Red-carded

Some say Internet is godsend while others say it’s evil but it takes a single click to remain in it or exit.

Perhaps, President Barack Obama was the recent leader to use technology to reach out to American voters in the 2008 US General Election.

And with Kenyans gearing up for referendum in August, campaigners are embracing social networks to drum up support for or against the Proposed Constitution.

The campaign range from use of metaphors to hilarious and derisive words to put off the opponents and eventually win them over to camp of choice.

Some Facebook users have changed their images and replaced with either green cards, red cards or cards inscribed with one’s stand on the on-going constitutional review debate.

Going through Facebook, one is inundated by updates that declare one’s stand, which would almost immediately attract emotions from those who oppose it.


Supporters of each camp are taking on each other in the Internet.

Though the opponents are trying to win over each other, at times the drive borders on raw anger and exchange of harsh words.

Some use a picture of a football referee whipping out a red card while others throw in witty comments and quotes from renowned philosophers, writers and leaders, or even invent theirs.

Suleiman Kiprotich, who is widely known in the site as Real Pundit and a supporter for the campaign team opposing the new constitution (‘No’ camp) indicates in his updates that he, together with his girlfriend, will put on red clothes until after the referendum. He says any other colour for their clothing is entertained but not green.

"I have given tough instructions to my girlfriend to put on red clothes. Those are our colours for the time being," reads the update.

In other updates, he likens red, colour for the ‘No’ team, to the red carpet used for most respected people (VIPs). "We belong to the red carpet team," he says.

Another supporter of the ‘No’ camp, Ken Kemboi, compares the colours to that of watermelon. The fruit’s cover, which is green, is not edible. It’s bitter, he says, contrasting it with the inner edible part, which is red.

"Watermelon is the best fruit to eat now. The red (No team) stands for what is good for Kenyans while the green (Yes camp) should be dismissed," he says.

A ‘Yes’ camp supporter Eleanor Mungai associates green colour with the green card lotteries that enable lucky winners to be citizens of the US. He says the draft promises good opportunities just like the US green card, which is coveted by most people.

"We should vote ‘Green’ because it is a promise of good future. It unlocks opportunities we can only dream of in the desert of ‘Red’ soil," she says.

Frankline Ojwang’ who professes to be obsessed with meat says he has switched to greens (vegetarian diet) until after the referendum.

"As my personal commitment to make sure the proposed laws pass, I will abstain from red meat or even white meat so as not to be accused of fence sitting. I now go green," he says.

And Jane Mangera won’t touch any red wine. She plans to substitute it with Sprite (soda) in her campaign for the draft. "No red wine, no red meat. Let us go green and save Kenya from catastrophes as well as the planet earth from pollution," she says.

Joshua Kioko encourages opponents of the Proposed Constitution by drawing a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, which instantly gets approval from friends.

"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble"

And a Red Patrick argues that red is on top of green in the national flag and will triumph in the referendum.

"Red is always on top of green in our national flag. So the ‘Reds’ are tops!" he says.

David Waluvengo says red is associated with love and colour of liberation but this is challenged by a friend who argues it is the colour of blood.

"We do not need blood because we were saved 2000 years ago by the Son of God (Jesus). We want green, to save ourselves," says Joe Migiro.

Though the comments are restricted to the cyberspace, it is at the politicians’ rallies that Kenyans will gear up to listen to all sort of analogies associated with the colours.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga known for his use of metaphors has already thrown a jab to the ‘Red’ team. "This team (No camp) has been red-carded even before the game begins!" he said.

—it’slife@standardmedia.co.ke