Okiya Omtatah’s proposal was far better than BBI but then again, Baba is always right ! ama vipi?

By Cyprian Nyamwamu via FB

BBI has not addressed the core problem it was formed to deal with. Okiya Omtatah Okoiti provided the solution in 2017 October before the repeat fresh presidential election. He said that what we need is to retain all the 290 constituencies and give 10 points or votes for each.
If The ODM Presidential candidate gets 27,000 votes in Bomachoge Chache and the Jubilee one gets 14,000, then the ODM candidate takes the 10 votes… so that the winner must get at least 50% + 1 vote of 2,900.. which is at least 1451 votes.

This method Omtatah explains will move the nonsense from Bomas or so called national tallying center to the 290 Constituencies where rigging will be near impossible. Why? Because, The parliamentary candidates total votes cast must be exact with those of presidential candidates tally cast in that constituency. If Maragua constituency has 58,000 registered and the three parliamentary candidates receive 24,000, 17,000 and 15,000 totalling 56,000.. the presidential candidates tally must exactly 56,000 inclusive of rejected, spoilt etc ballots. From 2007 we learnt that parliamentary candidates are the ones who watch over and protect their vote the most.. and there is no voter who is given only presidential ballots and not the others as we heard at the Supreme Court in 2017.. we shall have a verified tally and any manipulation will be evident immediately.

The most important process will become the selection and vetting of the 290 constituency Returning Officers and not the IEBC Commissioners. The ROs will be held responsible if anything goes wrong in their constituencies. See the Magna Kiai case of 2007. Each polling center will be scrutinised vikali sana.

Thirdly, this will build national cohesion where the pastoralist areas will be taken seriously and Mutahi Ngunyi’s tyranny of numbers will be destroyed forever. Our democracy will cease to be ethnic and become value based. Violence and maandamano will be irrelevant. The Supreme Court and the Judiciary will become respected players. Integrity will become the Hallmark of of our elections. We will start to print ballots here in Kenya with few security features. The cost of elections will comedown. The culture of transparency and responsibility will take root.

Watu hawatapigana tena. Every president, party or group will treat all Kenyans seriously because not doing so will be asking for political punishment, and will demand that a Party or Presidential candidate who disrespects certain groups and wants to rig will need to deploy criminals in atleast 150 constituencies to rig for him or her unlike under the current centralised manipulation business through IEBC national Commissioners and staff. Where the presidential turn out us always 2 million votes more than the other races.

The fifth dividend is that this craze for producing more children so that you have increased votes will no longer be necessary. Whether you are a 200,000 in a consituency or more in future, your 10 votes will be ten votes.

I can go on and on. This is how we rig-proof our elections and end the political shocks that hurt our elections every five years leading to big and catastrophic risks to our economy, security, cohesion, governance , wellbeing and progress.
There are better ideas in Kenya that were rejected entirely by the Task force. You cannot dismiss us simply because we were born years after the current guys, because we have not formed political parties and because we do not have money to host rallies.

We must hold a National Constitutional Conference of delegates from each interest group; all senators and reps of parties; delegates representing nurses, doctors, teachers, farmers, pastoralists, religious institutions/faiths, women’s and youth movements, Persons living with Disabilities ( who have some of the most brilliant ideas), Senior citizens, political parties, students, trade unionists, professionals associations like LSK, reps of the Judiciary, the CoG, reps of MCAs, etc.

Such a Constitutional Conference should run for a month under the Chairmanship of a person the Conference votes for. Because The President and former PM are interested parties and not neutralfacilitators. The BBI Constitutional proposals should be presented to the Conference for consideration and as the basic document for reference.
Do not rush us into destroying our 2010 Constitution with partisan, personal and destructive agendas.