Post by Omwenga on Aug 6, 2017 6:00:52 GMT 3
For Raila and NASA, Massive Turn-Out Is The Most Potent Weapon Against Rigging
Excerpt:
As the countdown narrows to the August 8 Presidential elections in Kenya, the main gladiators, incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition challenger Raila Odinga are making last minute pitches to boast chances of victory. To frontline Raila Odinga and NASA backer Samuel Odinga, one of the core ingredients to guarantee victory for his candidate is a massive voters turn out as it will complicate and minimize any attempts to rig the vote.
Omwenga, President and CEO of Intrepid Investment Services International, believes that with the kind of alternative leadership that Raila and NASA offer Kenya, the strong presence of international election observers, the growing number of Kenyans willing to vote on programs and not just tribal lines, the opposition maybe at the verge of creating history.
Thanks for accepting the upcoming elections in Kenya for us, it is Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga round two, how important is this election for Kenyans?
This election is very important for several reasons chief among them being it’s the second time after the promulgation of our new Constitution back in 2010. Kenyans will have an opportunity to elect leadership in an election that’s free, open and transparent, which was not the case in the first election following the promulgation that took place in 2013. As AfriCOG noted in its attached report, the period leading up to that election, which was marked by the implementation of a host of new, progressive reforms and the promulgation of an internationally lauded constitution, was infused with hope. The 2013 election was meant to usher in a new era in electoral politics, one that made a clean break from the often chaotic, widely mistrusted and violent elections of the past.
Unfortunately, however, the process was marred by a series of administrative, technical and political irregularities, which together cast significant doubt on the final results.
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Thanks for sharing your perspectives Mr Omwenga, any last word to Kenyans at large in the final stages of this election?
Yes. We and by that I mean those of us who have been involved in Kenyan politics as progressives have done much to bring about democratic growth and maturity in the country. In 2002, the country was at a cross-road and we chose the path of progress by rejecting status quo and extension of Moi era.
Unfortunately, our journey to a better Kenya was short-lived as we got derailed by what happened in late 2007 and early 2008 with the eruption of post-election violence that nearly plunged our country into a civil war. I was home for that election and remember fearing for my life as we made our way to the airport so I can return to the United States and lobby as we did to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, which we did.
I and all those involved wish not to have to do that again.
Much has been said about the various rigging schemes we have uncovered in recent times and even to this day but, I can say, our relentless efforts to expose the rigging schemes while going to court to prevent actions that would be ideal opportunities for rigging, what’s now left is the ultimate weapon against rigging and that is, voters showing up and overwhelmingly voting for Raila and NASA.
We believe if this happens, there’s nothing Uhuru or Jubilee can do to rig; they will see the writing on the wall and simply abandon the idea and this will be true even among their most reckless bent on rigging by any means and at any cost, including loss of lives.
So, the last word is for those Kenyans on the ground registered to vote, please go vote on Tuesday; if you’re not registered, take or have at least one person to vote for Raila and NASA but, better yet, take or have as many people go vote on Tuesday for Raila and NASA and then let’s all sit back and watch as history is being made if the multitudes we expect show up and vote