Azimio supporters in the diaspora are busy planning a Global Virtual Rally to boost the Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua’s candidacy in the Aug 9 Kenya general election.
The rally is scheduled to take place on June 26th from 6.30 p.m. EA time, which is 8 am PT.
Odinga excited Kenyans by selecting Karua as his running mate, the first Kenyan woman to hold such a position in a top-tier campaign. If elected, Karua will become the first woman in Kenya’s history to hold the Deputy President position.
Naming his running mate Karua changed Odinga’s fortunes in the Mt. Kenya region which has traditionally rejected him. In announcing his decision, Odinga said history demands for Kenyan to recognize women and put them in a position of leadership.
The rally is expected to attract Kenyans from several countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
Organizers have put out a poster and encouraged Kenyans living abroad to add their names to the supporters’ list so they can stay updated on news about the rally and the Odinga-Karua Azimio campaign. (Azimio Diaspora Link to add name), registration, however, is not mandatory to attend the rally.
Details of the campaign are yet to be shared.
The Kenyan diaspora has played a major role in boosting Kenya’s economy. Last year Kenyans living abroad sent home almost 400 billion shillings in remittances, an amount that gains praise from President Uhuru Kenyatta in his Madaraka Day speech.
Many in the diaspora, however, feel the Kenyan government has neglected them and made it difficult for them to align with Kenya. For example, most diasporans are not allowed to vote. And the recent diaspora voter registration exercise failed to attract Kenyans from registering because IEBC created a plan that made it impossible for almost 99 percent of diasporans to register. In the US, the IEBC staged their registration location in Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles, and required Kenyans from all over the US to travel to those locations. The move was seen by some as a deliberate attempt by IEBC to stifle diaspora voter registration by making it costly to register.
For Kenyans residing in San Francisco, registering to vote in Los Angeles meant they’d have to travel for more than 8 hours and spend the night in LA, a move that would have cost at least $1,000 (Kshs 114,000) the cost is higher for Kenyans traveling from out of state.
Odinga will be expected to address the voter registration issue and responded to proposals from Kenyans living abroad for his administration to create a cabinet-level office dedicated to addressing diaspora matters. Odinga has in the past said he is open to creating an office dedicated to serving the diaspora, so it’s likely he’ll commit to the request and make it a reality.
Azimio is currently enjoying momentum after Wiper leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka abandoned his quest for the presidency, in retaliation for being snubbed for the Deputy President job, and recommitted to Azimio after he was promised the Chief Minister position. With Musyoka joining Azimio, and President Uhuru Kenyatta throwing his weight behind Odinga’s candidacy, the Azimio flagbearer may have moved closer than ever before to clinching the presidency on his 5th attempt.