The right to vote for all citizens has been recognised, acknowledged and accepted by nations worldwide. It is to be found in various international legal instruments and covenants.
The new Constitution strives to accommodate dual and multiple citizens. Their fellow kinsmen who are also citizens of other countries now have an opportunity to enjoy this right.
They are thus a welcome addition to the other Kenyans who have enjoyed this right in the past, as well as those living in Kenya who have only recently qualified to vote. Thus the Diaspora vote is of the same status in legal recognition as that of all citizens living in Kenya.
Imagined reasons
The police, the National Youth Service, game wardens and forest guards, patients in hospitals, remand prisoners, serving prisoners, a large section of the military and travelling Kenyans do not vote for various reasons.
The reasons these voters cannot be facilitated to vote have been loudly voiced by politicians. Some of the reasons are real, and some imagined.
A number cite inadequate financial resources and lack of knowledge as part of the reasons involved.
Politicians have always suspected that, the election authorities and their officials would be misused by their opponents to their detriment, if these Kenyans are allowed to vote.
The authorities, being aware of this attitude, have not found it necessary to carry out an audit of the problems and solutions that need to be confronted, and put in place mechanisms for these Kenyans to enjoy their rights.
Kenya now boasts of an independent electoral commission. Why then should there be talk that if vote registration and polling takes place in the embassies and consulates, fraud is likely to occur?
Does the politician want us to believe he has to be always present in such places to monitor the electoral voting and counting exercise?
Relies on agents
If as is the case, he relies on his agents, why is it impossible for him to place his agents at these embassies? Granted, the voters will be Kenyans, and it cannot be argued that none would accept to be used.
Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission should register the Diaspora voters and facilitate their voting. It has all the resources it needs, time included.
What remains is the goodwill to push forth a very deserving agenda.
Samuel M Kivuitu, Via Email
Student mothers too deserve a second chance
The story in The Standard (May 21) on Ngubereti High School, a school that gives hope to young mothers, was inspiring. The school aims to help youth who are often written off too quickly by society.
Schools with such programmes should be supported because they cannot manage without the support of the rest of their communities.
Most parents shirk their duty of paying school fees once their daughters fall pregnant, hugely sacrificing their future. Meanwhile, the responsible (often) young man may not be in a position to support her financially as chances are that he is also a student.
The State can set up a kitty for this purpose by creating a special clause that favours student mothers without appearing as an incentive to young girls to fall pregnant so as to get funding. Giving mothers a second chance is akin to allowing the society to pick herself up after falling.
Andrew Mibei Bomet
Injustices historical,not historic
I wish to correct an error that has been perpetrated by journalists over time.
This is in reference to injustices inflicted on Kenyans by past regimes.
I have noted that journalists in print and electronic media refer to the injustices as historical.
This is not only misleading, but incorrect.
Granted, such incidents took place in the past and can, therefore, be deemed to be historical.
However, what is significant about them is not their historical nature, but rather, their magnitude and effect on the victims and society.
They should, therefore, be deemed historic and not historical. In any case, any past event is historical.
Politicians have taken the cue from journalists and commit the same blunder with alacrity.
Kimathi Mwirichia, Meru
Civil servants should keep off IEBC jobs
Touted to be the toughest and most competitive election in Kenya’s history, the upcoming General Election must be handled fairly. It is against this backdrop that the announcement by Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission Chairman Isaak Hassan that civil servants take jobs at various levels is questionable.
There is bound to be conflict of interest on the part of the civil servants, having sworn allegiance to the reigning Government.
Chances that one is tempted to use their position to sway the votes in their favour are also high. It is also possible that they will coarse Wanjiku to vote contrary to her will. Majority of civil servants harbour personal interests, and would grudgingly guard their mostly ill-gotten wealth and status.
The mayhem experienced in the last bungled election can be traced to irregularities by a section of senior civil servants and administration police.
The world is watching to see whether we have learnt anything from previous polls. Therefore, the nation should consider its educated yet jobless youth when dishing out these jobs. They are the fresh minds that crave to see change geared towards a better country.
Robert Amalemba, Kakamega
Secession no solution to injustices
Across the globe, various communities face economic, political and social challenges. In order to solve these problems, people try to form movements based on the intellectual values held by society. These movements are attempts to solve the problems that can either fail and/or add to more problems or hopefully, succeed in uprooting them. While numerous persons admit that the demands of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), the Coast based outfit are genuine, it appears that MRC has not searched deep for the root cause of its problems. Otherwise, they will only find a short-term solution.
Most difficulties facing Kenyans stem from the present socio-economic-setup occasioned by capitalism. The capitalist economic model continues to gauge its success, in oblivion to the plight of the poor. The reality is that while the State focuses on economic activities in certain areas, other regions are left in extreme poverty. Moreover, the revenue generated from natural resources such as land, are abnormally shared. This is why one can find rampant poverty in areas where huge profits are generated.
The situation is worsened by a system that allows these resources to be controlled by private enterprises, whereas the share for the native people is negligible, and at the mercy of temporary policies drafted by the politicians. Unless MRC addresses this inequity, the group members will plunge the same people they claim to be saving in deeper woes.
Shaban Mwalimu, Mombasa
Stars can shine like volleyballers
The Kenya Prisons volleyball team did the nation proud by successfully defending their title in the recently concluded African Women’s Club Championships in Nairobi.
The finals, being an all-Kenyan affair showed how women’s volleyball in Kenya continues to grow year by year. However, the national soccer team, Harambee Stars, has been performing dismally, missing out in major competitions.
With the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifier matches on the way, Harambee Stars should emulate this great team and ensure that they develop tactics to beat their opponents.
Gerald Muturi, Othaya
Uhuru, walk the talk to garner votes
I followed Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s launch of The National Alliance party with interest and commend him for the bold step he has taken. Now that the party is launched, it is important that he walks the talk by first addressing some key issues. Foremost, he should stipulate what his views on land reforms are.
He says his party believes in African social justice. In Africa, you cannot slaughter a goat and eat it alone while your neighbours are starving. Hence the deputy premier should give the massive land parcels his family owns to internally displaced persons and squatters, as he does not need the land.
Dr Kowino J O, London
