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It was a historic moment as Kenyans from all walks of life came out in multitudes to cast their votes on the all too important document; the proposed constitution of Kenya.As early as 5.00 am, Nairobi citizens braved the cold weather to exercise their democratic right in deciding the destiny of the now and future generations.
Most polling centres within the city were characterized by long queues as people waited patiently for their turn to cast the vote.
The referendum vote 2010 was symbolized by the red and green colours. The Green (YES) camp headed by the President H.E Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga against the Red Camp (NO) whose de- facto leader is Eldoret north M.P and Minister for Higher Education Hon.William Ruto, backed by a wide section of religious leaders and retired President Daniel T. Moi.
In retrospect, the road to a new constitution was long and winding with great challenges along the way. Reminiscent is the 2005 referendum vote that was rejected by a majority of Kenyans that saw Prime minister Raila triumph in the(NO) Orange Camp with then political allies in the ODM movement including William Ruto. Whereas the ruling president Mwai Kibaki led the (YES) Banana camp with close political allies including Energy Minister Hon. Kiraitu Murungi.
In the run up to August 4th referendum, the two opposing camps organized major campaign rallies to drum up support form the people of Kenya and as they traversed towns across the country, opinion polls conducted by research firms forecast a green vote for the referendum.
Security was beefed up across the country especially hot spot areas to avoid a repeat of the 2007-2008 election violence that cast a dark shadow on Kenya’s democracy. No major incidents of insecurity were reported across the country which demonstrates our ability to uphold peace and respect the opinion of others. The media played a great role in emphasizing the need for maintaining peace regardless of the outcome a call that Kenyans heeded diligently.
However, the polling process was dotted by a few hitches especially in Embakasi constituency where voters complained of delays and their names missing in the official registers despite having confirmed earlier.
The polling station of concern was Donholm primary school where despite having arrived at cock’s crow, voters were disappointed to find their names missing in the registers and others were being referred form one station to another. The IIEC in swift action remedied the situation and voting was restored back to normal. The embracing of ICT in vote tallying by the IIEC was a commendable effort that dealt with major delays in tabulation as witnessed in the past.
As Kenyan’s embark on a new chapter, there is a renewed sense of optimism that the new constitution will charter a way forward to the Kenya we want. A Kenya that upholds Human Rights, that seeks to see the equitable distribution of resources and reigns of power reach the citizens at the grass root level. View Gallery
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