Nairobi — Leaders from across the political divide have asked President Kibaki to dissolve Parliament to pave way for the General Election before Christmas.

Key politicians in the Party for National Unity, Orange Democratic Movement and ODM Kenya were united in saying it was no longer possible for Parliament to transact important business.

Leaders on all sides disagreed with the contention by Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu that it would no longer be possible to hold the elections before Christmas.

Expectations were high that President Kibaki would dissolve the House ahead of today's Kenyatta Day celebrations.

Scores of Kenyans called newsrooms enquiring whether the President had released the official Kenya Gazette notice sending the MPs home.

At Parliament Buildings, TV crews pitched tent expecting the announcement to record on camera MPs leaving offices.

Other than President Kibaki who holds the key by determining the dissolution of Parliament, House Speaker Francis ole Kaparo will also play a crucial role of unlocking the process. It will be his responsibility to issue writs declaring the 222 seats vacant.

The law provides that the writs must be issues within 14 days of dissolution. Yesterday, Mr Kaparo, confirmed that he did not have to wait the full 14 days allowed, which is just the maximum period, as he could even issue the writs in two days.

The Electoral Commission declared on Thursday that it needed a minimum of 64 days to conduct the elections.

After the writs are issued, the ECK should within 10 days set the date for political parties to hold nominations for presidential, parliamentary and civic candidates.

After the nominations, the ECK has 14 days to announce the polls date and give at least 21 days for official campaigns.

But political leaders were also positive that the commission could call the General Election before Christmas Day.

ODM-K flag bearer Kalonzo Musyoka, ODM presidential running mate Musalia Mudavadi and Cabinet ministers Mutua Katuku (Narc Kenya vice chairman), Musikari Kombo (Ford Kenya boss), Kabete MP Paul Muite (Safina leader), were all united in calling for an early election.

They all declared their readiness for the elections, stating that they had nominated presidential candidates, and were receiving nomination papers from parliamentary and civic hopefuls.

Before Christmas

President Kibaki will defend his seat on the PNU ticket, Mr Raila Odinga carries the ODM flag while Mr Musyoka is the ODM-K candidate.

Said Mr Musyoka who was on his way to Kwale for a rally: "The election date may not really matter whether it is after or before Christmas Day. But the mood in the country is focused on the elections and we would prefer people to have a peaceful Christmas devoid of election hassles."

The starting point, he said, should be dissolution of Parliament, to give ECK adequate time to prepare for the elections.

Mr Mudavadi said the election date would play a key role in the voter turnout and urged the commission to ensure the day allowed people to cast their votes before travelling for the Christmas festivities. He expressed fears that ODM would be hard-hit should the date fall between Christmas Day and New Year.

"The most important issue is that we want our people who have registered here in Nairobi to be able to vote before travelling upcountry for Christmas," he said.

Mr Mudavadi described the delay in dissolving Parliament as unfortunate, saying it denied ECK the time it needed to make preparations.

"We fear that the commission would be forced to come up with a crash programme," he said.

Mr Kombo said it was still possible to hold elections before Christmas if the number of days allocated to some stages can be shortened.

"But it is within the purview of the ECK to decide whether such an action would affect their applications," he said in Butere where he was on a campaign trail.

Last week, Mr Kivuitu called on MPs to pass Bills pending before the House to make it possible for President Kibaki to dissolve Parliament. He warned that should the dissolution date fall beyond last Wednesday, it would not be possible to hold the elections before Christmas.

Parliament responded by passing the Finance Bill, which contains taxation measures outlined in the Budget, the Appropriations Bill, that allows Budget funds to be channelled to various government departments and constitutional commissions including the ECK, and the Political Parties Bill.

Mr Katuku questioned the ECK boss' contention that he needed 64 days to prepare for the elections and urged him to use his long experience to set an earlier date for the polls.

Mr Muite said holding elections between December 25 and the New Year was an inconvenience to most people, who will be in a festive mood. The ECK could shorten the days allocated to some stages to come up with an earlier polls date, he said.

Before the 2002 elections, President Daniel Moi dissolved Parliament on October 25, while in 1997, he sent the MPs home on November 10. Elections were held on December 27 and December 29, respectively.