The Parklands Diary

Courtesy of Election Access On July 30, 2022, while addressing a special-interest group forum in Mandera County, Prof. Abdi Guliye, a commissioner for the IEBC, stated that the commission would not be providing braille ballot papers for visually impaired voters. The commission would, however, be providing voter education material in braille. This meant that once again, just like in previous elections, blind voters would have to rely on voter assistance to exercise their right to vote based on universal suffrage. The only slight difference with this voting method was that in the 2022 general elections, voters would be receiving assistance only from presiding officers who had received appropriate training on maintaining "secrecy." Party agents would be allowed to stand behind the presiding officer and listen in as they guide the voter. In previous electoral years, blind voters were allowed to choose assistants who had to take oaths of secrecy prior to the voting exercise. W...

Courtesy of The Star The end of an era has arrived. New wineskins to replace the old wineskins Our galleries are about to be filled with beautiful posters of serious men and women who seek to take over the mantle. With the language of poets, they will sing their promises each day and night. So sweet will be their promises that we will forget their natural characters. Project after project, party after party, alcohol everywhere—all to woo us, the voters. But before we are consumed by the forthcoming campaigns, how about we reflect on your past vote? Let us inquire and evaluate. Did that vote mean anything to you? What has changed in your life since then? The promises were as sweet as liquor. The aspiring leaders, clothed with the confidence of comrades marching to a demonstration, sang to us their manifestos. Debates, arguments, discussions, and conversations in our class groups made their manifestos clear. It was crystal clear that you were convinced that the leader you were voting ...