Let us not lose this chance to restore our nationhood

The next 100 days are critical to this nation. This is the period remaining to the next General Election, which will be held on March 4 next year. It is the period that will define our nationhood and decide the future of our great nation. The forthcoming election will be unique in many ways. For instance, it will be the first election to be held under our new Constitution that was promulgated in August 2010.

Besides, the election is expected to be one of the most hotly contested since Kenya attained independence in 1963. The number of seats that are up for grabs is the highest ever. That politicians are busy as bees touring various parts of the country to popularise themselves and their parties clearly shows that campaigns for the elections have started.

In addition, we have witnessed political parties making efforts to build pre-election alliances ahead of the December 4 deadline. This week, the spotlight has been on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as it rolled out voter registration. The 30-day exercise, which was officially kicked off on Monday by President Kibaki in Nairobi targets 18 million voters.

As the registration enters its sixth day today, a number of hitches have been reported in various centres. Already, there are concerns that if the IEBC does not address these hitches, a cloud of uncertainty may darken the electoral process. Let’s emphasise that we must stay on course and ensure that all the timelines, leading to the March 4 election date, must strictly be adhered to.

Failure to respect the timelines may not augur well for the country. On Thursday, election experts meeting in Nairobi warned that Kenyan could pay a heavy price if the General Election is delayed beyond March 4. Elections consultant Ednah Koskey, speaking at a media roundtable organised by Internews, said despite the tight deadlines that IEBC faces, there should be no turning back on the election.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Michael Yard of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems at the same forum.

Confidence in the electoral system must not be lost, especially given the sad events that the country witnessed after the disputed presidential results of the 2007 General Election.

Kenyans have not forgotten that over 1,200 people lost their lives in the post-poll chaos. Thousands of people were also displaced from their homes while property worth billions of shillings was destroyed. This should not and must never happen again.

We are glad that the IEBC has speedily moved to address the hitches currently being experienced at various registration centres. We agree that the rolling out of a massive technological process such as the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system in a short span of time was never going to be smooth.

The commission has already assured that each registration station now backs up data to prevent loss in the event of machine failure and it has deployed more experienced ICT staff on standby in every region to provide support. The commission has also assured voters that they will have time to inspect and confirm their registration status before the March 4 election date and that it will also set up an SMS system for any queries.

We agree with the commission that this is a huge and complex election and voter education will be critical in addressing some of the challenges currently being experienced.

As we start the 100-day countdown to the next elections, we must stay on course to build confidence in the electoral system. This will require all of us to be vigilant at all times and ensure that the process is not frustrated.

At the same time, the prevailing state of insecurity in the country and the apparent lethargic reaction by the security agencies is causing great concern nationally.

The eruption of violence, killings, destruction and displacement over the past few weeks and months is cause for further worry.

Kenyans are reeling from the shock of the brazen, audacious killing of more than 40 policemen and reservists in Suguta Valley of Samburu County in a botched operation to track down cattle rustlers and retrieve stolen livestock. The coming elections give us a chance to restore our nationhood. That’s why the 100 days left are critical to us. Let us not lose this chance to make a difference.