I Wouldn’t Want To Run For Office in Kenya
You can go here and watch all the youtube links about nomination troubles occurring all over the place. I picked this video out because it was the most bizarre – the presiding officer was actually abducted and roughed up; oh…and the ballot papers were stolen.
I’ve said before that I wish Kibaki was a lot more proactive on the law and order front. He has the army, GSU and police under his command. Why doesn’t he use them to ensure that incidents like the above don’t occur?
I like rules and order and I guess I don’t understand how a president can just sit back and let these chaotic scenes occur all across the country. Even if these are the parties of your political opponents, the people voting are kenyans and you have an obligation to ensure their personal security (so that they can exercise their right to vote freely and without fear).
You can’t allow people to break windows and abduct officers! where were the cops to lock these thugs up??. If I were the president, I’d send in the GSU with very clear instructions: If anyone causes trouble, breaks windows, beats people up, threatens people with guns, etc, etc…lock up their asses [at gunpoint] and leave them in jail for 3 days (and I would include members of my own party in this dictum).
Kibaki’s laid back nature won’t work with Africans because we’re still too primitive. You have to enforce law and order with the power of the rungu (Maybe in 50 years when we’re a richer, more modern country, we’ll be able to have civilized disagreements like they do in the British House of Commons, but today only the GSU and an AK47 will work; i.e. I’d use the power of the sword to instill civility and order).
Sounds like the making of a great reality show.
I was surprised to hear Fred Gumo say he was being intimidated by Walji. Isn’t Gumo the “chief beater”?
They’re all crazy
that might not be exactly fair to mr.kibaki. all the violence & drama being witnessed is related to party primaries, not the actual elections. anyone campaigning ought to be prepared for the stuff that campaigns are made of.(youthwingers,whips,stolen ballots and, in the case of one lady, a truck that runs you off the road).
smaller parties (eg kenda) have had peaceful, though chaotic, nominations and ought to be the choice for anyone averse to ‘physical’ ways of winning elections.
on a side note, i would and am considering running for office. (as a councillor though). $1000 dollars/month for little more than 4 boring meetings a month cant be bad.an mp’s seat is too much trouble.
owning a party is even better. mp certificates (for 1st round losers) go for at least $700 and those for councillors $200. with 10 mps and 50 councillors in my briefcase, i’d be on my way to a very merry christmas…
Just what:
Don’t you have to be illiterate to be a councillor?
I think the state (aka the government) should always be responsible for security (that’s what the taxpayers are paying the police for)
Living out here in the States, I have had the luck of being involved in the election process. It is not that we are primitive, it is there is no penalty for bad behaviour. Here in the states, all political parties have volunteer lawyers who watch and observe contentious areas, and file reports. If there is any nonsense, police are there in a flash… and justice is more swift than in Kenya. This was my observation for non-presidential elections. BTW, there is violence in the US, that is why Obama has a very tight security detail (they just hide in the background).