With only 22 days to the next month’s election, the National Super Alliance (NASA) is running against time to build its Sh450 million adopt-a-polling station program, a strategy of protecting votes against rigging by the ruling party.
The coalition has hired Ghanaian Nana Busia, who is credited for the ‘Adopt a Polling Station” in his country that saw the opposition oust the incumbent president from power after preventing vote rigging by the then regime.
NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga believes that adopt-a-polling station strategy will tame electoral malpractices, which he claimed it cost him the Presidency twice, in 2007 and 2013 polls.
Busia, who crafted the strategy in Ghana’s presidential elections last year leading to Nana Akufo Ado victory, arrived in the country and will be meeting senior NASA officials in Kisumu on Friday night at a fund raising dinner to support the plan.
He will train a team of poll agents hired by the opposition outfit on how to prevent poll rigging. He said that he worked for President Ado vowing to implement the same strategy for NASA.
“It will help in mobilizing people to vote and watching against vote rigging. We will heavily borrow from the Ghana success,” he said.
“Kenyans like Ghanaians did want to ensure a free, credible, transparent election that is reflective of the will of people. This is why the adopt-a-polling-station strategy is critical to safeguard your votes,’’ Busia said.
He praised Raila as an African Pillar with massive African and global support stood firm to champion for democracy and Human Rights.
“I want to say that for the rest of Africa, Raila is a man of fine sterling mission and vision. In Ivory Coast some locals referred to him at a function I attended on democracy as a virus that cannot be conquered,” he said.
“I call upon all Kenyans of goodwill yearning for change and supporting our liberation movement to do their part and volunteer at their local polling stations,” he said on his official Facebook page.
He added: “Take it upon yourself not just to vote and to ensure all your eligible neighbors vote as well, but also ensure that your do everything possible to ensure the transparent counting and tallying of votes in your polling station.”
