Nairobi — Million of Kenyans go to the polls on Friday, December 27, to elect a new president, parliament and local candidates in the civic elections. The landmark ballot ushers in a new era in Kenyan politics and bids farewell to President Daniel arap Moi after 24 years in office. Five men are in the presidential race, but two men are well out in front, Uhuru Kenyatta for the incumbent party, Kanu and Mwai Kibaki for the opposition coalition, Narc. They are profiled below:
Uhuru Kenyatta, Candidate of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu)
The son of Kenyas revered independence leader, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Uhuru Kenyatta was propelled from political obscurity in one short year, to become the presidential candidate of his party, Kanu, in power since independence in 1963.
Critics accuse Uhuru Kenyatta, 41, of being a political novice, with virtually no government experience, a man who has not been tested. He has never held elected office, but was nominated a member of parliament by President Daniel arap Moi, who handpicked the son of his former boss as his successor. Moi elevated Kenyatta to the position of Local Government Minister and rapidly groomed him for office.
But many Kenyans see the personal involvement of Moi in Kenyattas meteoric rise as his most serious handicap. They fear that, should Kenyatta win the election, the hand of Moi will continue to steer Kenya. Most Kenyans appear ready to vote for change. They associate Moi with an autocratic ruling elite, with a legacy of corruption and graft.
Kenyattas response to his critics is that he is a breath of fresh air and represents a new, youthful generation of leaders and a clean start for Kenya, the country he hopes to rebuild, including the ailing economy.
His campaign mantra has been 'change, with hope and reform and zero tolerance for corruption'. As he prepared to cast his vote on Friday, Kenyatta told allAfrica.com "Without a doubt, I am going to vote for the presidential candidate for Kanu, which is Uhuru Kenyatta." He said he was very confident of victory, because Kenya needed "a break from the past and a new beginning."
Kenyatta dismisses his main opposition rival, Mwai Kibaki and other senior members of the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) as has-been, recycled politicians - yesterdays men, who had the chance to serve their country, but failed.
Asked if he was tough enough to become Kenyas next president, Kenyatta replied "Youd better believe it, youd better believe it. You will see (the tough side of Uhuru Kenyatta) as soon as he becomes president of the republic."
Married with four children, Kenyatta is a Kikuyu from Kenya's dominant tribe. He studied economics and political science in the United States, before returning home to help run the family business empire. He was appointed head of the Tourist Board for a while and unsuccessfully stood for parliament in 1997. Kenyatta must win the parliamentary seat his father secured during his lifetime if he is to become his countrys third president.
The constitution stipulates that any Kenyan wanting to be president must be an elected member of parliament.
Mwai Kibaki, Candidate of the main opposition grouping, the National Rainbow Coalition
A veteran Kenyan politician, Mwai Kibaki, 71 is probably the most experienced candidate in the presidential contest. He is seen by his supporters as an able, steady and safe pair of hands, with the necessary clout to revive the economy.
An erstwhile vice-president and Finance Minister for ten years under Moi, Kibaki broke away from the then single-party, Kanu, to found his own Democratic Party in 1991.
Kibaki contested the 1992 and 1997 multi-party poll, but lost twice to Moi, who made the most of a splintered opposition fielding several candidates.
The opposition appears to have learnt its lesson in 2002 and Kibaki is this time the figurehead leader of the opposition alliance. Narcs political opponents say the party is a wolf in sheeps clothes, because it is now home to so many old guard Kanu defectors, who all served under Moi, though they are now criticising him.
But Narc is not Kanu and that is its appeal for many Kenyans, seeking change after 24 years of Moi. Like Kenyatta, Kibaki has pledged to end corruption and to revive the economy.
Kibaki, a father of four and grandfather, studied at the London School of Economics. Like Kenyatta, he is also a Kikuyu and is considered one of the countrys wealthiest politicians.
As he left his home in the well-heeled Nairobi suburb of Muthaiga, heading to his Central Province constituency to vote on Friday, Kibaki told journalists "I know we are together and we believe we shall win. And, after we win, we shall do exactly what we promised you, to form a government of national unity, to revive the economy of this nation and to give Kenya a new pride."
Simeon Nyachae of the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People, known as Ford-People.
Simeon Nyachae, like Kibaki, defected from Kanu after he lost favour with Moi and became a rebel backbench MP in 1999. From the post of Finance Minister, Nyachae, was confronted with the option of a demotion and rather chose life as a political dissident.
Nyachae, 70, resisted joining Kibakis opposition Narc alliance, leading to accusations that he was spoiling the chances of an opposition victory to end almost 40 years of Kanu rule. He said the way Narc nominated its candidates for the top jobs was not democratic. In the past he has accused opposition figures of corruption, making him unpopular among some of his colleagues.
A Kisii, from western Kenya, Nyachae kicked off his professional career in the then British colonial administration. He came to the job armed with a public administration diploma he completed in Britain.
Known for his gruff and sometimes outspoken manner and his legendary temper, critics say Nyachae does not enjoy national support. He is confident he has a chance at winning the top job in Kenya and, like other candidates, has said rebuilding the economy would be top priority.
Support for Nyachae could split the opposition vote.
James Aggrey Orengo standing for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Described as a natural orator and brilliant debater and dubbed the "firebrand opposition lawyer," James Orengo, 51, is from the Luo ethnic group and belongs to the growing family of former Kanu stalwarts turned rebels. With the advent of multi-party politics in Kenya in 1991, Orengo helped found the opposition Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (Ford), for whom he served as an MP in 1992 and again in 1997.
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He cemented his anti-government credentials by regularly attacking Kanu in parliament. Orengo left Ford to join the Social Democratic Party in 2001. Before that, Orengo fled to Tanzania, saying he feared political persecution because of his criticism of the government.
Orengo, like Nyachae, also refused to join Narc, saying the opposition alliance was no different from Kanu. A French government scholar, he studied French in Madagascar and law in Kenya.
David Waweru NGethe, representing Chama Cha Umma
Of the five presidential candidates, David Waweru NGethe is said to stand the least chance of winning the election and is considered a rank outsider.
A coffee farmer and graduate teacher from Nairobi University, he won a seat in parliament in 1979 and lost it in 1983 and is said to stand little chance of securing it again in this election.
Known for his radical pan-African politics, NGethes name is often forgotten in the list of presidential candidates standing in the 2002 election.
An outside runner, dismissed as an irrelevance in the presidential race by some observers, little is known about Chama Cha Umma (The Peoples Party), its manifesto or its leader, except its slogan "Patriotism, Prosperity and Peace".
NGethe told journalists he had been called on to "liberate the Kenyan children from their neo-colonial bondage". He has dismissed his Narc and Kanu colleagues, saying they have nothing new to offer Kenyans and accusing them of working for foreign capitalist interests.
