Why all Kenyans must reject 'six-piece voting'

A woman casts her ballot at Cheptarit Primary School in Nandi in a by-election on June 3, 2016. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Were our parties ideological rather than ethnic in nature, perhaps there would be reason to call for "six-piece voting" as each party’s political and economic direction would be clear.
  • But as it is, when there are no ideological differences between candidates in the strongholds of the National Super Alliance or Jubilee Party, this call is all about control.

Presidential candidates Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta have been going around the country extolling the public to use the ‘six-piece’ voting tactic, claiming that that will help them govern better if they get elected.

The tactic calls for voters to ignore the suitability or otherwise of the candidate in ODM or Jubilee or how they got the party ticket, and simply vote for the party because Mr Odinga or Mr Kenyatta have said so.

That is pure nonsense. The six-piece format of voting, where voters barely scrutinise the candidates beyond the party, is really about the party leaders and their need to maintain control of elected officials. Simple. It guarantees that once elected, politicians toe the line and vote as directed, knowing they owe their position to the party leader who engineered the six piece approach, rather than to the public and voters. Ultimately, however, these sycophants and crooks know they have immunity as long as they sing the tune. For why should a governor elected to office because of six piece care about the ordinary people in the county?

AUTOCRATIC BEHAVIOUR

This system is the recipe for autocratic behaviour and voters should, at a minimum, ignore the call for six piece voting, and at best resist it and let Mr Odinga, Mr Kenyatta and Mr William Ruto, who is also vocal about six-piece voting, know that we are past that.

Were our parties ideological rather than ethnic in nature, perhaps there would be reason to call for six-piece voting as each party’s political and economic direction would be clear. But as it is, when there are no ideological differences between candidates in the strongholds of Nasa or Jubilee, this call is all about control.

For, if an independent is elected on her own terms and on her abilities and prospects, she could well decide that she will oppose some of the dictates of the Executive fully using her conscience to decide on matters fundamental. But a politician elected on the basis of six-piece will be slow to raise his voice against corruption or repression, knowing that the Executive is responsible for his election.

SHOUT PRAISES

Of course, those on the party tickets in the strongholds will shout the praises of six-piece voting from the rooftops, and some will even attempt to put a logical spin to it. But it is all about selfishness and, for some, a need not to spend more after what was a most expensive party primary exercise!

Resisting these tactics is one way Kenyans can begin to reclaim their sovereignty and dignity from the leaders who often treat us like fodder and pawns. It could well herald the beginning of overturning the status quo of leaders as bosses, and make them the servants they should be as envisioned in the Constitution.

Another way is for future presidential contenders to publicly declare that they will govern for just the one term, as Mr Odinga has done.

ONE TERM

Of course, this is moot for Mr Kenyatta but this election could effectively make his a one-term regime. Now is the time for Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and William Ruto to similarly declare that they will only do one term if and when they rise to the Presidency.

The benefits are clear. First it will give other possible contenders space to emerge and grow and give us more choices than at present. And second, and importantly, because of the deep ethnic divisions caused by a sense of exclusion by those in power, one term declarations would give hope to communities previously excluded that they, too, will have a chance at leading Kenya soon.

In fact, I bet that if Mr Ruto would publicly declare that he would do only one term, the discomforts and tensions in Jubilee around him would subside significantly, as those opposed to him and his style could probably feel that they (and Kenya) could survive his five years, if ever he got there.

I guess that is wishful thinking. But then again, if Mr Musyoka and Mr Mudavadi would publicly commit now to a one-term presidency each, it could well persuade Mr Ruto to do the same, or lose some of his potential supporters.

Maina Kiai is a human rights activist and a co-director of InformAction.