Week of July 12-18, 2002
Summary: Welcome to this edition of Kenya Election Watch’s Weekly Updates! Here, we provide our readers with summaries of news stories covering the election, constitutional reform, and related issues culled from Kenya’s two major daily newspapers: The Daily Nation; and The East African Standard. Each month, we pick out the major events from these weekly updates and post them on the main Kenya Election Watch page, along with one or two analysis pieces. The “week” period normally covers Fridays to Thursdays. We also provide a brief summary of the major trend or event of the week. For more information or comments, contact Kenya Election Watch editor Cathy Majteny i at: cathymaj@hotmail.com
It seems as if the “political star” of Vice-President George Saitoti is on the rise. After being very publicly sidelined by President Moi earlier this year, MPs, politicians, and observers are increasingly touting Saitoti as the “compromise” candidate to succeed President Moi. It doesn’t help that there is a lot of infighting in KANU circles between those who support Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta to succeed Moi and those who say that the choice of successor must be determined by an election, as per the KANU constitution.
All throughout the chronology and updates are sprinkled acronyms referring to various committees, commissions, political movements, etc. Here, we spell out these acronyms and provide some brief background information.
CKRC = Constitution of Kenya Review Commission. Chaired by Prof. Yash Pal Ghai, the 27-member group collects the views of a wide cross-section of Kenyan groups and individuals. The commission is supposed to present Kenyans with a new constitution on October 4.
PSCCR = Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Review. Chaired by Raila Odinga, Minister of Energy, the committee monitors the work of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC).
KANU = Kenya African National Union, the party that has ruled Kenya since independence. Daniel arap Moi is the president of Kenya.
NAC = National Alliance for Change. This is a grouping of the Democratic Party, FORD-Kenya, National Party of Kenya (NPK), FORD-Asili, the unregistered Saba Saba Asili, SPARK, and several advocacy groups. The group is striving to field one presidential candidate.
KPC = Kenya People's Coalition. This is a grouping of FORD-People, Safina, the Labour Party of Kenya, and the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC).
MPs = Members of Parliament. Currently, the House contains a total of 222 MPs.
Events
The Daily Nation, July 12 - Top KANU decision-makers reverse an earlier KANU plan to push for an extension of Parliament. Instead, the party will wait for a draft constitution from Prof Yash Pal Ghai's review commission - now expected in early September - before deciding on their next step. The planned motion to extend the life of Parliament may not even be necessary, KANU's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Secretary Otieno Kajwang' says after their meeting, chaired by President Moi. The executive also decides to put an end to debates about extendi ng the review itself. Also being stopped in its tracks is the debate about President Moi's possible successor, according to insider sources at the private meeting. They say members of the National Executive Council stressed the nomination of a presidential candidate should be strictly in accordance with the new party constitution; that is through a special nomination council.
The Daily Nation, July 12 - Police in Mombasa refuse to allow an opposition rally planned for July 20. The rally, at Tononoka grounds, is being organised by a group led by Ugenya MP James Orengo and his Kabete counterpart Paul Muite. Makupa police station boss Chief Inspector Ndaiga refuses to show the two politicians a register of meetings planned for the same day in Mombasa nor would he book theirs. "Let me not comment at this stage," Ndaiga is quoted as saying. "Police should not think that we'll change the date of the meeting just because they have declined to register it. The police boss has no le gal basis for his action ,” says Orengo. He says organisers of the meeting, which was supposed to be a follow up of the Saba Saba one in Nairobi last weekend, will go back today to try and get the meeting booked.
The Daily Nation, July 12 - A section of former members of the defunct National Development Party threaten to reconsider their position in KANU if President Moi "persists in his State House schemes to impose a successor on the party.” Alego Usonga MP Oloo Aringo challenges President Moi to "rise to the level of statesman like" Presidents Nelson Mandela and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. Aringo's statement comes in the wake of a raging debate sparked by a proposal from Rift Valley MPs to have Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta as KANU's presidential candidate in the general election scheduled in less than five months. Some MPs object, saying that the party must elect the candidate: "The arbitra ry and unilateral decisi on to subvert the constitution of KANU would be a betrayal of the letter and the spirit of the KANU-NDP merger and the new KANU party," says Aringo.
The Daily Nation, July 12 – The Social Democratic Party yesterday formally joins the National Alliance for Change. SDP chairman Justus Nyanga'ya read a statement saying the party had decided to join NAC after realising that NAC is a "formidable organisation capable of defeating KANU." Also joining the Alliance were MPs Shem Ochoudho (Rangwe) and George Nyanja (Limuru), who became political orphans after the party that sponsored them, the NDP, merged with KANU on March 18. Safina's Phillip Gitonga (Lari) and Ford People's Waithaka Mwangi (Kinangop) were also welcomed to the group by national coordinator Noah Wekesa. The SDP, with 12 MPs, is the fourth largest political party in Parliament after KANU, the Democratic Party, and Ford-Kenya.
The Daily Nation, July 12 – In a commentary appearing today, educationist Odhiambo Onyando argues that Vice-President George Saitoti “could be setting Kenyans up for the greatest surprise of his political career. March 18 [the date on which KANU held a convention at Kasarani, where party posts were distributed according to regional considerations and where Saitoti was sidelined as a possible successor to President Moi] could well turn out, paradoxically, to be the beg inning of the transforma tion of Prof Saitoti from one of the candidates to the candidate in the succession race.” Onyando argues that KANU’s widespread support for the “Young Turks” seems to be waning, possibly opening up the door for Saitoti to be KANU’s “ideal compromise candidate.”
The Daily Nation, July 12 – Today’s editorial argues that many government ministers, their assistants, MPs, and senior civil servants have “literally abandoned their offices to criss-cross the country in divisive electioneering activity” rather than “attend to the bread-and-butter issues that are now the main concern of the majority of Kenyans.” Not only has Parliament is being continually crippled because of a lack or quorum, but those who are traveling for their campaigning are using “jets, helicopters or long convoys of fuel-guzzling four-wheel-drives,” says the editorial. Meanwhile, public expendit ure is being cut down an d civil servants are being laid off. The editorial urges Kenyans to tell the CKRC that the new constitution should “include measures to ensure elected representatives and public servants undergo a regular public audit, complete with punitive measures against those who fail the test.”
Saturday Nation, July 13 – Commissioner of Assize Joyce Khaminwa rules that the Kenyan government must release the Akiwumi Report on ethnic clashes that took place during the months leading up to the 1997 general election. The judge’s ruling comes after Kwale farmer Roshanali Pradan sued the state for compensation over the death of one of his workers and damage to his farm. At least 1,500 people died in tribal violence that erupted in different parts of Kenya in the run-up to the 1997 general elect ion. The attacks were wi dely believed to have been politically motivated.
Saturday Nation, July 13 - Police in Mombasa change their minds and allow opposition politicians to go ahead with a rally at Mombasa’s Tononoka grounds on July 20. The rally is being organised by a group led by Ugenya MP James Orengo and his Kabete counterpart Paul Muite and will address recent kiosk demolitions, amongst other issues.
Sunday Nation, July 14 – Attorney-General Amos Wako announces proposals to change election laws so that rigging will become more difficult. Proposals include: votes will be counted at polling stations rather than at a common counting hall, usually the divisional headquarters; disabled and illiterate voters will nominate a relative or friend to accompany them into the voting booth to help them vote, rather than being assisted by polling clerks; and the marking of ballot papers will also be changed from an 'X', which is the recognised mark against the candidate of choice, to any tick or mark other than a voter’s signatur e. Wako also wants the law governing the electoral code of conduct, released a few months before the 1997 elections, changed so that it applies to all parties – and not just politicians – involved in elections, including election monitors and non-governmental Organisations. The code only applies for the short duration of the campaigns and voting, he says: "The (election) fever catches on a long time before then and the code is only binding to political parties and aspirants…There are many other organisations involved in the process of elections. The law should be changed to include them to and apply to all Kenyans all the time."
Sunday Nation, July 14 - Finance Minister and KANU national executive council member Chris Obure contradicts his party’s position to drop plans of extending the life of Parliament when he states that in fact the move had not been abandoned. Speaking in Eldoret on Friday, Obure, who is KANU's national deputy treasurer, said the ruling party was not backtracking on its resolve to have Parliament extended. Instead, the party had decided to await a draft by the CKRC before making its next move. KA NU secretary-general Rai la Odinga dismisses Obure’s remarks as "his own standpoint.”
Sunday Standard, July 14 – The pro-reform rally scheduled for Tononoka grounds in Mombasa on July 20 will go on with or without a letter of approval from the police. Munir Mazrui of the National Convention Executive Council (NCEC) says the organisers, led by Social Democratic Party leader James Orengo, have done their part by notifying the police of the rally.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – Five KANU MPs call for the de-linking of the constitutional process to the general election. “The elections must be held this year with or without a new constitution in place,” says Ochilo Ayacko (Rongo), Oloo Otula (Kasipul Kabondo), Tom Onyango (Nyatike), Owino Achola (Migori), and Odhiambo Omamba (Uriri). They say CKRC commissioners should be given ample time to enable them to deliver an all-encompassing constitution. “Let politicians, us included, leave the commission alone to do their work,” Ayacko is quoted as saying.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – NAC proposes December 29 of this year as the date for the general election. NAC Co-ordinating Committee Chairman Dr Noah Wekesa explains that the date is ideal for the polls after Christmas festivities. NAC leaders agree that Parliament should be dissolved within the next few months to give room for campaigns.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – Some 100 Ukambani civic leaders endorse wealthy politician John Haroun Mwau as the best presidential candidate on a KANU ticket from the region. The councillors say Mwau has the capacity to marshal leaders from the entire region and effectively win votes for the ruling party.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – The newly created Shirikisho Party of Kenya (SPK) announces it will not move into any political alliances in the coming general election. Secretary General Yusuf Mahmoud Abubakar says existing alliances are not genuine in their support for federalism and Presidential democracy.
Sunday Standard, July 14 - The political star of Vice-President George Saitoti appears to be on the rise this week in a surprising turn in the Moi succession race, says a news analysis piece in today’s paper. There are reports that even cabinet ministers and senior KANU officials who previously played a key role in having Saitoti banished politically on March 18 are now having second thoughts about the vice-president and are saying openly that if it comes to a question of KANU choosing between Saitoti and Uhuru as the ruling party’s Presidential candidate, they will throw their weight behind the vice-president. Well-placed sources told the Sunday Standard that KANU’s secretary general Raila Odinga, who rose to the party position at the political expense of Saitoti’s close ally Joseph Kamotho, has been openly saying that he would find Saitoti easier to sell to his Luo community as a Presidential candidate than Uhuru Kenyatta.
Sunday Standard, July 14 - Vice-President Prof George Saitoti says he is firmly in KANU and calls on his supporters to stand firmly behind him. Addressing a cheering crowd at Ongata Rongai in Ngong, Saitoti says his silence should not be mistaken for cowardice. “People are asking why is Saitoti quiet. We are in KANU,’’ the V-P tells the crowd.
Sunday Nation, July 14 – A hearing in Molo constituency on Friday tells CKRC commissioners that the constitution should guarantee security to Kenyans and their rights to land ownership. Residents call for radical ch anges in the land tenure system, saying the current constitution protects outdated pre-independence agreements and makes millions of people squatters in their own country. Molo leaders call for resettlement and compensation for families and individuals rendered landless or homeless during the tribal clashes, saying the plight of thousands of victims could only be addressed under a new constitution.
Sunday Nation, July 14 – A news analysis piece appearing today talks about how KANU MPs are dividing into factions over the leadership question. Alego-Usonga MP Oloo Aringo and other MPs, who say that KANU is imposing Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta on the party without going through the proper democratic channels, are being pitted against another group that is campaigning to have Kenyatta succeed Moi as president. The festering resentment bursts into the open after it is revealed that President Moi had met delegations, among them KANU's Rift Valley MPs, civic leaders and elders, whom he asked to support Kenyatta for the top job. But what reportedly anges the former NDP MPs are reliable reports that Raila Odinga was also asked to support the Uhuru candidacy during a meeting at State House two weeks ago. Even more alarming for the former NDP legislators is that Odinga does not seem to feature in any prominent position in the post-Moi regime, the positions of President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Internal Security having already been given out. It has always been taken for granted in many circles that Odinga would be Prime Minister in a future KANU government. "He [President Moi] did not specify any place for Raila but asked him to support this arrangement,” Aringo told Sunday Nation. “In my opinion, this is unfair because all along we had hoped to place the Luo and our supporters once again in the mainstream of national politics."
Sunday Standard, July 14 – A commentary piece appearing today urges presidential to speak, “in plain language,” about their plans for the economy. It argues that so far, the key issue of economic growth and development has remained on the periphery, while other unimportant issues have taken centre stage. “We have no economy to talk about in the first place,” says the article. “Farming has been ruined, roads are impassable, hospitals and other public utilities are spectacularly rotting away, literacy levels are falling, food sufficiency is yesteryears’ narrative, unemployment and underemployment figures are getting scarier, etc.
Sunday Nation, July 14 – A group of civic leaders from Thika and Ruiru – led by Thika Mayor Mumbi Ng'aru – say they will support Vice-President George Saitoti for the presidential seat. Saitoti had said he was a nationalist and would not seek support from any single tribe in the general election expected this year: "I will continue preaching unity among all Kenyans. No one chose to be born a Luo, Kamba, Kikuyu or Maasai." he said. Mayor Ng'aru and Thika KANU women's leader Rachael Tiribi said they had "come all the way to show Kenyans whom we support for president.” Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, whom a number of KANU leaders have backed to succeed President Moi, is from Gatundu in Thika District.
Sunday Nation, July 14 - Gem MP and NAC member Joe Donde urges Kenyans to put pressure on the old guard to vacate their leadership roles. He says old politicians should not seek to be captains of the "political teams" in the country but rather should be coaches or trainers if the country was t o restore its honour amo ng the community of states. He singles out President Moi, Democratic Party leader Mwai Kibaki and Ford-People presidential aspirant Simeon Nyachae as "the country's enemies" because of their old style politics.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – A commentary appearing in today’s paper argues that: the key to a genuine unity of the opposition is a common presidential candidate; even if picked as the common presidential candidate none of the Opposition party leaders can win sufficient support from outside their own tribes to win a presidential election; and any attempt to pick any of the opposition party leaders to be the common presidential candidate is bound to leave the opposition Alliance totally divided. “All this calls on Opposition leaders to go back to the drawing board and come out with a completely new approach to their unity,” it says. It recommends that, to win the trust of Kenyans, there should be a transitional government headed by a neutral candidate, “neutral” meaning a candida te who is not an active member of any of the political parties and who is not a flag-bearer of any one tribe.
Sunday Standard, July 14 – A commentary piece appearing today argues that NAC still has a long way to go to forge a government of national unity. It notes how negotiations with Simeon Nyachae of Ford People have hit rock bottom. Some have given up on wooing Nyachae and his followers aboard, while others are going to great lengths to get him to join NAC. NAC is also besieged by tribalism, it says.
The Daily Nation, July 15 – NAC says it will take advantage of “disunity in KANU” to win the general election. Democratic Party leader Mwai Kibaki and six MPs in the alliance declare at a meeting that they will go to the elections united. "We are now set to wrest power from the ruling party and there is no excuse for failure this time,” says Kibaki. He says President Moi's departure alone is not enough to bring about the desired changes "unless his cronies in leadership are also removed… We are now set to wrest power from the ruling party and there is no excuse for failure this time."
The Standard, July 15 - KANU’s Director of Elections William Ruto is given a two-week ultimatum to finalise integration of KANU and the defunct NDP in Nairobi constituencies or face mass demonstrations to force him out of office. Former Nairobi NDP Secretary Richard Hongos says Ruto is using his position as elections director in the governing party to undermine Energy Minister Raila Odinga to ensure the latter is not nominated as a presidential candidate.
The Standard, July 15 - Vice-President George Saitoti calls for caution during the “critical political transition period,” saying that this duration would mark a vital turning point for Kenya. He calls on government, the church, and other stakeholders to manage the succession peacefully. Environment Minister Joseph Kamotho also urges political leaders to have cool heads. “Politicians should stop thinking about political posts,” Kamotho was quoted as saying. “Kenya risks total collapse through selfish struggle for positions. It is God who will give Kenyans their next leader.”
The Daily Nation, July 15 - The so-called Young Turks reiterate their support for Cabinet minister Uhuru Kenyatta succeeding President Moi. Cabinet ministers Cyrus Jirongo and Julius Sunkuli, assistant minister William Ruto, and party deputy organising secretary Peter Kuguru defended their support for Kenyatta, describing him as a nationalist with the ability to lead. At the same time, four top party officials, among them three Cabinet ministers, declared that Central Province would have an important role to play in the next government. They told those opposed to the proposal to stop “tribalising” the issue. "We don't have tr ibes in Kanu ... we have Kenyans. If anyone came to KANU with a tribal agenda, he is in the wrong party," says Jirongo.
The Standard, July 15 – KANU Secretary-General Raila Odinga will not be sidelined by the KANU leadership, say Cabinet ministers Julius Sunkuli, Cyrus Jirongo, William Ruto, and Jesse Maisz. The ministers also deny claims that the party was divided over the suggestion that Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta be backed as the party's presidential flag-bearer in the forthcoming general election.
The Standard, July 15 - Foreign Affairs Minister Marsden Madoka and his Education counterpart, Henry Kosgei, dismiss as baseless claims that KANU is split, saying that the party is stable and ready for the general election. They also say that the ruling party is democratic and every leader has a right to express his or her own views. Divergent views expressed by some party leaders do not necessarily mean that there is uncertainty in the party hierarchy, they say.
The Daily Nation, July 15 - Mombasa Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Najib Balala says that coast leaders are shying away from fighting for the presidency. He urged leaders to run for president. "We should stop acting as a mere rubber stamp and get involved in the country's important decision-making processes,'' he says. Balala also the region should demand for its equal share in the distribution of bursaries, road levies and ot her funds.
The Daily Nation, July 15 - Ugenya MP James Orengo urges KANU secretary-general Raila Odinga to put up a tough fight for a top seat in the upcoming election. SDP chairman Orengo says KANU has, over the years, specialised in "use and dump" politics and urged Odinga to be aggressive in his ambition. He recalls how he cautioned Odinga not to be used by KANU and later dumped. However, Orengo declines to say whether he intends to back Odinga for the presidency. Orengo was quoted as saying: "President Moi is playing around with the transition process and we must not allow him or the political class to manipulate constitution-making.”
The Daily Nation, July 15 – In a commentary appearing today, Daily Nation opinion editor Andrew Ngwiri writes that succession will not be as smooth as some people imagined, for Kenyans are no longer a nation of sheep, as evidenced by last week’s protests by Oloo Aringo and other KANU MPs that KANU is imposing Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta on the party without going through the proper democratic channels. Kenyans need a new generation of political leader who will look at the future instead of the past. “It is a foible of the elderly to reminisce about the past, to regard the present as an expedient, and to look at the future and see only a heavy mist, while the not-so-old believe they know all the answers,” writes Ngwiri.
The Standard, July 15 - Leader of Official Opposition Mwai Kibaki says NAC has resolved to operate as a single party to win the forth-coming general election. Kibaki says NAC will field a single candidate for the presidency, Parliamentary, and civic seats to facilitate a clean sweep on KANU, which had shown signs of disintegration. “After elections, NAC will concentrate on ways of uplifting the ailing economy and we need the World Bank, IMF and other developed countries which the ruling party had shunned to re-build our industry and the telecommunication sector,” he is quoted as saying.
The Standard, July 15 - National Party of Kenya (NPK) leader Charity Ngilu says the nomination of one presidential candidate to represent the National Alliance Party will not lead to the collapse of the opposition. “We have learnt from the mistakes we made in 1992 and 1997 and we have decided to remain united in the opposition if Kanu is to be dislodged from power,” she is quoted as saying.
The Standard, July 15 – Today’s “Big Issue” magazine, a regular supplement on Monday, is devoted to opposition politics. The first article discusses how deep-seated mistrust, ethnic chauvinism, and the issue of who held economic sway undermined opposition unity in the run up to the 1992 election. The author, who is trying to shed light on opposition splits in the current election campaign, explains how the attempt to forge Luo-Kikuyu unity within the opposition failed because much as the Luo believed both communities were sidelined in the KANU regime, they still held their Kikuyu counterparts as those who had benefited hugely from the Kenyatta era. In the second article, Nairobi lawyer Dr Gibson Kamau Kuria argues that the opposition needs to get their priorities right if they hope to achieve any tangible results in the democratisation process. He says that, in emerging democracies, it is usual at first to have many opposition parties, but eventually they stabilize to have two or so parties. In the third article, Prof. Kivutha Kibwana, NCEC coordinator, says that the only things politicians who formed the original Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) had in common was the fact that KANU had rejected them from 1988 onwards and, hence, were not like-minded or bound by a common vision or purpose. The fourth article consists of comments from a cross-section of Kenyans about opposition discord, while in the fifth, Ford-People chairman, Kimani wa Nyoike says that, this time around, odds are in favour that the opposition will unite.
The Daily Nation, July 16 – Dr. Oki Ooko-Ombaka – CKRC vice-chairman and a key figure in the constitutional review process – dies of a blood clot at his home on Monday. Ombaka had been suffering from a lung disease for seven years. He also had chaired the Ufungamano People’s Commission (UPC), a church-led initiative that collected views from the provinces. UPC later merged with the CKRC. CKRC chairman Prof. Yash Pal Ghai says the commission has lost a dedicated, intelligent, and committed deputy head who made a “wonderful” contribution to constitutional reform.
The Standard, July 16 – Today’s main editorial praises Dr. Oki Ooko-Ombaka as a “man of courage,” saying that he was among the few legislators from Nyanza who stuck with FORD-Kenya when everyone else defected to NDP and other parties. He was also the first visually impaired MP, after having lost his sight in 1995 due to illness.
The Daily Nation, July 16 – A political party – Shirikisho – based in Coast Province has joined NAC. The party, which has vigorously opposed the granting of a mining license to a Canadian company called Tiomin Resources that wants to mine in Kwale District, was formed just before the 1997 general election. Its national chairman is Mashengu wa Mwachofi. There was only one Shirikisho MP in Parliament, but he defected to KANU. Meanwhile, the National Opposition Coalition is ready to talk to other opposition candidates to select a single presidential candidate. Simeon Nyachae will spearhead these negotiations. They challenged NAC to name its candidate.
The Daily Nation, July 16 – The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) recommends that the constitution specify the process through which power passes from one president to another, especially after an election. NCCK General Secretary Mutava Musyimi explains that the current constitution does not indicate how and when a new president takes office, and it doesn’t have a protocol for a hand-over. He suggests that the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice be drawn into succession to pre-empt a crisis if the Cabinet fails to appoint a successor in the absence of the president.
The Standard, July 16 – Today’s smaller editorial criticises Attorney-General Amos Wako’s election proposals that call for assistance to the physically disabled and the illiterate to vote. “The so-called “secret ballot” will not be secret if some voters are allowed to nominate others to help them cast the ballot… To correct the mistake is not to allow assisted democracy. There must be a better way of simplifying the vote, without appearing to be patronising,” it says.
The Standard, July 16 – Cabinet Ministers Jackson Kalweo and Joseph Nyagah cautions Young Turks to “tread carefully lest they face the wrath of the old guard in the ruling party over the coming succession polls.” The two say that the Young Yurks are politicians without vision and are untested in their leadership ability.
The Daily Nation, July 16 – Today’s editorial criticises District Commissioner Ernest Munyi, who banned all “political” meetings in Butere-Mumias “until Parliament is dissolved.” It says that if the ban is upheld, “it could portend a dangerous trend in the run-up to the elections,” because the definition of “political” is vague, and because the ban would be inconsistent, as surely Munyi would not ban a gathering to listen to President Moi and other KANU top brass.
The Daily Nation, July 17 – President Moi instructs civil servants and parastatal officials who wish to vie for seats in the upcoming election to quit their posts by August 15, leading to speculations that Parliament will be dissolved and elections held soon. “All those who want to run for Parliamentary seats, and are serving either in parastatals or the civil service should resign now and do so in a hurry. They should stop wondering when the day shall come and resign now,” President Moi was quoted as saying.
The Daily Nation, July 17 – President Moi tells U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that he will leave office when his term expires. He also says that the proposal to extend the life of Parliament comes from the CKRC and not KANU.
The Standard, July 17 – The CKRC wraps up its cross-country hearings at its headquarters in Nairobi. At this point, the CKRC will now only accept written statements, which should be left at CKRC’s reception desk, says Secretary Patrick Lumumba. Hundreds of groups and individuals gave their submissions to hearings conducted all across Kenya. The CKRC also completed its work in Rift Valley Province yesterday, and will conduct one last visit in Western Province next week. Meanwhile, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers recommends that security of persons, of property and investments, and of land title deeds be respected in the constitution.
The Standard, July 17 – President Moi defends Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta against accusations that he does not possess leadership qualities. He tells those gathering for a meeting in Gatunda South constituency that they should give Kenyatta their unequivocal support.
The Daily Nation, July 17 – Former State House comptroller Franklin Bett tells a CKRC hearing that the new constitution should set the dates for general elections, the dissolution of Parliament, and the inauguration of a new president. He says that the calendar would prevent the executive from wielding excessive powers tio influence these processes. He says presidential contestants and their running mates should not vie for Parliamentary seats and must be degree holders.
The Daily Nation, July 17 – A news analysis piece appearing today says that NAC’s Mwai Kibaki (DP), Charity Ngulu (NPK), and Michael Wamalwa (FORD-K) “appear as far away from uniting the entire opposition as they were a year ago when they started their high-profile meetings.” It says that NAC is unlikely to get support from Simeon Nyachae’s Kenya People’s Coalition or MP James Orengo’s People’s Reform Agenda. Although all three of the groups’ political, social, and economic blueprints are ideologically similar, the two accuse NAC of being power hungry and undemocratic.
The Standard, July 17 – A commentary appearing today argues that the constitution should protect Kenyans’ cultural and ethnic diversity, including indigenous languages, an issue that CKRC’s cultural, ethnic, and regional diversity and communal rights chapter is dealing with. “To tell a Kenyan not to identify with, not to belong to a certain ethnic group or race is an abuse of common decency,” says the commentary.
The Daily Nation, July 18 – Local Government Minister Uhuru Kenyatta declares that he is ready to become Kenya’s next president. He says his fate hangs on eight million voters, the KANU nomination process, and President Moi. “We are ready for any challenge and to serve in any capacity, and if it is the presidency, so be it,” Kenyatta says in a statement.
The Daily Nation, July 18 – Several parastatal chiefs and civil servants – from offices that include the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the Kenya Ports Authority, and the Central Agriculture Board – announce their intention to contest in the upcoming general election. The announcement comes after President Moi said that civil servants and parastatal employees who wish to contest in the election should quit their positions by next month.
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