Annan meets Chief Justice Mutunga yet again

By Roselyne Obala and Wahome Thuku

NAIROBI; KENYA: For the second time in two months former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has held a meeting with Chief Justice Willy Mutunga on the Judiciary’s preparedness for the 2013 General Election.

This is an indicator of how much the African Union’s Panel of Eminent Personalities, which Annan chairs, is banking on the Judiciary to deal with electoral disputes and save the country from a repeat of the 2007/2008 post-election chaos.

Dr Annan held a 30-minute meeting with Mutunga at the Supreme Court in Nairobi similar to another they held on October 9.

Annan, who is accompanied by former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa, said they are in Kenya precisely to assess the country’s preparedness for the election process and the implementation of the Constitution.

Lack of confidence in the judiciary has been blamed as one of the factors that aggravated the of the 2007/2008 post-election chaos arising from a bungled up presidential polls.

Changes in the institution were prioritised in Agenda Four of the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliations Agreement between President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga brokered by Annan.

Failure to put up a local judicial tribunal to try key suspects of the chaos prompted Dr Annan to hand over their names to the InternationalCriminal Court which then initiated its own investigations and indicted six suspects.

Annan and Mkapa later toured Westlands Primary School registration centre to assess the process of voter registration.

During the visit, Annan took the opportunity to laud the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for undertaking the process and urged Kenyans to come out and register in large numbers.

“I am happy to come to witness the ongoing registration exercise as it happens,” he said.

Leaving on Tuesday

Annan cited the issue of machines failing because of low batteries as a challenge and reiterated the situation should be improved.

“While we were making rounds, we noticed this as a problem but we are happy that the process is orderly and figures recorded so far are encouraging,” he conceded.

Mkapa said they were satisfied with the process but singled out the low turnout by potential voters.

“We will be more satisfied if more people turned out to register,” the former Head of State said.

He acknowledged that IEBC had achieved a lot despite doubts on the commission’s capability and asked the public to support it.

Mkapa said many Kenyans needed to register so that many voters can give legitimacy to the election.

The two leave the country on Tuesday and are not intending to meet any political leaders.