国际英语资讯:Political activities gather pace in Kenya after annulment of polls

NAIROBI, Sept. 4 -- Political campaigns are picking up in Kenya, affecting normal lives, few days after the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The judges led by Chief Justice David Maranga ordered for fresh polls within 60 days from the time they had their verdict.

The country is slowly getting back to the campaign mood, with Kenyans bracing themselves for another period of intense political activities, which could last a month or longer.

The fresh campaigns put the east African nation on months of political activities in 2017 as campaigns for Aug. 8 polls started as early as March, even before the official time in May.

In the upcoming presidential elections ordered by the court, whose date, however, has not been announced by the electoral commission, it is expected that President Uhuru Kenyatta would only face off with his long-time rival Raila Odinga.

Other fringe candidates may, however, decide to vie, though it was Odinga who successfully petitioned the court to invalidate the polls.

Across Kenya, vehicles mounted with speakers blaring out political songs, posters of Kenyatta and Odinga, campaign t-shirts and political rallies once again are becoming the order of the day.

On the east of Nairobi this past weekend, campaign vehicles criss-crossed different estates selling the candidature of both Odinga and Kenyatta.

The vehicles carrying dozens of Odinga and Kenyatta supporters were fitted with huge speakers that churned out songs in praise of the two.

The culmination of the political activities for Odinga were at a rally in Huruma, a low-income neighbourhood in the region.

The rally was attended by thousands of enthusiastic supporters who came to listen to Odinga and his three colleagues in the National Super Alliance coalition.

"I won the Aug. 8 elections. If the electoral commission had agreed to open the servers as directed by the Supreme Court, there would have been no need to go for a fresh poll because I would have been declared the winner," Odinga said. "I beat Kenyatta by 1.5 million votes, and we will do it again."

On the other hand, Kenyatta's Jubilee Party supporters took their campaigns to Kiambu county, stronghold neighboring Nairobi.

Deputy President William Ruto led the group, urging the electoral commission to announce a new poll date.

"The electoral commission should not waste time. It should announce the date of the fresh election since the electorate is ready," Ruto said, adding that President Kenyatta would beat Odinga in the second polls.

He renewed attacks on the judiciary, telling enthusiastic supporters that the opposition connived with the Judiciary to deny them a win.

The rise in political activities a few days after the court ruling has taken Kenya almost three weeks back when campaigns ended before the Aug. 8 polls.

As the divisive talks gather momentum again, many are worried.

"We were starting to heal after the Aug. 8 polls but with political activities rising, tension is going to heighten, and people are going to flee from some parts of the country to their rural homes and tribal animosity would peak," Harrison Moseti, a shop operator, lamented on Monday. "It is a bad time for the country."

Moseti, however, does not only fear about unity of the country, his business located in Kayole on the east of Nairobi would be hit harder.

"Weeks to the Aug. 8 polls, business went down as people feared to spend, not knowing how elections would go. My business was hit and that is where we are headed once again," he said, noting a lot of his customers travelled upcountry weeks before the Aug. 8 polls.

Many more are again expected to make plans to travel to their upcountry homes once the new poll date is announced.

"I will not stay in Nairobi when people are voting. That is a decision I made in 2008 after the election violence because my family suffered then. This time things will not be different," said Collins Okanga, who hails from western Kenya.

The oncoming elections are expected to push up inflation due to increased spending and disrupt many businesses, including in real estate sector and transport.

Kenya's August inflation rose to 8.04 percent, up from 7.47 percent in July, largely attributed to high prices of food and other basic commodities, including electricity.

"The polls would certainly affect people's lives and much worse the economy as more money is needed to conduct them. As usual, there is going to be lots of spending by the two candidates raising hyper-inflation before and after polls," said Henry Wandera, an economics lecturer in Nairobi.