ICC no longer a vote determinant factor

That is how insignificant ICC is that even among Jubilee diehards; the raucous did not take up the refrain. Kenyans are wiser now. They have a fairly accurate picture, away from the fuzzy mental images they had then, of what might have transpired. They are united in the misery of job cuts as companies close shop.PHOTO: COURTESY

The dynamics of our politics have changed since 2013. The International Criminal Court is stale news today. Mention of it is not as emotive as it was prior to Jubilee taking over the reins of power in 2013.

Thus, the fear in some quarters that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s mention of Kenya’s intention to reconsider ties with ICC and Raila Odinga’s scathing rejoinder could dredge tribal sentiments was speculative.

Leader of Majority in Parliament Aden Duale and his ilk did not disappoint. They called a press conference and raved about it, hoping to play on people’s emotions, but it did not work; nary a murmur among the commoners.

That is how insignificant ICC is that even among Jubilee diehards; the raucous did not take up the refrain. Kenyans are wiser now. They have a fairly accurate picture, away from the fuzzy mental images they had then, of what might have transpired. They are united in the misery of job cuts as companies close shop.

They are united in poverty and in the pain of diseases and death after doctors upstaged intransigent national and county governments yet governors still entertain the hope strong-arm tactics will bend the medics’ resolve. Jubilee or CORD, the rising cost of living among the less fiscally endowed is biting a little too hard. Billions of shillings stolen through corruption have soared to land in some offshore bank accounts, out of harm’s way.

The euphoria and high hopes generated by a colourful Jubilee manifesto are long dead and nobody still has the energy to fight for those dining at the high table completely oblivious of the suffering of the lowly placed.

Similar to Orange Democratic Movement party elections last year that generated so much heat and chaos, Jubilee is going through a rough patch, and they have got quite a number of pugilists in there.

It does not help that the Kikuyu council of elders has called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to campaign separately from Deputy President William Ruto. The elders are reportedly calling for a review of the contract between the two communities, a demand that betrays the mistrust that has existed all along.

Presently, the 2013 solidity of the Rift Valley is a phantom.

There is enough dissent, suspicion and disgruntlement to make ICC a non-factor in Jubilee’s re-election.

More pressing concerns abound.

Even as the Opposition cries foul over pertinent election-related issues, the electoral commission is going about its business unperturbed.

What is so secretive about the master voters’ register that it cannot be made public?

Without there being anything clandestine, revealing this register will pull the rug from under the Opposition and take the steam out of it.

Fanning the fires that threaten to singe this country unless politicians sober up is Jubilee’s propensity to defend IEBC at every turn. I acknowledge Jubilee might be doing that in good faith, but the circumstances demand only transparency.

The opposition’s vote rigging fears cannot be swept under the carpet. US President elect Donald Trump is billed to have pulled a fast one on the entire US government despite boasting of the best technological advances in the world. Russia came in handy.

Ours is a professed digital government and the manner in which whiz kids could circumvent the Integrated Financial Management Information System and pocket billions is impressive.

But for a nosy opposition and a little carelessness, no ordinary Kenyan would have been the wiser.

What baffles is why the Government would all of a sudden want to revert to manual voting and tallying after the Opposition indicated it would get a parallel digital tallying centre.

Some of the reasons Jubilee gives against a wholly technology-driven system; like power outages and poor network connectivity are genuine, save for the manner of raising them.

Nevertheless, there is a way around them. Satellite technology could work where network connectivity is a challenge.

On the other hand, the Opposition’s obsession with BVR’s and electronic transmission of results could be counter-productive.

There are too many documented incidents that discredit the reliability of technology. Remember, Jubilee is all cosy with the Brits (Tony Blair) and the Chinese Communist Party; all tech-savvy.

Sometimes in 2014, at least 76 Chinese nationals were rounded up (an error, perhaps?) in Nairobi and found to be in possession of sophisticated electronic gadgets. Nobody got to really know what it was all about. The ball is in Jubilee’s court.

The success or failure of the 2017 General Elections lies with it. My prayer is that Jubilee stops being protectionist while the Opposition scales down on its war chants. If the country burns, we are in it together.