'THINGS WILL BE BAD IN KENYA IF VOTES ARE STOLEN," RAILA TELLS UHURU

Are foreigners being registered to vote in this year's elections in Kenya contrary to the Constitution?

Opposition leader Raila Odinga says yes. He claims members of the secretive National Intelligence Service were crossing borders and issuing voters' cards to Ethiopians and Ugandans

using smuggled IEBC Biometric Voter Registration (BRV) kits.

The leader of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) did not provide any evidence on what he called "credible information" about the illegal activities but warned "things will be bad in Kenya if a single vote is stolen." President Kenyatta dismissed the claims as "a ploy to cause chaos."

Is the ruling Jubilee government using members of the Kenya Defense Force and civil servants to manipulate the elections as claimed by the opposition? No one knows.

Another question.

Is the electoral register so screwed-up to the extent that tens of thousands of people have identical identification details in the voters' register?

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)agrees.

Indeed, Raila himself was a victim of this mix-up. It was found he shared details of his voters' card with another individual many miles away. As a matter of fact, according to the IEBC, over 120,000 Kenyans are in the same dilemma.

If this is the scenario prevailing six months to the August elections then the integrity of the polls is under threat.

These worrisome revelations have raised a red flag over the direction of the elections, and could be a trigger to post-election violence much worse than what was experienced in 2007/2008.

In the meantime, the Internal Security Ministry has asked Raila to record a statement and provide more details about the alleged illegal registration.

It is one thing if what is alleged is a rhetorical bravado by politicians desiring to hold sway over voters, but if it's intended to raise the specter of emotions and violence then the whole affair has potentially grave consequences.

The new leadership at the IEBC under the chairmanship of Wafula Chebukati has taken over an organization with a history of corruption, fraud and stultifying bureaucracy. It is an organization that has been vilified for manipulating the voting process and skewing results; and of connivance and dirty tricks.

IEBC shared the blame with others for the post election violence of 2007/2008 that sent Uhuru and five others to the International Criminal Court at The Hague; and was held responsible for the near explosive situation after Uhuru's controversial win in the 2013 elections.

It is an organization with a damaged reputation. I hope as he prepares for the polls, Chebukati will move with speed to repair those shortcomings.

I have gone on record here as suggesting that the 2017 polls will be rigged. I still hold that position. I hope the IEBC will prove me wrong. But with the allegations of malpractices now swirling around the electoral body and the tense reactions coming from Kenyans, the stakes are high and an urgent action is imperative to freeze public angst.

Unfortunately, given the current level of vitriol, high-decibel noise and disruption of meetings, coming from candidates and the public, the upcoming elections could turn out to be distressfully chaotic and monstrously violent.

President Kenyatta must avoid mayhem from occurring to save his legacy. He must lower the temperature by avoiding reactionary comments that further fuel opposition anger and create unnecessary queasiness.

Instead, he should put his effort in solving the two-month old doctors' strike and in extinguishing hunger facing a third of the country's population.

Otherwise, the second Kenyatta at the helm could end up being just a name.

And that is my say.

NO ROOM FOR A BUFFOON FOR THE NAIROBI GOVERNOR POSITION

Nairobi is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It is vibrant, scintillating, and extremely pleasant, environmentally and socially. It has a large pool of ethnic restaurants, a robust night life, and a friendly atmosphere not found in many metropolitan capitals.

It is also the most sought-after station for diplomats and international workers. The presence of the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) and many foreign embassies, global blue-chip companies and media organizations, gives Nairobi an international ambiance that is hard to replicate.

In 2014 and 2015 it was voted the most "intelligent" city by one international organization; and according to the City Momentum Index - which tracks economies and commercial real estate markets - it was among 20 most successful cities in the world in innovation, capacity and invention.

But Nairobi has unusual challenges too. The "Green city in the sun" tag which attracted colonialists and inspired block-busters like "Out of Africa" has all but faded. There is more concrete now than trees and shrubs; the vehicular and pedestrian traffic is overwhelming; there is more neglect due to poor management and corruption; and slums in the fringes of the city are getting bigger by the day. Corruption by City officials is chronic.

Though it has grown out of the notorious reputation of "nairobbery" earned in the 1990s due to escalation of brazen crimes, the city can be intimidating for first-time visitors given the crowded downtown areas and poorly lit streets at night in some areas.

That is why Nairobi requires an administrator who is corruption-free and who has the energy, brilliance, and an innovative mind to steer the city to better times.

This coming August, Nairobians will have a chance to elect a new Governor after five years of dismal performance by the highly-rated Evans Kidero. This outgoing election circle has been a disaster for city residents who expected much more in terms of results from the hitherto well-respected professional manager. Instead of progress, they got a

lackluster performance interspersed with misuse of office and graft.

This year, city dwellers will have an opportunity to chose among eight candidates who have declared interest in the seat.

Unfortunately, more than half of those candidates are unfit to occupy the high office at the City Hall. They are either educationally unqualified, morally deficient or notoriously corrupt, with at least one of them suspected to be a big-time drug dealer.

In my opinion, only two candidates fit the bill and both of them bear the name Kenneth. One is the former Speaker of the National Assembly, a lawyer, who commands the respect of Kenyans for the manner he spearheaded debates in Parliament. He is clean, stridently commanding, and genuinely patriotic.

The other is a professional banker and former Member of Parliament who - like Yours Truly - won accolades for being the best manager of the Constituency Development Fund. When he was chairman of the Kenya Football Federation, this Kenneth was known to be strict but fair and his management skills were unparalleled.

Unfortunately, the contest for the Nairobi governorship has been narrowed down to a game of political preferences. Nairobi is too important (Gross National Income per capita 1,160USD)and too big (4.3 million daylight population)to be left to a buffoon just because he or she belongs to a particular party.

In the case of Nairobi, politics should be swept aside and merit should prevail. Anything less is deprecating.

And that is my say.

KENYAN DOCTORS DESERVE BETTER TREATMENT

For objectivity let me declare my interest in this discussion.

My daughter is a medical doctor practicing in the United States. She is among hundreds of physicians and nurses from Kenya who have decided to advance their careers overseas.

I know at least five Kenyan medical practitioners in my small circle of acquaintances working in different disciplines of medicine. Multiply that number many times and in many countries in the Diaspora and the number of qualified Kenyan physicians rendering services abroad could be in thousands.

That is what Kenya is missing. And that is what Africa is losing as the brain drain continues to bite the continent due to varied reasons ranging from poor remuneration to bad politics, to bureaucracies, that fail to appreciate the pivotal role of medical practitioners in the day to day life of citizens.

For the past six weeks, there has been a complete shut-down of government medical facilities in Kenya due to a strike by doctors who are demanding better working conditions. During that period, dozens of people have died and many are quietly wasting away at home for lack of medical care.

Kenyan doctors are not demanding the moon, but are asking for a pay structure that is reasonable and is commensurate with their training and skills.

And this is not a new struggle by Kenyan doctors. They have been striking intermittently for years for similar reasons. Every time, the government promises but fails to deliver while salaries for politicians and other government officials continue to climb insanely.

Compared to doctors in many countries, Kenyan medical practitioners are the poorest paid. They earn between 80,000 to 120,000 shillings a month, an equivalent of 8,000 to 12,000 USD.

In the US, employers begin scouting for doctors during their second year in medical school. The demand for young doctors is so high that employers are prepared to pay well above 1m shillings per a sign-up, and well in advance of graduation. They sign a contract and the money is theirs. Once on the job, their salary starts at 135,000 USD per month and continues upwards depending on the discipline.

What Kenyan doctors are demanding is a 300% increase over their meager pay which would bring them within the salary range of their counterparts in equally developed African countries. Instead, the government is offering them a 100% increase which the doctors have declined, and for genuine reasons.

Instead of approaching this critical matter with

urgency and equanimity, the government has chosen threats of dismissals and incarceration of union leaders, tactics that are as archaic as they are perfunctory.

Replacing a medical doctor is not as easy as replacing a politician in a by-election. Many years of training and practice make this cadre of professionals particularly difficult to substitute. So, instead of issuing dismissal threats, officials should sit down and seriously negotiate with the strikers.

The sooner that is done the better because Kenyans are suffering.

Doctors and nurses especially those posted to rural areas work under difficult conditions. Drugs are often in short supply and equipment is either dysfunctional or nonexistent. Their living quarters are generally unsuitable for health professionals.

It is unfortunate the government would rather have them drift away and work abroad than pay them what they rightly deserve.

This is an election year and by failing to sort out the mess the ruling Jubilee government is not only frustrating doctors but short-changing the taxpayers.

And that is my say.

REGARDLESS OF THE SYSTEM, KENYAN ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED, SO HELP US GOD

With less than eight months to go before Kenyans go to the polls, the usual disconcerting gerrymandering, brazen jockeying, and malevolent schemes aimed at manipulating the results are already at play, setting the stage for what could the bitterest and rockiest general elections ever.

From the controversy over whether the electoral system should include back-up manual systems in case of an electronic system failure, to frivolous arguments over the selection of members of the electoral commission, to a display of pique and chest-thumping by some egoistic politicians, the script for trouble is being written in red that could make the 2007/2008 post election violence look like a children's picnic jamboree.

What our pugnacious leaders do not get is that they are adding salt to the stumble. The embers of tribalism are already there and only need to be ignited by one careless move. The country is stridently divided almost in the middle, and our leaders' unrelenting venomous spiel is only worsening the situation.

My experience in the last elections tell me poll rigging will take place before, during, and after voting, regardless of which system of vote tabulation is used. Election officials will be corrupted, police monitors will be manipulated, and individual politicians will use all manner of ways to fiddle with the systems in order to win.

There is far too much at stake here. Kenyan politicians are some of the highest paid human beings in the world. To be a governor, an MP, a Senator or a simple member of the county assembly is to be above the pale. It is the fastest way of amassing wealth. From that pedestal, one enjoys unlimited opportunities to engage in corruption and other misdeeds, and is instantly propelled into the upper echelons of society.

That is why there is so much acrimony over the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill which seeks to permit manual backup in the identification and transmission of election results in case of a breakdown in the electronic platform; why there is so much evisceration of character among political players; why there is so much controversy on the selection of the electoral commissioners; and why there is even talk of postponing the scheduled August polls.

The bottom line is, Uhuru Kenyatta does not want to be a one-term president - the first in the country's history. That is why he is fighting tooth and nail to retain his cushy position. He will do everything to remain in power wapende au wasipende, whether anyone likes it or not.

Conversely, the opposition see this as the only chance to upend the status quo. Defeat in this election could lead to adverse repercussions in 2022 given the fast changing tribal demographics. Raila Odinga or whoever will be the opposition flag-bearer must look back to the 2002 elections when anti-Moi forces coalesced around Mwai Kibaki as a block and won convincingly against Uhuru Kenyatta, his chosen heir.

They must fish out the strategic notes that resulted in the Kibaki victory, dust them up, and embrace the old adage: umoja ni nguvu, unity is strength. This is pivotal. I am glad opposition leaders are currently engaged in discussions to find the best candidate to take up the incumbent.

So far, only two tribes in a country of 43 communities have occupied the presidency since independence. There is a need to untangle that dual domination. And that can only be achieved through a display of mature leadership within the ranks of the opposition and not extirpated dissent and repulsive posturing embodied in street protests.

And that is my say.

ARE YOU A PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATE FOR AN ELECTIVE OFFICE IN THIS YEAR'S KENYA ELECTIONS. DON'T PLUNGE IN BEFORE READING THE POLITICS OF BETRAYAL. LEARN ABOUT THE SHENANIGANS, INTRIGUES AND BETRAYALS IN THE KENYAN BODY POLITIC. STAY AHEAD WITH KNOWLEDGE AND AVOID PITFALLS THAT COULD DERAIL YOUR AMBITION. GET A COPY FROM YOUR BOOKSHOP OR ENQUIRE AT O711114443. GOOD LUCK.