General elections set for 27 December

Kenya's 10.4 million voters will go to the polls on 27 December 2002 to elect a new president, parliament and civil leadership, a senior election official announced on Tuesday. The elections are expected to mark the end of the 24-year rule of President Daniel arap Moi, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term. Announcing the polling date, Samuel Kivuitu, the chairman of the 22-member Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) told journalists in Nairobi that his office was in the process of making important preparations, to ensure voting took place in a peaceful and fair manner. He urged Kenyans to shun violent activities during the elections and to reject candidates who advocated violence. "This year's elections are likely to be highly competitive," Kivuitu said. "The ECK appeals to the candidates and their campaigners to preach non-violence in all their public meetings and utterances, and to publicly disown violent groups, whose identities are known to all Kenyans," he added. So far, Kivuitu said, the ECK had embarked on the process of carrying out reviews of constituencies and polling stations countrywide, and revision of the voters' registers in preparation for the elections, which, overall, are expected to cost the equivalent of US $58.2 million dollars. The commission is also in the process of procuring electoral materials by public tender, recruiting and training electoral officials, and arranging transport for the officials and materials to the constituencies. "Preparations are continuing until the elections are held," Kivuitu said. However, unlike in previous elections, when votes were counted at centres designated for the purpose, this year's vote counting will be done at polling stations. Also for the first time, voters who needed assistance in casting their votes would be allowed to choose people who could assist them, Kivuitu said. Moreover, voters would be allowed to indicate their choice of candidate using any mark on the ballot card, unlike previously when only the X mark was accepted. The polling date announcement comes against the backdrop of a constitutional crisis, which has resulted in a standoff between the government on the one hand and the opposition, lawyers, and other interest groups on the other. Moi on 25 October, much earlier than expected, dissolved the country's parliament to pave the way for the elections. He also announced that he was dissolving the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC), the team established in 2001 by an Act of Parliament to write a new draft constitution to replace the country's old constitution, which has been in existence since independence in 1963. Critics view Moi's early move to dissolve parliament and the CKRC as a means of scuttling the constitutional review process, which had so far cost the country about US $5.06 million. Moi said a new constitutional review team, which would "not be led by a foreigner", would be appointed when a new government came to power, the independent 'Daily Nation' newspaper reported on Monday. Moi was referring to Yash Pal Ghai, the chairman of constitutional review team, who is a Kenyan of Asian origin. However, the team has vowed to press ahead with its mandate despite the presidential order. "As far as we are concerned, the commission was constituted by an Act of Parliament, and no-one has powers to dissolve it except parliament," the 'Daily Nation' quoted Ghai as saying.