From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:KENYA: POLITICAL VIOLENCE MARS NOMINATIONS
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 17:49:36 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: KENYA: POLITICAL VIOLENCE MARS NOMINATIONS


an inter press service feature

by horace awori

nairobi, dec 11 (ips) -- opposition parties here have slammed
the ruling kenya african national union (kanu), for the
countrywide violence and intimidation that marred wednesday's
nomination of candidates for the dec. 29 poll.

the aftermath of the nomination exercise has been dogged by
concordant reports of incidents of abduction and assault of
candidates, snatching of nomination papers and barring the press
from proceedings.

twelve people were shot at and wounded by kenyan police in
various parts of the country as violence erupted between
supporters of kanu and opposition parties while 100 others were
injured in inter-party clashes.

reacting to the violence, presidential aspirant, kenneth
matiba of the forum for the restoration of democracy
(ford-asili) party cancelled his tour of two districts in
central province, saying he could not carry on with the campaign
tour as if nothing had happened.

''if one ford asili member is hurt, i am hurt. if there is a
problem affecting even one member in meru or kisumu, that
problem touches me. it should touch all of you'', said matiba.

other opposition leaders such as mwai kibaki of the
democratic party (dp) and oginga odinga of the forum for the
restoration of democracy (ford-kenya), also condemned the
violence saying they would not allow kanu to spread dirt on
their parties or the election process.

the opposition parties are resentful that kanu has been able
to get a head start with 13 members of parliament unopposed
because other ethnic groups were intimidated from contesting
seats in the rift valley province, inhabited mostly by president
daniel arap moi's kalenjin people.

the 13 seats that went to kanu unopposed were in moi's home
district of baringo (four seats), and others were in elgeyo
marakwet district where the influential former energy minister,
nicholas biwott, also ensured no opposition got in a toehold.

in one classic incident of intimidation by kanu, a candidate
of ford asili, micheal namdiero, was abducted a night before the
nomination at a roadblock set up by the kanu 'youth 92'
organisation and detained until well after wednesday's one
o'clock nomination deadline. (more/ips)


kenya: political (2)

other ford asili candidates such as joseph njuguna who was
pitched against moi in baringo north constituency, john gakuo
for baringo east and abbas kipruto for baringo south were
allegedly abducted at a road block mounted by 'operation moi
wins' at six o'clock on nomination day and released half an hour
after the nomination deadline.

''the above names are only a few out of many candidates who
were denied the opportunity to present their nomination papers.
we appeal to the electoral commission to nullify the declaration
by concerned returning officers to the effect that in those
areas some candidates were unopposed'', said matiba.

but whether the electoral commission will do anything about
this appeal is doubtful given the many skewered decisions it has
hitherto taken in favour of kanu.

in fact, commission chairman zaecheaus chesoni, told ips that
the law does not give him power to nullify the actions of the
returning officers. he also made a belated appeal to candidates
to stop such trickery and machinations against one another.

the dp also suffered a number of casualties at the hands of
kanu stalwarts. henry cheboiwo, dp candidate for baringo north
was beaten up on his way to the nomination centre while his
colleague ben sadalla was intercepted before he reached the
eldama ravine nomination centre in baringo district.

but perhaps the most daring of the intimidation exercises
was that perpetrated on eliud longacha, the dp candidate for
turkana south constituency who had his briefcase snatched by a
plain clothes policeman as he prepared to hand in his nomination
papers.

a scuffle ensued between the policeman and dp supporters. an
eyewitness later told the press that ''the whole exercise was
like an organised operation. i could not believe it. it was like
watching a film''.

but a film it was not and longacha lost his bid to contest
the seat, the kanu candidate going in unopposed.

''it was incidents like these that incensed the supporters of
the opposition party'', said an official of the national council
of churches of kenya.

''the violence at this nomination does not surprise me at
all. under the one party system, we had even worse cases of
intimidation and violence'', said dr henry keya of the
university of nairobi.

however, he said the presence of observers and the awareness
that internal monitors are already recording incidents, has
helped to limit the violence. (end/ips/ha/tvh/92)

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