Kenyans sharply divided on vote
2005-11-19 10:45
Nairobi - Kenyans set out to write a new constitution reflecting their aspirations for a better government, and to unify their country of more than 40 tribes.
Instead, the nation is sharply divided as it prepares for the Monday vote on the proposed charter. At least seven people have died in violence at campaign rallies as Kenyans fought over the spirit and the letter of the proposed new charter.
Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki appealed for calm on Friday. He said his government would deal firmly with anyone attempting to disrupt the referendum in which voters will choose a banana for yes or an orange for no - a third of Kenyan adults cannot read.
Rival rallies in Nairobi on Saturday will allow both sides a final show of strength before voters cast their ballots at 19 134 polling stations across the country.
Many voters are undecided
There has been only one opinion poll, released by a local firm and Gallup International on October 21. The poll, with a margin of error of two percentage points, showed opposition at 42% and support at 32% - leaving a large block undecided.
Opponents say the proposed constitution does not do enough to curb presidential powers. They have cast the vote as a referendum on Kibaki, whom they accuse of abandoning his commitment to democratic reform.
Kibaki has campaigned in favour of the new constitution, though members of his own cabinet oppose it.
He has argued that the proposed constitution will create a workable balance by dividing power among the presidency, parliament and district governments.
The draft constitution has been public since August, crafted by Kenyan attorney general Amos Wako from a draft created by a national constitutional conference in March 2004 and another proposed by parliament in July.
Wako's 197-page combination appears closer to parliament's draft, which critics say contains provisions rejected by the constitutional conference. Like parliament, Wako proposed a prime minister who would be appointed - and could be dismissed - by the president.
Kibaki accused of influencing the vote
Some have argued that the only legitimate draft emerged from a constitutional conference and an earlier exercise that saw a government-appointed commission soliciting views of ordinary Kenyans across the country.
Maina Kiai, chairperson of the government-appointed Kenya national human rights commission, despairs of the whole process, saying it has been hijacked by politicians resorting to appealing to tribal loyalties rather than debating the content of the draft charter.
"The referendum is not about the constitution ... it's about power," Kiai said.
Kibaki has been accused of trying to influence voters by announcing salary hikes for local government workers and handing over a national park to a local council in a bid to court support from the Maasai tribe.
- AP