THE GOD SQUAD

Last week, the National Council of Churches in Kenya called for new elections -- and was roundly slapped down by politicians of all persuasions and many ordinary Kenyans. The NCCK did not mince its words, dubbing the president "moribund" and the prime minister "ineffective". It went on to accuse the bloated cabinet of stealing development funds, worsening the drought through corruption, ignoring thousands of internal refugees and dragging their feet on constitutional reform.
"We find it immoral that members of parliament ... spend most of their time peacocking around the country ... And while the MPs are getting their tax-free allowances to acquire the latest pleasures and luxuries, Kenyans are dying of hunger."
It was a real dressing-down from the country's largest church group. And it echoes many of the complaints made every day by ordinary Kenyans and even by ministers, who have been pointing fingers at their own associates, accusing them of corruption or worse ie Justice Minister and probable presidential candidate Martha Karua lashing out at the judiciary and particularly the Chief Justice for favoritism and cronyism in the appointment of magistrates; Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka accusing colleagues of "stealing as much as they can" to fill their war chests before the next election.
But one of the main arguments made against the NCCK's call was that elections simply cannot be held because there is no electoral commission -- the electoral commission of Kenya (ECK) was disbanded after the 2007 polls, accused of bungling the results. Early this week, a parliamentary team was meant to nominate a new polls chief but that decision has now been delayed until Thursday, according to the Nation. Among other tasks, the new Interim Independent Electoral Commission will have to compile a new voters' register as the old one is defunct since the abolition of the ECK.
It's a bit of a worry, though, if the main argument against having snap polls to address widely acknowledged problems of corruption and incompetence is that the government is too ineffective and divided to even set up the institutions needed to hold a vote. Something of a Catch-22.