Kenya counts the votes. MJoTA v6n1 p20130307
I have been closely following my friends in Kenya as they formed lines to vote more than 2 hours before the polls opened across Kenya on Monday morning.
The mood was cheerful and calm, as more and more citizens joined the lines. Far more citizens arrived earlier than anyone expected.
About an hour before the polls opened, I saw that reports were coming out of Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya, about an attack on a police patrol, leaving altogether 10 dead. I had heard of this from more than 1 source, but did not want to spread the news.
Instead, I asked if anyone had heard of anything from Mombasa: they all had, standing in lines, on their smartphones, as they were posting onto Facebook. Nothing was going to shake them out of these lines; not even a man who was posting from a line in Mombasa.
The elections polls opened, and in most polling booths, voting moved slowly, very slowly. I heard of 2 citizens in different areas who had been standing in lines since before the polls opened, who still had not voted 10 hours later.
I joked to one man from Nairobi that during his 6 hours in line, he must have become best friends with everyone around him! He said yes, they all exchanged contact information. Voting for peace in so many ways.
My dear friend Mwai, who is a trainer working in Rwanda, told me he went with other Kenyans to the Kenyan Embassy in Kigali, and they all were laughing and joking. That may be because they were with Mwai; he was joking with everyone in Nairobi when we arrested together as suspected terrorists in 2008; but that is another story.
Some polling booths moved more rapidly: I heard that some were in and out under 2 hours. The main delays were caused by voting machines which malfunctioned, or were extremely slow. Or the election officials were unable to open them because they had not been issued passwords.
I heard of one young lady being told she could not return to her gated community unless her finger was blue: proof she had voted.
Voting day was a holiday in Kenya, so the atmosphere was generally relaxed and happy. Daily Nation streamed live video from Kenya largest city, Nairobi, of voters standing in packed lines, very cheerful, very patient.
I was concerned that provisional results started to be published on the Daily Nation before polls closed at 5pm in Kenya: while people were still standing in line waiting to vote.
However, by the end of the day, the mood throughout Kenya, transmitted to me through posts on Facebook, was relief and optimism.
I got the feeling that everyone had voted who wanted to, although I heard of some showing up to polling booths and not being able to vote because their names were not on the lists.
Daily Nation's political journalist, Macharia Gaitho, wrote a subdued piece in election day: upset at the foreign journalists who swooped on Nairobi like vultures, waiting for Kenyans to start hacking each other to bits. Mr Gaitho, as well as most adult Kenyans, have memories of the murders of more than 1,000, and the destruction of homes and properties. He defiantly said that he did not expect riots this time, and refused to prepare for such chaos by stockpiling food and fuel.
I did not expect riots either; do not expect it. To me, sitting in my office in South Jersey with the last of the winter winds howling outside, I sensed that Kenyans were building shields at the polling booths: casting votes for elected officers and against harm, against riots. Standing for peace.
I am so thrilled with Kenyans. So pleased that they are not going to put up with the nonsense that killed more than 1,000 of them last presidential elections and caused riots that continued into the beginning of 2008.
Counting votes has been glacially slow. Son of a father of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, looks like he is ahead of another son of a father of Kenya, Raila Odinga. Raila is asking for a recount.
Recount? Now is not the time to posture and stand firm. Now is the time for each side to convince each other that they love Kenya and honor more than posturing.
I know they will talk to each other. Count again. Do everything that let the leaders recognize that Kenyans want peace, and that their votes were for individuals, but mostly, the votes were for peace.
----------------------
Enjoy the videos of daughter of South Africa, Miriam Makeba. She sang for peace, was peace.
