Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Referedum: Diaries tight as D-Day beckons

This is the homestretch and both sides of the referendum debate are feeling the pressure and upping the intensity of their campaigns, as the finish line looms on August 4.

The frenzy of the battle to win or turn voters is captured in the rush by the Greens and Reds to hold back-to-back rallies across the country as the clock winds down. The diaries of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ sides are packed, and will climax in their separate final rallies in Nairobi on August 1. Ironically, this is the same date when Kenyans old enough to remember will recall the dramatic events of the abortive1982 military coup, when members of the air force tried to topple former President Moi’s government.

Starting today, there are 16 days to Kenya’s second referendum, but only 14 count for the campaigns, as the leading lights struggle to paint the country red or green.

Nothing illustrates the proximity of August 4 than the fact Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) is putting the final touches to the ballot showdown: it has started training Returning Officers, and has organised security arrangements with the police.

IIEC officials announced a plan to have 63,000 police officers on duty on voting day, to ensure the referendum stays peaceful.

The Commission also plans to hold training workshops for journalists and other stakeholders on the referendum process on Thursday, at the National Referendum Transmission and Tallying Centre at Bomas of Kenya.

IIEC Chairman Ahmed Isaack said his team was raring to go, and everything was in place.

"We shall conduct voter education starting Thursday for three days,’’ he announced. The programme will include voter education, what they need on voting day, details of the ballot, and how to mark the ballot paper.

The diaries of the key players show they will be crisscrossing the country in the period between today and August 4. The busiest leaders will be President Kibaki who is for ‘Yes’, as well as former President Moi and Higher Education Minister William Ruto, who are opposed to the Proposed Constitution.

Both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps, in tandem with Kenya’s electoral tradition have each claimed they are headed for victory, and accused the other of panicking after "sensing defeat".

The action-packed pace kicked off on Sunday, when Ruto addressed five rallies in Coast province. He was up and down on helicopter, which took him to Hola in Tana North District, Garsen in Tana River District, Mpeketoni in Lamu and Gongoni in Magarini, before finally flying back to Mombasa to address another rally at Tononoka Grounds.

Ruto yesterday traversed South Coast region.

The ‘Greens’, on the other hand, held rallies and meetings in different parts of the country. President Kibaki met leaders from Nyandarua, where MPs from the region promised to rally their people behind him in voting for the Proposed Constitution. The Head of State will be campaigning in Nyandarua on Thursday.

Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, who is in ‘Yes’, was in Trans Mara, while Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo was in Garissa. Other ‘Yes’ rallies were going on in Homa Bay and Machakos.

The venues for the Greens’ and the Reds’ final rallies in Nairobi have not been given, though both claimed they would converge at Nyayo National Stadium

But an official at the Red Cards Centre, the official headquarters of ‘No’ team, told The Standard they were ready to take their rally to Nyayo Stadium should they fail to secure Uhuru Park. Dr Tom Namwamba who is the ‘No’ Secretariat director, said they would camp in the Meru region on July 22-23 to woo voters.

The ‘Reds’ head to Kapkatet in Kericho on July 24, and are set to make another visit to Machakos, the home-turf of Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, on July 30.

They end the month of July with a rally in Eldoret to be hosted by Ruto on July 31.

Former President Moi similarly lined up a busy campaign schedule to win voters. Moi’s personal secretary Mr Lee Njiru said the former president is scheduled to address a rally at Suswa in Narok Wednesday.

He will then proceed to Bungoma (July 22), Kapenguria (July 23), Kuria (July 24), and Eldoret (July 25), before going to Turkana and Samburu.

The former President will also visit Lodwar, Turkana and wind up his campaigns in Mararal-Samburu on July 31.

President Kibaki, missing the input of Prime Minister Raila Odinga who is recuperating at home, will lead the ‘Greens’, in Garissa on Wednesday and Nyandurua on Thursday, before moving to Kisii on Friday. The ‘Yes’ team will be in Kisumu on July 31.

And as the countdown to the final two weeks of the referendum begins, it appears Permanent Secretaries and the Provincial administration officials have heeded instructions from Government and pitched for ‘Yes’, ignoring claims by the ‘No’ team that they were in breach of the Public Officers Ethics Acts.

In Nyanza, two Permanent Secretaries, David Nalo (East African Community) and James Nyikal (Gender and Children), joined Lands Minister James Orengo at a public rally in Kisumu Rural Constituency to campaign for the Proposed Constitution.

"Our decision to support the proposed constitution has not been influenced by anybody. We support the document because it addresses issues that have seen our people live in abject poverty for decades," said Nalo.

Another groups of PSs from Nyeri and Kirinyaga Districts also joined provincial administration officials from Central Province at a meeting in Nyeri yesterday, to plot the ‘Yes’ strategy.

Curiously, some of the officials said they would be absent from office for the next two weeks to campaign for ‘Yes’. "For the remaining two weeks, I will not be attending my duties, as I will be under the command of the Mathira West DC Mr Abdi Galgalo in spearheading ‘Yes’ campaigns in my rural area," said Nairobi PC Mr Njoroge Ndirangu at the meeting.

Central PC Kiplimo Rugut opened the ‘Yes’ strategy meeting, where administrators reported on the status of ‘Yes’ campaigns in their districts.

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