Civil society organisations have come together to form the Angaza Movement to monitor this year’s electoral process.
The CSOs include InformAction, Kenya Human Rights Commission and Inuka Kenya, among others.
Angaza movement's motto is Mulika Kura.
Kawive Wambua of Inuka Kenya ni Sisi said they will hold sensitisation meetings across the country to educate citizens so they can form their own forums to monitor the process.
He said the country has failed to protect the integrity of the vote from the local to national level.
“We have had elections where there have been many electoral malpractices. This time round, we are saying it is possible for citizens to form an initiative that will ensure we can talk about the integrity of the vote,” Wambua said.
The CSOs, who held a sensitisation meeting in Nyeri on Thursday, said they will talk about the importance of citizens' voices in the electoral process.
They said they are mobilising citizens so they can oversight the elections starting from party primaries to the general elections.
Wambua said Kenya has a problem in its political system on how parties are constituted and how members participate in party primaries.
Party primaries, he said, are to blame for electoral malpractices and they want to ensure aspirants with integrity issues are barred from contesting.
The trend of rich people with integrity issues bribing voters and ending up being elected has to stop, he said.
“The only people who can help to stop that are the citizens, because they are ultimately the people who vote and are also the ones who consume the leadership that comes out of voting,” he said.
Wambua said some aspirants make promises they cannot fulfil and urged Kenyans to get all candidates to sign agreements that will have a framework of checks and balances.
This will ensure that when they get into power, they do not bribe people demanding services, he said.
“When there is an agreement and is taken to a process of court, then it is possible to bring these leaders in line and make them understand that you cannot promise what you cannot deliver,” he said.
Citizens can bring sanity by ensuring leaders who do not deliver are denied a chance to address them in public forums, Wambua added.
Irene Soila of Kenya Human Rights Commission said the people of Nyeri want politicians to stop mobilising them based on ethnicity.
Fredrick Okado of Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) said this year’s elections are important and special to the country and Kenyans have the responsibility to vote for leaders with integrity and vision.
Resident Beatrice Wambui thanked the organisations, saying the knowledge gained in the sensitisation meetings will go a long way in enlightening them on their role in the electoral process.
Samuel Wandimi of InformAction said although voters have a big say in the leaders they elect, they lack unity to enable them to stamp their authority and demand services from them.
Edited by A.N
