Kenyans return to polls
2008-06-10 08:27
Nairobi - Kenya returns to the polls on Wednesday under intense domestic and international scrutiny for five by-elections, in a key test for a fragile government coalition less than six months after deadly post-election violence almost tore the nation apart.
Observers feared some of the grievances that sparked the unrest could resurface, as the by-election campaigns revealed early signs of strain in the uneasy marriage between President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) and Prime Minister Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The campaigns wrapped up on Monday for the seats of two parliamentarians who were shot dead earlier this year and another, Kenneth Marende, who relinquished his seat after he was elected parliament speaker.
The two other ballots would be held in constituencies, where the chaos that followed the December 27 general polls prevented the results from being announced, raising fears that fresh disputes could erupt there next week.
Power-sharing deal
Observers deplored that despite the more than 1 500 deaths and hundreds of thousands of displacements that marred the latest polls, politicians once again resorted to ethnic rhetoric during the by-election campaigns.
"This is an indication that although there is a coalition government, Kenyan politics will always be guided by tribes," political analyst Evans Manduku said.
He argued the by-elections campaign had provided further evidence that the coalition, born of the internationally-brokered February 28 power-sharing deal that ended the unrest, would remain an uneasy alliance between political foes.
The main potential flashpoint on Wednesday was expected to be the Kilgoris constituency, where issues of land that had yet to be addressed by the unity cabinet had sparked recurring clashes between rival tribes.
Constitutional referendum
In a sign of worsening marriage, ODM accused some PNU ministers "of contravening electoral laws by openly bribing voters, intimidating ODM supporters and misusing state resources just as they did in last December's elections and during the constitutional referendum in 2005".
Warning that the Wednesday vote "provide a major test for our democratic institutions", ODM top official and cabinet minister William Ole Ntimama warned: "We have watched with dismay as our coalition partners sink to new lows without any regard for the consequences which may flow."
Police had planned a heavy deployment to contain any tension. "We shall be there in full force to ensure that the voting is peaceful," said police spokesperson Charles Owino.
Speaking at a campaign rally in northern Kenya over the weekend, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka sought to reassure the nation that the tension surrounding the by-elections was not a sign of a dysfunctional government.