ODM National Elections Board Warns on Fake Nomination Certificates

The National Elections Board of the ODM is cautioning party aspirants and members of the public against falling prey to 'conmen' whom it says have been duplicating/scanning signatures of the Board Chairman Mr. Franklin Bett, Secretary to the Board Mrs. Judith Pareno and the ODM Executive Director Ms. Janet Ong'era who are the official signatories to the nomination certificates.

The Board Chairman Mr. Bett says the persons involved in he syndicate have been printing and issuing the certificates to people whose names may not be on the list presented to IEBC at a fee.

"I wish to make it clear that the ODM certificate shall only be issued to winners and at no cost at all" said the Chairman.

Mr. Bett urged the aspirants not to be overly anxious as the board was working on mechanisms to produce authentic documents to the aspirants which cannot be duplicated by anyone.

"I urge our beloved aspirants to to be patient. We shall work round the clock to ensure that the winners are issued with their certificates on time before the IEBC deadline of the 29th of January 2013" added Mr. Bett.

He said certificates issued should bear his original signature and those of the two other signatories and that no one should accept a certificate bearing a signature which is scanned or duplicated.

Mr. Bett said he has given the names of the persons suspected to be behind the syndicate to the police for investigations and possible arrests.

He urged party supporters to remain calm and maintain the discipline that ODM is known for as the matter if sorted out.

Mr. Bett also announced that the list of all the aspirants will be made public before day break.

Elections 2013: Oburu and Ruth Odinga Step Down

 By Salim Lone

Addressing the media last night as he stepped out from the Siaya governor’s race, Dr. Oburu Oginga recounted last night how he had won his Bondo Parliamentary seat four times in a row. Seated next to ODM National Election Board chairman Franklin Bett, he said “none of those times was I related to a powerful government figure, nor was there any violence in those elections. Now all these accusations are flying around that Raila the Prime Minister rigged me in, and I used violence. Raila’s opponents within government organised the disruption and violence to undermine his standing, and mine. It seems it was a crime to be born Raila’s older brother now.” He was not challenging the ODM decision.

 

A few earlier, his sister Ruth Adhiambo Odinga had spoken to the media in a very moving statement, delivered in the most heart-felt and simple way, with tears brimming in her eyes. She said she had received no help whatsoever from her brother Raila in the campaign, and was stepping down from the Kisumu Governor’s race for the sake of peace in the country and Kisumu.

Yesterday the Odinga family was once again once showing how willing it is to keep the country’s interests centre-stage in their political struggle for change, a trait that dates to Jaramogi’s campaign to put Jomo Kenyatta first. A big chunk of the credit for Oburu’s and Ruth’s decisions of course goes to Raila, for whom this was an intensely personal and familial challenge. It’s not for the first time he’s made or influenced decisions like this.

In 2002 with Kibaki Tosha, Raila unified the country against dictatorship and energized the democratic movement’s first sweep to power after 40 years of struggle. He similarly unified Kenyans in 2005 (the first constitutional referendum), in 2008 by giving up his claim to the Presidency and accepted the junior role in the Coalition, and then of course in 2010, as the true author of our new constitution.

Such sacrifice and attributes – including the capacity to balance personal ambition and national interest - are the stuff of which great leaders are made.

CORD Principals Due for Inaugural Western and North Rift Tours

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) has lined up a number of activities that run from today, Thursday, January 10, 2013 through Sunday, January 13, 2013, in Central, Western and North Rift provinces, aimed at boosting Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s presidential bid. 

On Friday, January 11, 2013, Rt. Hon. Odinga will lead co-CORD principals, Vice President Hon Kalonzo Musyoka and Hon Moses Wetangula, on a visit to Kakamega, to be climaxed by a major rally at the Muliro Gardens.

The Principals will then proceed to Kitale on Saturday, January 12, 2013, for a major rally at the Kenyatta Stadium, besides a number of other scheduled activities.

The three CORD leaders will wind-up their tour of the two regions with a visit to Bungoma on Sunday, January 13, 2012, where apart from other scheduled activities in the area, will address a major rally at the Posta Grounds.

Their visit will be preceded by a CORD Caravan set to traverse the areas to popularize the PM’s presidential bid and the alliance. 

Official Release by the Raila for President Secretariat

Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat Restructured

The Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat has been restructured to incorporate interests of partners in the CORD Coalition, enhance synergy and deliver victory for Kenya.
 
Mr. Andrew Mwavwa, who has been Head of Strategy in the Kalonzo Musyoka for President Secretariat, now becomes the Deputy Head of the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat while Mr. Ken Wanyama, who has been a member of the Moses Wetangula Presidential Campaign Secretariat becomes the Director in Charge of Strategic Alliances and Partnerships in the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat
 
Mr Eliud Owalo retains the position of Chief Campaign Manager and Head of the restructured Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat. Others are Mr. Ngunjiri Wambugu (Director, Political Affairs), Dr. Lang’at Kipkurui Lang’at (Director, Field Operations), Mr. Oduor Ong’wen (Director of Strategy, Policy and Research), Ms Rosemary Kariuki (Political Mobilisation), Mr. Wafula Buke (Field Manager), Dr Josephine Wandago (Women Affairs) and Mr. David Osiany (Youth Affairs).
 
These changes, which have been sanctioned by the three CORD principals and the CORD Executive Board, take effect immediately.
 
DATED AT NAIROBI THIS MONDAY THE 7TH DAY OF JANUARY 2013
ELIUD OWALO
CHIEF CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND HEAD OF THE RAILA ODINGA PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SECRETARIAT

Raila Odinga's Campaign Songs Released

A Special Message from the Prime Minister

My Fellow Kenyans,

As you are aware, we are at the final stages of voter registration. We seem to be lagging behind and this is a matter of great concern because our victory, especially at the local level where we need to deliver the promise of devolved governments, depends on our supporters having enough votes to elect our coalition candidates into office. 

I therefore urge you to dedicate the remaining period of voter registration to active mobilisation of all our supporters, including conducting door-to-door visits, to ensure that every one is registered as a voter.
 

Yours Sincerely,  

Raila Amolo Odinga 

Prime Minister & ODM Party Leader

Watch: Arnold is Registered To Vote : Arnold is READY

Get Ready - Get Registered. Join Arnold make a stand by registering to vote for a new Kenya under the new constitution. R u Ready?

Popular ODM "Tuko Tayari" Voter Registration Roadshows Set for Nyanza

Lets all make a difference. Your vote, your right to good governance.

The next three days we shall be in Nyanza. 

The following is the Route Map.

Friday 14th
Sondu – Oyugis – Kisii – Suneka – Asumbi – Rangwe – Ndiru – Olare – Homabay – Rodi – Ndhiwa – Rongo – Migori

Saturday 15th
Isebania – Migori – Awendo – Rongo – Mbita – Waondo – Kendubay – Katito – Ahero – Kisumu.

Sunday 16th
Kisian – Kombewa – Bondo – Siaya – Ugunja – Yala – Luanda – Kisumu — in Kisumo, Nyanza.

ODM Plans Voter Registration Roadshow For City, As Prime Minister Sends Out Appeal

The ODM will be holding a Caravan Roadshow in Nairobi on Wednesday 12th December 2012 in a bid to drive up voter registration. 

Route details and timetable are on the image below. 

ODM strongly urges all of you to go out and register and mobilize others as well. We have  seven days left only go out and register.

On his part, Prime Minister Raila Odinga sent out an appeal to his fellow Kenyans to register as voters to help shape the destiny of our country.

"Whether you are in ODM, TNA,URP, Narc, Wiper or whichever party, I urge all eligible Kenyans to register and vote".

"I also urge my fellow presidential candidates to ask their supporters to register and remind them that every Kenyan has a right take part in the historic polls."

Transcript of Prime Minister Raila Odinga's NDC Acceptance Speech of ODM Presidential Nominations

"Once again, I am both humbled and overjoyed to be here with you today as the leader of our great political party, ODM Chungwa!

Today, we remember how buoyed with hope we were at this time in 2007, when we as a party knew we were about to take over the leadership of this country.

All the blessings and good intentions of our ODM manifesto lay, as they do today,

brimming over in our basket, ready to be delivered to the people.

But sadly it was not to be. We were denied our victory, and denied our opportunity to make a real difference to this country.

Now, however, we have another chance.

And I want to reassure everyone, here at Kasarani, in Kenya and around the world, that this election will be free, fair and peaceful. In fact, I want to ask that all presidential contenders come together in a strong show of unity and resolve, to reassure Kenyans that we are all unequivocally committed to a free, fair and peaceful election.

Ladies and gentlemen

My purpose here today is to tell you a little about my far-reaching plans for the future of this beautiful country of ours.

Today, I want us, as a party, to make a social contract with everyone in this country – that we will deliver democracy, the rule of law, prosperity, unity, inclusiveness and equality.

In conjunction with our coalition partners, we will fully implement the Constitution we fought so long and so hard to bring to fruition.

We will make devolution a reality, so that all of our country has the opportunity to develop equally.

Ladies and Gentlemen

In 2007, I said we must invest heavily in three things: One, Infrastructure! Two, Infrastructure! Three, Infrastructure!

We have seen the result in expanded road-building, accelerated growth through ICT, and successful irrigation projects in arid and semi-arid lands.

While we continue with this work, I now pledge that we shall again invest heavily in three things: One, Jobs! Two, Jobs! Three, Jobs!

Every one of the ills we suffer has its roots in POVERTY. At the very root of this poverty is the lack of jobs.

Most of our young people do not have jobs. Yet our youths have been educated to expect something more from life.

They expect to be gainfully employed.

They expect to have the opportunity for personal development, to make a decent living and to contribute something valuable to their communities.

Lack of jobs, as we have seen, leads to only one thing: social insecurity.

Social insecurity is characterised by corruption, poor policing, muggings, extortions, insecurity, cattle-rustling, land clashes, poor health and education, strikes, deficient local production and lack of food sufficiency.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Don’t get me wrong. I am proud to be a Kenyan. No one could be more proud than I am when I represent our country, as I have been privileged to do on so many occasions.

And every time I am out there representing Kenya, I am always trying to learn from the experience of others, always seeking the best ways of building sustainable economic development, always planning how we can provide an environment where local and foreign investors are eager to work with us.

I have spoken many times about the Asian Tigers, those countries once at par with, or behind, Kenya, and now way ahead of us. My plan is that Kenya becomes the African Simba, the Lion of Africa, and sets the standard for the continent.

To do this, we must take a very different approach to our national life.

We have already taken huge strides towards making it much easier to do business in our country.

We have removed much of the red tape and bureaucracy that has made us so uncompetitive in the past.

Ladies and Gentlemen

As well as these major steps, we shall also concentrate in areas that make a more immediate difference to the life of each individual Kenyan.

Too often, we talk about annual percentage growth, GDP, rising or falling inflation, and other such exalted matters of finance.

Too rarely do we consider how little the ordinary Kenyan can feel of this.

We must begin to think of the individual, of the cost of living TODAY, of having enough food on the table TODAY, of being able to send the children to school THIS TERM, of being able to afford that URGENT hospital bill, of having a road nearby so that we can market the crop ripening in the field AT THIS MOMENT.

We cannot always wait for the long-term results of big business, so we must back up these plans with parallel projects to help people improve their lives NOW.

To this end, we have many ideas that are intended to revolutionise our national life.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Our ODM manifesto is a carefully thought-out, comprehensive programme to change the direction of this nation.

In preparing for job creation, for example, we shall reform the Kenya Industrial Estates to establish incubation centres in each county, so that people can acquire locally the skills they need to get jobs.

We shall focus education and training systems to be more responsive to industry’s needs.

We shall provide funds for enterprise development among marginalised communities and disadvantaged groups, including those living with disabilities and the differently-abled.

In the Kenya we envisage, our youths will be our greatest asset.

We shall invest in business skills development among the youth and women, and then offer grants – not loans – that will provide the start-up capital to establish viable livelihoods.

We shall give the youth the life-skills they need, so that they don’t fall into the trap of drugs and alcohol and crime.

Women are at the core of Kenyan life – yet their true value as builders of this nation has never been acknowledged.

We shall sustain the march towards parity and equality across the gender divide whose foundation has been laid.

Ladies and Gentlemen

All these goals tie in with our Vision 2030, and we can only realise Vision 2030 if we have industrial peace.

Over the past few months, we have seen many of our workers lay down the tools, complaining of low pay and poor working conditions – university staff, medical staff, civil servants, teachers.

Just as I have moved determinedly forward in creating an enabling business environment, so I plan to ensure that all working Kenyans receive remuneration commensurate with the contribution they are making to nation-building.

We intend to invest in rural and cottage industries and to foster transformation through a good-neighbour system, so that community efforts help each and every person to build his or her house, to plough his or her land, to reap in good time whatever has been sowed.

I believe that, through ensuring social inclusion, social security, and marketable skills, we are investing in sustainable economic development – and that means a quicker transition to a fully waged society.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Our country has been ripped apart by factionalism and tribal hatred. This lack of social cohesion is high on our list of things to be addressed. And I am well aware that poverty contributes the largest portion to that kind of insecurity.

Poverty contributes to the ineffectiveness of our police force.

We intend to fully revamp our criminal justice system. We shall improve police conditions, providing police officers with proper initial training, as well as sustained retraining and the opportunity to acquire wider policing skills.

We shall provide officers with decent housing, equipment and pay cheques that match the onerous responsibilities of their work in guarding our nation.

Speaking of onerous duties – our police officers have a very onerous and important task coming up soon – that of guarding our elections.

Because of their work, these officers will not be able to vote on March 4th.

In this sense, they are disenfranchised, and I am requesting the IEBC to put in place measures to allow police officers to vote early, so that they, too, have their say with the rest of the nation in electing the leaders of their choice.

All these measures we intend to take will give the police force a new culture and a new pride, guiding it towards a new identity as a pro-people agency of assistance and security.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Speaking of social cohesion brings me to the fundamental underpinnings of ODM as a social-democratic party that advocates the peaceful, evolutionary transformation of society through social inclusion.

Being a social-democratic party means promoting a social-market economy where people have choices, not just at the ballot box but through being stakeholders in their own economic futures.

It means ensuring rights not just to education, but to QUALITY education.

It means ensuring rights to accessible healthcare facilities – QUALITY healthcare that is available to everyone through a universal health insurance scheme.

Our social inclusion programmes will help close the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

We have begun cash-transfer programmes. We shall extend this, so that anyone who cannot make a living through no fault of their own is not forced into a life of crime, or life on the streets.

This transition to a humanly sustainable way of living will loosen the grip that criminality, homelessness, hunger, modern diseases, ethnic clashes and other ills have on our society.

And when people are treated equally and there is equity in the distribution of our national resources, we shall finally be able to send ethnicity to the place where it belongs – the museum of curiosities of human history. NOW is the time.

Ladies and gentlemen

Only national unity will make possible the great goals we have set for ourselves.

I have set the bar for co-operation with fellow Kenyans by entering, on your behalf, into coalitions with some of my fellow leaders.

At the signing on Tuesday this week of the largest coalition agreement in our history, Kenyans saw what they had so eagerly been waiting for – the composition of a new government that will usher in the change that our people have fought and sacrificed so much for over the decades.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, the Honourable Moses Wetangula and I – with so many other leaders who appeared at the formation of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) – have made a pledge of total commitment to a new future for our beloved country.

In the days to come, other leaders, professionals and activists will join us. All of them realise this election is by far the most important in the history of our country.

This will be the biggest step Kenya has ever taken towards real unity.

The Grand Coalition was a forced marriage but we have still managed to achieve some things of significance – the new Constitution, devolution, and the entrenchment of integrity as an essential pre-requisite for leadership.

We must build on these gains as a united nation, all of us willing to stand side-by-side in mutual support.

In the search for unity and dignity of our nation, I commit, as I have said before, I will petition the Security Council of the UN to have the cases facing our people before the International Criminal Court, referred back to Kenya.

We have a reforming Judiciary that enjoys the confidence of the people and can handle the cases.

My message is one of peace and unity, just as our national anthem prescribes. We must “dwell in unity, peace and liberty.”

Our hearts must be “strong and true” and service must “be our earnest endeavour.”

The third verse of the national anthem contains exactly the message I want to impart to you today:

“Let all with one accord, In common bond united, Build this our nation together.

“And the glory of Kenya, The fruit of our labour, Fill every heart with thanksgiving.”

Nothing can say it better.

I, Raila Amolo Odinga, am more than READY. Are you ready? Mko tayari?

 (Response: Tuko tayari!) Then, let us get on with the job!

ODM! Chungwa! Maisha bora!

Wiper! Ford-Kenya! Narc! All the people of Kenya!

Thank you so much, and go well. We have exciting work ahead"

Statement by Raila Odinga on the Formation of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD)

December 4, 2012

At the signing this morning of the largest coalition agreement in our history, Kenyans saw what they had so eagerly been waiting for – the composition of the new government that will usher in the change that our people have yearned, fought and sacrificed so much for over the decades.

Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka, Hon Moses Wetangula, Hon Charity Ngilu and I – with so many other leaders who appeared at the formation of CORD – have today made a pledge of total commitment to fight for a new future for our beloved country.

It has been absolutely heart-warming to see the outpouring of support for the new national democratic front which will unite all Kenyans who want a better future for all our people and not just a few. CORD is now poised to deliver a resounding victory on the 4th of March.

We thought we had achieved the goal of an inclusive government that would finally bring justice, peace and prosperity in 2002, and then again in 2007, only to see our hopes crushed by divisive politics which benefitted a minority. But that dream is now finally within our grasp, and no one can stop us.

The team that assembled at KICC today with little advance notice is just one segment of an evolving and very broad coalition of Kenyans from every class and nook and cranny of this great nation. In the days to come, numerous other leaders, professionals and activists will come out and support this ticket. All of them realize that this election is by far the most important of our history. If the people do not win it, a future of even greater impunity stares us in the face.

Our new alliance is a highly symbolic one. It brings together parties – ODM, ODM Kenya (now Wiper), Ford and NARC – which emerged in the ferment for change and justice. Their coming together is proof that we have learned to overcome barriers that have been used to divide us by those running the corrupt and unjust systems that have held sway for decades in our country.

Today marked the beginning of a wave that will sweep away the power and influence of all entrenched elites.

Kenyans have already lived through a coalition government for the last five years. While it kept the peace and also delivered the new Constitution that is the guarantee of a better future for us all, it did not meet the aspirations of the vast majority of Kenyans who wanted a complete break from the past.

But after the disastrous election and the bloodshed that engulfed us for the first time in our history, we had no choice but to accept a forced marriage to save our country.

The Grand Coalition was a forced marriage – and a marriage without shared values. The two sides had campaigned on completely divergent platforms. One stood proudly for change and the other no less proudly for the status quo. But in this forced marriage, ODM managed to get the minimum it had fought for – the Constitution, Devolution and the entrenchment of Integrity as the essential pre-requisite for leadership.

To safeguard these gains and rapidly transform our country, we have created the only kind of coalition that can work – a coalition of the willing!

We are headed for a massive victory in March. Let no one fool Kenyans that such and such region is committed to the other side. Kenyans are too savvy now to be herded like sheep to alliances that serve nothing but their leaders’ interests. The people know what they want. They will not succumb to bribery or intimidation. A few leaders can be bought but not an entire community or country.

We are now launching a unified, pro-people’s campaign of a kind never before seen in our history. We will fight together for the vote of every single Kenyan in every county, constituency and ward.

Just Released: The Stunning "Raila Odinga for President Mobile App 2013"

Raila Odinga is proud to announce his NEW globally released App on the iPhone, Blackberry and Android platforms. This stunning NEW App will not just give the people of Kenya and citizens in the disapora up to minute LIVE information wherever they are, but will also offer interactivity.

This stunning App will deliver:

• News
• Videos
• Pictures
• Social sharing 
• Social area to read Twitter and Facebook updates from Raila himself. 
• Aurasma

With penetration of smartphones at 7% and growing fast in Kenya, PM Odinga’s campaign is looking to the local and international mobile-savvy influencers to help in his re-election bid, which has been challenged by charges of police harassment of the country's ethnic minority population.

"When Kenyans go to the polls to vote for their President, their future will be in their hands and so will their mobile phones,” stated Odinga. “By using Aurasma in our campaign app, we will be able to reach out to voters in a completely new way, making it easier for them to get information about the Presidential election process and my policies if elected. It is important to make politics accessible and satisfy Kenyan's appetite for the latest technology and I am delighted to do both with the launch of this app."

AURASMA is incorporated within the iPhone and Android version! This amazing augmented reality will allow the user to interact with the election posters around Kenya!

"It is an honour to work with Prime Minister Raila and the Blue Storm Solutions team on this important project,” said Matt Mills, Head of Partnerships at Aurasma. “The Aurasma-enabled app is making it easier for voters to engage with Kenya's democratic process. We are now working with 10,000 partners in over 100 countries worldwide and are absolutely delighted that our first ever partner in Kenya is none other than the Prime Minister himself." 

The Raila Odinga for President Mobile App 2013 is available at no cost for immediate download to any compatible mobile device.

Check Apple Store, Google Play or Blackberry App World for a free download today.

ODM Statement on Voter Registration Malpractice

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It has been brought to our attention that some IEBC registration clerks are working in cahoots with some individuals to frustrate ODM party members, supporters or anyone perceived to be sympathetic to ODM party during the current registration exercise


Some of our members and supporters particularly from Western, Nyanza and Coast have been issued with cards with missing serial and electors’ numbers for reasons only known to the clerks.

In Bungoma, there have been cases where individuals have gone to register only to discover that their ID numbers had been used to register other individuals from other constituencies such as Nyeri.

We are also getting reports that some registered voters are being lured into selling their details for petty sums as paltry as Kshs. 200

ODM party feels this is a deliberate move by the IEBC or its agents to rig out the party in the national elections as early as now.

We call on the IEBC to investigate these claims and take action if it is to retain its reputation as an independent, fair and credible body mandated to deliver clean elections for Kenyans.



In Marsabit the following pollng stations have been merged and the faulty machine is being used to register voters at the rate of 50 people per day.

• FURAHA NURSERY
• SKM PRIMARY SCHOOL
• AL HIDAYA PRIMARY SCHOOL
• MARSABIT FULL PRIMARY SCHOOL

In Laikipia North the same is true about the following polling stations

• DOL PRIMARY SCHOOL
• KURI KURI PRIMARY SCHOOL
• SIOR MOBILE
• SEEK MOBILE

It has also been noted that some BVR units are operating offline which means records can be led to a local database, be transferred by statisticians to a central subsequently there is a high chance of voters losing out in the process or being rejected during voting due to lost records in the transfer process.

There is need to verify information collected from voters before registration exercise comes to an end or before voting to ensure that those registered are indeed registered.



Hon.Prof. Anyang Nyong’o
SECRETARY GENERAL

Prime Minister's Appeal on Voter Registration: To the People of Kenya

REPUBLIC OF KENYA 

PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL ON VOTER REGISTRATION: 

TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA 

SINCE the bloody uprising that shattered our image as a nation of peace and tranquillity following a disputed election at the end of 2007, Kenya has regained much ground, thanks to our ability to make compromises and look forward.

I believe all of us have made compromises. Your President, Mwai Kibaki did. Your Prime Minister, Raila Odinga did. The supporters of the main parties to the conflict, ODM and PNU, compromised too. Only the compromises have enabled us to move this far.

Only with the understanding of our supporters have we, the Two Principals to the Grand Coalition, been able to take the nation this far. As we set on the path of governing through coalition, we had no precedence to borrow from.

Under the guidance of President Kibaki and myself, we simply set on this path trusting that the people of Kenya, and the luck of history would be on our side. The President and I trusted that we were acting in the best interest of the nation. In many ways, and despite many set backs, luck, history and our people have been on our side.

Two years into the Coalition, we, the people of Kenya, endorsed a new political system, embodied in our globally acclaimed new constitution. In a short span, we recovered our breath, lifted and dusted ourselves and decided to forge ahead as the region’s economic motor and diplomatic nerve-centre.
We have done so much in five years. We have so much to lose should we get reckless again. We have so much to do in the next five years and beyond.

• Think about the crime and insecurity that continue to keep our people down. 
• Think of the traffic jams in Nairobi that make us waste valuable time on the road instead of getting to places of work in record time and build our nation. 
• Think of the close to 60 per cent of Kenyans living in squalid slums. 
• Think of the millions of our young people looking for working and finding nothing.
• Think also of our strengths that we could easily make better and leave competitors far behind and move ahead as the nation for the rest of Africa to look up to. 

We have the best banks, hotels and services in the region. We have the biggest road-building projects in the region. Our mobile-phone penetration is the highest in the region. Our money-transfer services have attained worldwide acclaim. Nairobi is the region’s air-traffic hub. It has also become the place in Africa where people come to make global diplomatic decisions. Only Johannesburg and Pretoria beat us.

We have attained much of these because of the decisive step we took in 2002 to go for change peacefully through the ballot. All these gains and more could continue and get better or they could be reversed, depending on how we conduct our next elections.

I believe that we are moving ahead, sadder but wiser, determined never to repeat the mistakes that took us to the precipice and back in 2007-2008 period.

Today, we begin another process that should ensure our future gets brighter and more secure. Today, the Government, led by President Mwai Kibaki launches the voter registration exercise.

From here on, it will be upon each one of us, as citizens, to ensure we register to vote. It is a civic, patriotic duty of a magnitude none of us can take for granted. This registration will take us to a historic election next year. So much is at stake in this election.

 The March 2013 election will determine whether we rebrand, reinvent and renovate our nation or we continue with business as usual. At worst, and God forbid, that election will also determine whether we sink back to the same shame of the 2007-2008 chaos that put us, shamefully, at the mercy of neighbours and friends. Kenya cannot take chances again.

One thing looks certain to me. One more false step, one backsliding 2007 style and all our neighbours will overtake us, and all our friends and supporters will give up on us. The 2013 election must pass off peacefully.

There is no way to ensure that other than by all of us registering to vote and making a vow that only the vote, and not the force of crude weapons, the cruel tongue of politicians and vote manipulation will count.

This is my appeal to my people, the citizens of Kenya. It is my pledge to my beloved country. Fellow Kenyans, let us go out and register to vote. Let us ensure our friends and neighbours do too. We owe it to ourselves and to the country our parents and grand parents bequeathed us.  

Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Raila A. Odinga, EGH, MP 
PRIME MINISTER
REPUBLIC OF KENYA