We have only 121 days before next general election!

By MUNGAI KIHANYA

The Sunday Nation

Nairobi,

18 April 2021

Should we hold a general election after five years or within five years? The answer to that question will determine whether we shall hold the next one this year (2021) or next year (2022).

I started writing about this question eight years ago – on 3^rd March 2013. At that time, I was explaining why, after the general election of 4^th March 2013, the next one was going to be on 8^th August 2017. Some people were arguing that it should have been held in 2018 since 2,013 + 5 = 2,018!

The following Sunday – on 10^th March 2013 – I wrote a follow-up article explaining that, by the same logic, the next general elections should happen on 17^th August 2021. That is this year! If you wish to see the reasons, please visit www.figures.co.ke.

Since March 2013, I have written on this topic four times – once each in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. This is the fifth time and I hope it will get the authorities to act urgently.

 In the meantime, there has been some progress. On 15^th March 2018, I wrote to the Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and asked him the date of the next general election. He replied promptly saying that it is scheduled for 9^th August 2022.

I wrote back immediately giving him a step-by-step enumeration of the years to demonstrate that the correct date is 17^th August 2021. I also asked him to explain how he arrived at 9^th August 2022. It is now three years down the line and I am still waiting for the explanation, even after sending three reminders!

On another front, in October 2019, Mr. Okiya Omtatah filed a petition in court asking it to declare that the next generation will be held on 10^th August 2021. The matter is yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, a second petition was filed in January last year by the Forum for Republican Democracy – a registered political party – also asking the court to declare that the general election should be on 10^th August 2021. It is also awaiting determination.

While I do not agree with the exact dates in these petitions, I concur with them that it is certainly not right to hold elections on 9^th August 2022. The courts need to give their ruling urgently for we have only 121 (or 114) days to go.