Press Statement on the “10 at 10” of ODM/CORD event this Weekend in Mombasa (07.09.2016)

hassan-ali-joho-07092016

Further to an announcement by the ODM Deputy Party Leader, H. E Hassan Ali Joho, regarding our “10 At 10” celebration scheduled for this Saturday, my directorate wishes to alert our members and by extension the nation at large of our arrangements for the extravaganza.

Tomorrow, the Deputy Party Leader will have an event to flag off 47 ODM branded buses from Mombasa to each of the forty seven counties of the republic. These buses will provide transport to party delegates from all over Kenya to participate in our jamboree.

Moreover, out of their deep belief in the cause, several party supporters have donated personal vehicles totaling 823 in number nationally which will converge in Mombasa. These vehicles will be branded to comb the entire country mobilizing and rallying the people around our 2017 agenda.

Upon the arrival of the Party Leader on Friday, there will be a series of roadshows as what is expected to be thousands of delegates from all over Kenya will assemble to welcome him to the county of ODM’s birth.

Later that Friday evening, the Deputy Party Leader shall host a private reception in honor of the Rt. Hon Raila Odinga and Mama Ida where 450 MCAs, 110 MPs, 18 Senators and at least 10 Governors have confirmed attendance over and above the delegates from all over Kenya. A team of expert bakers have been tasked to prepare a giant cake for guests to commemorate the event.

On Saturday, we will hold a grand convention of the party where a ground-shaking political announcement shall be made. In the evening, there shall be a celebratory procession on Mama Ngina drive where international award-winning music artist Diamond will jet in from the US to entertain guests in what is billed to be an evening to remember not just for Mombasa but Kenyans at large. The night will conclude with a dramatic fireworks display that promises to leave Kenyans breathless. All aspirants for all positions including MCAs, MPs, Senators and Governors are invited to attend

CORD coalition welcomes the Electrol Bill awaiting presidential assent (Youtube-Clip)

“The opposition CORD coalition has welcomed the move by members of parliament to pass the elections amendment bill 2016 without any amendments hence barring any politicians from party hopping after party primaries. CORD co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula have put their members on notice to make a decision on whether they will stick to CORD or join other political parties before the party primaries. The bill now awaits the president’s assent” (KTN News, 2016).

Devolution CS Kiunjuri tells Cord leader to accept poll 2017 results (Youtube-Clip)

“Devolution cabinet Secretary and Nominated MP Sarah Lekorere asked Cord Leader Raila Odinga to concede defeat if his party is beaten in the 2017 General elections. Speaking in Laikipia the duo maintained that Odinga had already supported the new law barring MPs or political leaders from party hoping and indeed if he meant it, then he should do the same if defeated during the opposition nominations as well as during the general elections” (Kenya NTV, 2016)

Wetangula dismisses push for Mudavadi candidacy (Youtube-Clip)

“Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula has distanced himself from reports that negotiations were underway to ensure that the western region come up with one presidential flag bearer. Wetangula says presidential candidates from western Kenya do not need a mediator to unite them, adding that Luhya unity alone will not guarantee a win in the elections. He spoke in Vihiga County when he paid the governor a courtesy call and later joined African Divai Church faithful at their annual conference” (NTV Kenya, 2016)

Wetangula, Mudavadi seeks to solidify support among western Kenya voters (Youtube-Clip)

“Western Kenya has been keen on getting its share of the pie in as far as occupancy at state house is concerned…and keen to fly that flag from the region drawing the interests of Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula and anc Leader Musalia Mudavadi…however reports of cord wooing Mudavadi into the fold appears to have sent Wetangula, himself a co-principal, into panic…while insiders told Citizen Tv the talks are infact near completion, Wetangula would dismiss such reports…instead, urging Mudavadi to back his bid…but leaders from the area hold a different view—calling upon them to join hands and work together instead of against each other” (Kenya Citizen TV, 2016)

Odinga endorses recommendations of Joint Parliamentary Select Committee (Youtube-Clip)

“Cord leader Raila Odinga has welcomed the joint parliamentary select committee’s recommendations, terming them the beginning of a journey to a free and fair poll next year, whose outcome will reflect the wishes of the electorate. Odinga has however proposed that president Uhuru Kenyatta consults with him in the nomination of new IEBC commissioners, just like he was involved in the appointment of the outgoing electoral body bosses, by former president Mwai Kibaki in the grand coalition government” (Kenya Citizen TV, 2016)

Hon. Junet Mohamed statement: “While we see no need to chest-thump as the CORD negotiating team on IEBC reforms, CORD has achieved what we know” (16.08.2016)

Junet Mohamed

While we see no need to chest-thump as the CORD negotiating team on IEBC reforms, CORD has achieved what we know is critical to delivering a free, fair and peaceful polls next year.

One; what Jubilee intransigence throughout this process has revealed to us is that the much hyped ‘numbers’ by Jubilee are nonexistent. The fear to have a credible electoral institution by Jubilee tells it all.

Having said that; our team has achieved one critical objective that we set to achieve which was, foremost, to have the current crop of IEBC commissioners to go.

We’ve also reduced the number from nine to seven and delineated their roles from those of the secretariat.

We’ve set modalities for getting a new set of commissioners in the most rigorous manner possible which, in our human estimation, should guarantee utmost credibility.

There are finer details to this that we’ll share in coming days.

My experience with Kenya’s democracy project so far is that it is work in progress. Today we give this, tomorrow we get that. It is give-and-take. And while often we wished we had all; that isn’t how it works in reality.

Two; the voter register will be forensically audited. While Jubilee and current IEBC didn’t want anything done on the voter register, and we were adamant the register had to be expunged and a new one instituted; the middle ground was to audit it and should there be ‘multitude of ghosts’ in it; that will automatically lead to a new one.

Three; from next year the country will go for electronic voting. This goes to voter identification, registration, ballot casting, votes transmission and and tallying. Should this system collapse, there shall be no reverting to manual: the election shall be repeated.

Four; we have anchored it in law that IEBC must provide, within 48hrs, all documents it used to declare any candidate a winner. Many of you who followed 2013 presidential petition knows why this is significant.

Finally, there are finer details of what our side has achieved which cannot be reduced to A FACEBOOK post – much as I wished I could – but I felt it was important to clarify that CORD has achieved much, much more; though not all.

In the end; the only way to get jubilee out of power is to VOTE them out of power. This is the next stage.

Mudavadi plans to join Cord as Wetangula promises Raila a run for his money (Youtube-Clip)

ODM MPs claim Jubilee is taking Kenya back to single party era (Youtube-Clip)

“A section of ODM members of parliament have dismissed the new jubilee party as an attempt to roll back the gains made since multi-party democracy was re-introduced in 1991. Led by Siaya Senator James Orengo, the mps alleged that President Uhuru Kenyatta is out to stifle democracy by presiding over the dissolution of more than 10 parties to form the jubilee party. And in Nairobi, another group of Odm mps have asked co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula to support Raila Odinga’s presidential bid next year” (Kenya Citizen TV, 2016)

Opinion: Kenyatta goes after CORD claiming they trade insults instead of policies; maybe he ought to show his own achievements in office!

Kenyatta Aug 2016

“Policy not to compete with insults. Kenyans can shipyard insults” – Uhuru Kenyatta

As Uhuru Kenyatta the current Kenyan President dropped this tweet with fire-power as a direct answer to the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD). Kenyatta goes against the alliance on the opposition. The Jubilee who are next month becoming one party, the Jubilee Party. Instead of the 12 parties it where in the recent elections. The Jubilee will be one big party under Kenyatta and Ruto.

Kenyatta goes after ODM Hon. Raila Odinga, FORD-Kenya Hon. Moses Wetan’gula and Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) Kenya Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka as he wants to say they trade insults instead of moving Kenya forward. Well, the CORD are asking for another way forward.

If Uhuru Kenyatta we’re serious about insults of his opposition, than he should look into the words of his running mate and Deputy William Ruto. He has been saying this on national broadcast himself about his opponents without any consideration:

“What we are doing to the country today in these street engagements is not different with what the Al- Shabaab  is doing to us” (…) “What the Al-Shabaab want is to instill fear in Kenyans, they want to sabotage our, they want to create an impression that the country is unsafe and you cannot do business.  CORD is doing exactly the same thing with their weekly street battles,” (News24.co.ke, 08.06.2016).

So that Kenyatta speaks about policies are more important why they stifled the Referendum of the constitution (OKOA) to get a free and fair election in 2017. After all the demonstrations and police brutality had to happen before the Jubilee sat down to discuss the matters of the corrupt and insubordinate Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that needed to be change. The IEBC board will change, but hopefully the deemed new leadership gives credence to certain procedure and righteous behaviour that the Kenyan citizens can trust.

Uhuru Kenyatta has to think of his own men and woman that are on the Jubilee tickets not only the Opposition. As the CS Interior Joseph Nkaissery attacks all other for “hate-speech” but doesn’t consider how the Ruling Regime are discussing their opposition. That is combined together doesn’t show the progress of a ruling party as the Jubilee. The Jubilee should show what their so-called policies have done. Instead they are addressing the opposition.

Together with the hate-speech Members of Parliament that we’re arrested for their words like Moses Kuria, Ferdinand Waititu and the others who have spoken out of terms for their political gain. So the Jubilee and CORD work out for them as the heated discussions and the reality of the political landscape for General Election 2017.

But the President should expose his policies instead of directly attacking his opposition as a real competitor and a real politician that wants to be elected for his second term. But his PR Games from the State House of late haven’t made him look smart or the next in line. Instead of doing so he is directly going into the fire without the needed plan to extinguish the fire. Therefore the common sense isn’t common; the sense of Kenyatta isn’t common. Apparently the policies are in the background as the other subjects are keys to keeping the mantle and leadership from 2017. Peace.