Heed concerns raised by Annan team on polls

The Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation (KNDR) team has released its latest report that focuses on reforms and preparedness for the General Election.

The report has cautioned that the atmosphere for the elections is becoming more divisive. This is not an encouraging assessment given the sad events that followed the 2007 disputed presidential election results. The KNDR report, dated June 14, and coming only a week after President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga led MPs in a national conference in Mombasa on peaceful elections, should be taken with the seriousness it deserves. Even of more concern is the fact that prior to the Mombasa Conference, the PM had told Parliament the country’s spy agency was concerned about ethnic based politics, which it felt could divide the country ahead of elections. Equally of concern is that the KNDR report says there is lack of a unifying theme to enable Kenyans to elect a credible leader.