Anxiety ahead of unprecedented Kenyan election

By Andrew Wasike and Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenyans are just hours away from taking part in an unprecedented election in the history of the African continent, namely, the country’s second presidential poll in less than four months -- but with only one candidate.

The first Aug. 8 poll, which seemed to return Uhuru Kenyatta to a second term in office, was invalidated by Kenya’s Supreme Court last month, citing irregularities, and ordering the holding of new polls within 60 days.

But after fresh polls were scheduled for Oct. 26, former Prime Minister and opposition leader Raila Odinga withdrew from the race, accusing Kenya’s electoral body of helping Kenyatta rig the August polls.

The ruling party vowed to stick with the polls, but the opposition’s 6 million voters -- nearly matching the number of government supporters -- are planning a massive protest on election day.

Last week the chairman of Kenya's electoral body shocked the nation by confessing to reporters that he could not guarantee this week’s elections would be free, fair, and credible.

-Civil war feared

Amid the unprecedented developments, Kenyans on the streets of the capital Nairobi expressed concern about the future of their country.

Abdi Mohammed, who runs an electronics shop at Nairobi’s Jamia Mosque Mall, told Anadolu Agency that he fears Kenya will descend into a civil war.

“As you can see, my shop is closed,” Mohammed said, pointing to the shop doors plastered with torn posters of politicians who competed in the Aug. 8 general race.

Packing boxes of new cellphones into a pickup truck, he said, “We have no businesses to run, there are protests every day, looting and deaths. I’m not alone in this, businesspeople in Nairobi are suffering, we close on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“I’m afraid that we will descend into civil war, and that’s why I’m packing and closing shop indefinitely until things go back to normal. Whether Kenyans go vote or sit at home and watch movies like me, I just want my country to go back to normal.”

Millicent Anyango, a banker and staunch opposition supporter, told Anadolu Agency that on Oct. 26 she will boycott the polls.

Using a Swahili word for father to refer to Odinga, she said, “Baba has said that there will be no elections. I’ll be on the streets to fight the tyrants who are in power, people who are changing election laws to favor themselves.”

“If Kenya burns, then let it burn. Across the world dictators have always been removed from power after a fight,” she added.

“I’m ashamed that tribal politics always prevail in my country, we need prayers. Why go into an election unopposed where half the population isn’t voting?”

-A nation lacking

Most oppositions supporters who spoke to Anadolu Agency complained that Kenya lacks the rule of law, constitutionalism, and the principles that govern democracy.

Maurice Onyancha compared the situation to a failing marriage, saying, “Kenyans are asking for a divorce from the government. Our leaders should focus on uniting us, not dividing us. Out of the 19 million registered voters, only those allied to the ruling party will show up.”

Martin Kimathi, a businessman in Nairobi and supporter of the ruling party, also lamented that businesses had been affected but called on Kenyans to turn up and vote on Oct. 26.

“We are suffering due to the protests, and we don’t have a functioning government, but I feel that Kenyans should come out and vote.

“They said that we stole their votes and asked for a rematch. We have a referee, let’s go out and play again, Uhuru Kenyatta will win again and again and again.”

-‘Red with blood’

Lucy Njoki, a beautician who voted for Kenyatta, believes that politicians are dividing Kenyans for no good reason.

“Why is Odinga treating us like toys, must everything go the way he wants?” she asked.

“He said Kenyatta rigged the elections, we agreed even though it was a lie, but now he doesn’t want to participate. It’s his right not to, but why drag us along with him?”

She added: “These politicians want the streets of Kenya to run red with blood, they are dividing us up because Kenyans are tribal.”

She continued: “I am afraid that my country will either burn after Oct. 26 or things will return to normal … and the first is more likely to happen because Odinga will never accept defeat.”

Kenya has long been a symbol of democracy on the continent, with many countries trying to emulate the East African country’s democracy, but now many Kenyans are deeply anxious about the future due to the volatile political atmosphere.

Out of 19 million registered voters, only half will vote in the Oct. 26 polls if opposition supporters heed Odinga’s call to boycott.

-Dynastic battle

The battle for the presidency in Kenya has always been a dynastic affair filled with tribal politics. This time Kenyans had the option to choose between Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s first president and founding father Jomo Kenyatta, and Odinga, the son of Kenya’s his vice president, Oginga Odinga.

In the landmark polls, democracy is at stake, political and security analyst George Musamali told Anadolu Agency.

“Things are very bad,” he said.

“The end game in this is that we will possibly face some violence in opposition strongholds. My worry is that if the police in Kenya disintegrate into their tribal cocoons, and then we won’t just be talking about violence but civil war, because these policemen and the military have their own tribal and political affiliations, loyalty isn’t there.”

He added: “Our elections are sending a very bad picture to Africans, because they always thought that we were moving ahead democratically. Kenya has always been a mirror to the rest of the world and to the rest of Africa -- they were hoping that the rest of Africa would learn from Kenya.

“As it stands now we’re going backwards, this is where the African Union should come in.”

He continued: “We need dialogue, people need to sit down and move forward from there. With the kind of tribal politics playing out here, if anything goes wrong then we won’t be talking about demonstrations alone, we need to stop this civil war in the making.”

This week over 20 envoys from 20 Western countries, including the 28-nation EU, urged political rivals in Kenya to unite to allow credible elections.

At least 50 people were killed in violence that followed the announcement that Kenyatta’s Aug. 8 presidential victory had been annulled, and the opposition has been holding regular protests demanding electoral reforms.

In 2007, over 1,300 people were killed in post-election violence,while over half a million others were internally displaced.