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Opposition challenges Kibaki
31/08/2007 12:03 - (SA)
Nairobi - Kenya's election campaign is entering high gear as two main opposition parties on Friday choose challengers to face President Mwai Kibaki, who is seeking a second term in this year's elections.
The vote, scheduled for December, would be the first time an incumbent president faced a credible challenge in Kenya.
When Kibaki ran in 2002, his predecessor, Daniel arap Moi, was barred constitutionally from extending his 24 years in power. Moi, whose presidency was tainted by vast corruption, won in 1992 and 1997 amid vote rigging allegations.
Kibaki was elected in 2002 on a platform of reform, ending the 39-year rule of the Kenya African National Union party that had became synonymous with corruption, mismanagement and human rights violations.
Musyoka 'a social democrat'
His administration had improved many government services, but had fumbled when it came to fighting high-level graft.
On Friday, long-serving former cabinet minister Kalonzo Musyoka, 52, was likely to clinch the nomination of the Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya party to tap into that disappointment.
Musyoka's sole competitor in the party was 70-year-old Julia Ojiambo, an assistant minister for 15 years under Moi.
Musyoka, who had described himself as a social democrat, had promised to fulfill the demand of many Kenyans to enact a new constitution that was more democratic than the current one, which gave the presidency enormous powers.
46% population 'live under $1 a day'
He had said he was committed to a free market economy, so long as it was balanced with the need to tackle Kenya's debilitating poverty.
About 46% of the population lived under a dollar a day, according to government figures.
On Saturday, the Orange Democratic Movement Party of Kenya would choose its candidate from a list of five hopefuls, all of whom had served as cabinet ministers under Moi or Kibaki.
Raila Odinga, 62, was the leading contender and advocated a parliamentary system of government to change the current emphasis on tribe in Kenyan politics.
He had also vowed to boost the economy by investing in infrastructure. He said he would finance that by broadening Kenya's tax base and seeking foreign loans.
Presidential hopefuls had been crisscrossing Kenya since January - something that would have been impossible under Moi. Police and local administrators blocked the then-president's opponents from campaigning outside the capital and their strongholds.
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