Electoral team works so Kenyans living abroad can vote next year

“The huge diaspora vote bank of millions is a vital constituency for candidates, and if effective arrangements are made by the IEBC for most of them to vote easily, they will play an important role in electing the next President,” said Mr Odinga’s advisor Salim Lone.

“Diasporans are also important sources of campaign finance, and of course their high level of education and standing within their Kenyan communities makes them influential opinion moulders.  These attributes also make them less subject to the political and ethnic divisions at home ... we should not underestimate the diasporan voting impact,” he added.

He noted that Mr Odinga’s international and pan-African orientation has seen him develop links with foreign pro-democracy leaders that have enabled him to establish an unrivalled diaspora network and to rely on Kenyans in various countries to facilitate the organisation of his trips.

“During the 2007 campaign and much more so afterwards, he received numerous proposals from supporters overseas keen to have him set up a diaspora affairs office that would better mobilise and channel their remittances home as a way of bolstering the national economy,” Mr Lone said.

In London, the Vice-President called on the diaspora to support his bid for the presidency, saying he had the right credentials to lead the country to the next level after President Kibaki completes his term.

Seeking nomination

“I will be seeking the nomination of my party and its affiliates to run for president in the forthcoming general elections. In so doing, I will be seeking to secure the achievements we have attained so far under President Kibaki’s leadership, and beyond that, to open new vistas, new horizons, and reach higher goals in the pursuit of democratic ideals, social and economic prosperity,” he said.

Mr Musyoka also suggested that legislation be enacted to allow for the representation of Kenyans in the diaspora at Parliament and Senate level.

Speakers at the function called for the appointment of Cabinet secretaries from the diaspora.