and
c. You should preferably have a cellphone.

To volunteer email or sms of your Names (or names of those you have recruited), Constituency and the Polling Station at which you will be voting, and your cellphone numbers to Logistics@odmprofessionals.co.ke or to Donald (0722-834194), Eric (0722-262738), Chris (0729-761973) or the OPN Secretariat PREFERABLY BY MON 17TH DEC & LATEST BY WED 19TH DEC.

2. Donate financial, material and logistical resources. And the following are required by ODM:
a. Safaricom and Celtel Airtime in millions of shillings. ‘Sambaza’ or ‘Me2You’ airtime to the following mobile numbers 0711 649817 and 0736-978149;
b. M-Pesa or Sokotele donations to 0711-64 98 17 and Contact James Mwanjau (0736-978149) or Paul Mekubo (0722-861214) or email Finance@odmprofessionals.co.ke
c. Professional services to the Call Centre, motor vehicles, cellphones, computers/laptops, printers, stationery and many more;
d. Food (preferably packed), water and refreshments;

As ODM’s Support Monitor, you will play the following roles:
a. Act as alternative liaison persons between ODM’s Agents at the polling station and ODM’s Call Centre;
b. Gather and relay intelligence (to both ODM’s Agents and our Monitoring Centre) on the activities outside and around the polling stations that may negatively impact on ODM’s chances of success in the polls;
c. Distributing/offering food, water, refreshments, cellphone airtime and other relevant assistance to ODM’s Agents at the polling stations;
d. As permissible by the respective ECK Returning Officers relieve any ODM Agent who being overwhelmed by the task must take a break; and
e. Reminding constituents and the supporters of ODM, to GET OUT AND VOTE, and this may depending on circumstances and resources include assisting the infirm, the weak and the old to go and vote.

For More Information Contact:
ODM Professionals Network (OPN)
C/o M&O Advocates
20th Floor, View Park Towers
Utalii Lane/ Monrovia Street
P.O. Box 13724-00800
Nairobi, Kenya
Landline: 24 87 31 / 2
Wireless: (020) 201 64 92
Cellphones: 0722 83 41 94
0721 66 66 70
0736 97 81 49
Fax: + (254) (20) 24 87 33
E-mail: network@odmprofessionals.co.ke

ODM Professionals Network (OPN) is an integrated volunteer network of professionals and industry players who desire real change in the political, economic and social arena of the Republic of Kenya as perpetrated in the ODM Manifesto, and intend to pursue the same both before and well beyond the 27th December 2007 elections. Email network@odmprofessionals.co.ke to join the Network and support real change.

Raila Odinga Invites You To "BLOG FOR REAL CHANGE"

Special Invitation to all Kenyans by the Raila Odinga Online Presidential Campaign

Blog Day "Blog For Real Change"

Venue: http://raila2007.wordpress.com

Time: 14th Dec 2007 15h00 to 18h00 (ie 3p.m to 6p.m) Kenya Time

Blogs, short for Weblogs, are a frequently updated Internet journal that has become a growing Internet subculture. This once techie phenomenon has now become an invaluable tool in Kenya's presidential election, adding another innovative Internet component to campaign communications.

Blogs are an interactive dialog. Internet users can read a blog and then submit their own comments. Blogs entries are dated, with the newest ones posted on top of the page. Most blogs are postings of thoughts, opinions, and links to related news articles, other blogs, and websites.

While blogs have received much attention, they were actually one of the earliest publishing practices on the Internet. Blogs were relatively unknown until recently with increased publicity and the availability of easy-to-use, free blog publishing tools. Blogs enable Internet users to publish and connect to a worldwide audience. Today, there are an estimated two million "bloggers" globally, and that figure is growing steadily.

In Kenya, blogging is popular with young people and working population in urban centers who link up with colleagues and relatives over the internet. It has been proved that this group would then pass the information to their friends and family members on the ground and those living abroad hence a new way of disseminating vital information. Some of this information may never be published in the mainstream media. Kenya's leading newspapers (nation and standard) have included blogs on their websites as a means of interacting with their online readers.

One of the most popular presidential campaign blogs is Raila's Weblog http://raila2007.wordpress.com. Launched two months ago, the blog has attracted a record of over 50,000 comments and contributions by Kenyan bloggers so far. The blog is updated daily with topics on current political affairs and moderated continuously as users post their comments. The blog also has a dedicated page for users to post what's happening on the ground.

The blog is planning to have a 3 hour blogging session dubbed "Blog For Real Change" scheduled to take place on Friday 14th December 2007 from 3p.m Kenya Time.

The bloggers will login at the same time and start discussions on three major topics to be listed a day earlier. Users are currently posting their preferred topics on the blog, from which five most interesting ones will be chosen for discussion.

ODM worldwide online supporters are requested to login to the blog page at exactly 3pm Kenyan time on14 th Dec and join in bringing real change for all Kenyans

Topics to be discussed are:

• VOTER TURNOUT MOBILIZATION
• HOW TO AVERT POLL RIGGING
• SUPPORTERS DIALOGUE
  

All are welcome!