Africa | Politics

A Lament to the Electoral Commission of Kenya

Arjen Westra, a friend of mine from my days in Kenya, has reproduced an open letter he received for Samuel Kivuitu, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya. To say that the letter is eloquent, would be to do it injustice, for it is more a cry of pain an anguish at being deceived and robbed of a free and fair election. Or as the letter concludes itself, it:

…isn’t really a letter to you at all. This is an attempt to put words to what cannot be expressed in words. To mourn what is too immense to mourn. A clumsy groping for something beyond the word ‘heartbreak’. A futile attempt to communicate what can only be lived, moment by moment. This is a howl of anguish and rage. This is a love letter to a nation. This is a long low keening for my country.

The post is worth reading in its entirety, not only for it is emotive. But it also puts things into perspective and provides so much detail that is missing from BBC, CNN, and the other news channels. For instance, did you know that:

• When the election results were being announced, and “it became clear that you were announcing vote tallies that differed from those counted and confirmed in the constituencies, there was a sudden power blackout at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, where the returns were being announced. Hundreds of GSU (General Service Unit) paramilitaries suddenly marched in” and evicted the media.
• “Fifteen minutes later, we watched, dumbfounded, as you declared Kibaki the winner. 30 minutes later, we watched in sickened disbelief and outrage, as you handed the announcement to Kibaki on the lawns of State House. Where the Chief Justice, strangely enough, had already arrived. Was waiting, fully robed, to hurriedly swear him in.”

So, what happened to the Election Commissioner? He resigned soon after, stating as he left that he “cannot state with certainty that Kibaki won the election.” Really? If the EC doesn’t know, who will? And if he wasn’t certain, how could he announce the results?

Interestingly enough, it would appear that the Kenya Chapter of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is rescinding the Jurist of the Year award given to Mr. Kivuitu. And the Law Society of Kenya is strikeing him from their Roll of Honour. Clearly, not signs that he did his job well.

© 2008 The Discomfort Zone.