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Post-media blackout update Dec 31 4:30 pm

– Media Council has strongly denounced the ban on live broadcasts. I suspect that media houses were caught off-guard and are just now trying to find their footing. I’ve been told that KISS fm has been doing a good job with updates. Also hopefully print media will be back in full force tomorrow (if we can get to somewhere where we can buy papers that is).
NTV and KTN now broadcasting news updates every hour.

– Government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, claims that there only a few cases of “skirmishes here and there” which will be dealt with over the next few days and things will return to normal (easy to say when you have the power of the bullet behind you).

– Kalonzo calling for Raila and Kibaki to come together and reconcile for the sake of the nation (except for that small matter of a stolen election).

– For those making comparisons with the Bush v. Gore situation in 2000 and saying guys should go to court- how long did it take for the courts to resolve the issue in the U.S? Forget the issue of a stacked court -do you have any idea how long election petitions taken in Kenya?

– The U.S. endorsement of the government is out of self-interest. Nothing surprising there. They’ve made a calculation – the fracas will die down and the ‘baks will be the guy to do business with.

– Chaos on Mbagathi way, police trying to turn back guys who want to march into the City Centre. I could hear gunshots on Ngong Road half an hour ago. Civilians have been cleared out of City Centre.

– 2 C130s just landed at Eldoret airport.

Pictures of violence in Kibera.

– ODM rally on Jan 3rd confirmed, Raila says that they have notified the police as required by law.

43 comments to Post-media blackout update Dec 31 4:30 pm

  • Imogen

    Hello. Thank you for blogging – I’m sitting here in London trying to find out what’s going on at home. Have to rely on text messages from my parents and the BBC!

    Hope you’ve got plenty of Tusker in :)

  • zizi

    2C230s – those r military planes or what?

    I agree with ua sentiments on US. They ve finally found a landing on Kibaki who was difficult in the last term. They do not understand the situation in Kenya. Courts in the US sit even at night/weekend. Our legal system is fraud with delayed justice.

    I ve just shared them with my American colleagues n they r not happy.

  • Simba

    Ory,

    Have you thought about this?

    The ECK says there were over 14 million people registered.

    But when you add up all the vote totals it only comes to about 10 million people actually voting.

    That is only a 70% turn-out…. actually quite a low turnout.

    And if some of those votes were stuffed/rigged… then that means the voter turnout was actually much lower than 70%. Perhaps only 60%.

    Does that seem right to you? It seems strange to me to have such a low voter turnout….

  • brutha-man

    60%-70% turnout is usual

  • Kabura

    Those who can have began their flight:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7165754.stm

  • What is happening? Is your server going down or are you being blocked?

  • Outside

    Have just been informed that ferry service to South Coast Mombasa has been closed due to riots – not from official source. Anyone news on Mombasa situation ?

  • joe

    Ory,
    Thanks for the updates. I agree moderation of comments is necessary. Some of the blogs are now full of hate vibes.

    Just wondering: in your analysis, what are the practical alternatives open to ODM?

  • magothe

    Simba, some areas (e.g. NE, Coast, some parts of Ukambani) had 50% or less voter turnout. However, Nyanza, Central and Western all had 70%+ voter turnout. Even in Nai, turnout was around that in some of the constituencies. Thus, this can average out to 70%.
    2ndly and more importantly, apart from the Meru areas, the following had strange voter turnouts Bondo (102%); Kisumu Rural (102%); Emgwen (103%); Eldoret North (116%).

  • Sky News reports the situation on the ground as an undeclared state of emergency

  • Mo - Charlotte, NC

    At Simba,

    60% voter turn out is pretty high. Revise the turn out in previous elections (2002 was only 56.1% and was thought to be one of the highest ever). Even in the west, 60% is really not an easyscore!

  • Aljazeera team in Kisumu report situation as critical with 50 confirmed dead. Supplies running low. Trouble in Mombasa.

  • Samir

    Thank you for keeping us updated- we pray for everybody’s safety

  • Anna

    German press very upset and criticizing openly. Check following article at online newspaper THE SPIEGEL, one of the most important media worldwide:

    http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,525984,00.html

  • Nits

    The US embassy now seems to be backtracking from its earlier support of Kibaki. This is from MSNBC.

    The United States said Monday it was concerned over “serious problems” during the counting of votes.

    Those alleging vote tampering may pursue legal remedies and should be able, consistent with respect for freedom of speech, to make their case publicly. We call on the judiciary to play its role expeditiously,” the statement from the U.S. embassy in Kenya said.

  • Just an FYI. David over at the Mashada.com forums has setup an SMS hotline that allows anyone from Kenya (or elsewhere) to SMS a message into the forums.

    This could be pretty useful for aggregating SMS news messages.

    Here’s the link:

    Mashada SMS Hotline

  • … And one shouldn’t romanticize U.S. courts either. The Bush v. Gore decision was patently fraudulent, decided by conservative zealots such as Scalia who relied on the most tortured legal casuistry devised since Jim Crow. Ultimately, this is not a legal issue: it is a political issue and will only be resolved through political processes.

  • Simba

    Yes, I agree… 60-70% turnout is normal is most parts of the world.

    However, all the Kenyan newspapers were talking about a MASSIVE turnout and that’s why the voting took so long.

    I can’t even imagine how bad a problem we would have if 80-90% had turned out!!

  • Aljazeera Report (Mohammed Adar) – News at 4:00pm UK time

    Woman gang raped by police in Kibera

    Very disturbing pictures of victims of gunshot wounds

    Raila terms accepting Kibaki’s win as ‘abetting and aiding crime’. He will not support that.

  • The meme, pushed by Kibaki supporters, to the effect that there were irregularities in opposition strongholds too only underscored the need for a recount. By rejecting this, Kibaki only ended up confirming suspicions that he stole the elections. Moreover, note also that if there was indeed rigging, then it prima facie ends up favoring the incumbent (who has the bureaucratic, police, and state machinery behind him to get away with such a closely observed election).

  • :neutral:I wish I could wish you all a happy new year, and I do, only am too sad to really mean it! This has been the most reliable source of information for those of us out here, thank you and may God bless you!

  • I just managed to find this site thru africanews.com. Finally a decent place to keep upto date online, especially for oversea’s kenyans.
    I’m in kisumu right now.. locked up in my house..
    I’d just like to add to the above post, that the govt said the TV ban wasn’t really meant to be taken litrally (well..thats our government for you isn’t it? lol). So they said they just wanted the media to review what they were planning to show, and try to keep positive (and true) stories rolling, and nothing that might help cause more of a problem.

  • Kags

    The Spiegel article mentioned above was a good one but what is the road map to the solution. Would the top two canidates be willing to redo elections? Would all kenyans be willing to do so??? Just one possible solution.

  • NM

    My daughter and 3 friends have been in Nairobi for Christmas. They are scheduled to fly out Tuesday morning. Any advice on getting to the airport? Their guest house has a driver but will it be safe for him and them to make the drive?

  • Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, expresses concern at the ban on live broadcasts and urged the government to ensure that journalists were free to carry out their work.

    Source: Guardian Unlimited

  • Reports indicate death toll now stands at 125

  • zizi

    In the link above Reuters indicates that they now doubt the veracity of some of the figures received from returning officers and they are recommending legal action. Which legal action,? may be judicial review of their own decision!

  • muturi

    CNN also just reported that the US State Department has withdrawn it’s support of Kibaki

  • Sarah

    I am hearing rumours that odm also rigged,can you confim

  • what assistance to you need?

  • Grace

    I am not in Kenya right now and I have to rely on the internet and sms for information so I may be missing some information but so far I find Kibaki’s apparent dissociation from what is happening in the country really disturbing.

    Other than is formulaic acceptance speech during the secret swearing in ceremony (which to me really emphasized the dissociation), has he made any public comments since the vote on Thursday?

    If he hasn’t, does he not think that as either the former president, or as head of PNU, or as the current ‘sworn-in’ president, that he has some role or responsibility to try help alleviate the situation? Do we have any information / or evidence that he is aware of the current situation and is actually trying to do something meaningful about it?

    With each passing day, what little regard I had for him after the last few days is declining as it becomes increasingly clear that he has appears to have little regard for the rest of us.

  • Man

    Ory,
    Thanks for such a great job keeping us updated. Please keep up. I had trouble getting to your site earlier, and just managed this time after several attempts. Hope you’re okay!

  • broken heart

    anyone out there?

  • Aly

    It’s seems like the Western MSM is now coming to terms with what has happened. All the major UK papers -Times, Independent, Telegraph, Guardian, etc are viewing this as usurpation. The pressure will mount from the outside. The telegraph is suggesting that the Commonwealth take the lead.

    http://tinyurl.com/2jy5v3

  • ken

    (On NTV) – ECK officials admitting to irregularities in the voting – talking about problems with “law” if they went ahead and did something to address the concerns… what a joke… I mean totally idiotic that they could not just say it “BEFORE” announcing the results… I mean was it “lawful” to have results that didn’t have correct paperwork? at any rate this is not going to die down easily – their arrogance will be there downfall this time around!

    Link to NTV CLip
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=FFasiup_glM

  • Aly

    The Daily Nation reported that Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been invited by the “reconciliation 4”. This will hopefully ease the temperature so the violence abates.

    Did Kibaki really underestimate the reaction? His track record in the last 5 years was largely progressive. What happened? The ECK is now recanting – blaming limited mandate. Did they not have contingencies in the event of rigging or dispute?

    Too many things do not fit. Re-reading the 2002 Inauguration Speech, it’s hard to believe that this is the same person. Something does not fit.

    Anyone care to shed light? Thursday is not far – Kenya’s moment of truth.

  • joe

    Not to split hairs but the Spiegel article,in its zeal to criticise, comes across as comical. Do we celebrate kenyatta and moi’s birthday? Is it kibaki who increased MP salaries or was it simply the avarice of our elected reps? Such inaccuracies do not give much credibility to the article. That said,

    Kibaki is in power ILLEGALLY. Rigging took place. Until proved otherwise, I believe Raila won this electin.

  • thanks for adding the link to my blog. Pictures speak a thousand words. if anyone on the ground has any pictures at all, feel free to email them to josephkaroki@hotmail.com or shoot me a comment on the situation in kenya or your feelings in general at http://www.josephkaroki.wordpress.com

  • […] Media Council of Kenya has denounced the on live broadcasts: – Media Council has strongly denounced the ban on live broadcasts. I suspect that media houses […]

  • […] around each other, government supported militia are killing people in Eldoret (how else to explain the mysterious arrival of two C130 planes at Eldoret Airport on 31st December and the ensuing massacres and burning of people’s home leading to the […]