Kenya Presidential Debate A Success

The debate, which lasted three and a half hours, took place at the Brookhouse International School in Nairobi. It was moderated by veteran journalists Julie Gichuru and Linus Kaikai and closely observed by millions of Kenyans and interested international observers. It was shown live on eight television stations, broadcast on 34 radio stations and followed closely online. There was a live stream of it on Youtube, while the conversation on Twitter was insightful. Kenya has one of the largest internet penetration percentages on the continent.
The eight candidates were closely grilled by the moderators, none more closely than deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.  The other six candidates are Martha Karua, Musalia Mudavadi, Peter Kenneth, James ole Kiyiapi , Muhamed Abduba Dida and Paul Muite.  The most recent polls ahead of the election show Odinga with a slight lead of 46% to Kenyatta's 40%. The other candidates, including Martha Karua, have polled at 5% or under.
Kenyatta and Odinga both denied running campaigns that relied on tribalism. Ethnic campaigning has been blamed for the violence that broke out following the last election, and there are strong fears that this year’s polls may have a similar outcome.
Both men were emphatic in their condemnation of ethnic violence and politicking in response to the first question of the debate which questioned the tribal nature of Kenyan politics. Odinga said: “Ethnicity is a disease of the elite."
Kenyatta expounded on a similar theme, saying: “Tribalism is a cancer that has afflicted this country for a very long time,” he said. “It has been a source of conflict, a source of death.”
Kenyatta is currently facing a trial for Crimes against Humanity at the international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague over his role in the 2007 violence. He was quizzed on this matter during the debate, but reassured voters it would not impact on his ability to run the country if elected. In a quick riposte Odinga won several laughs when he asked if Kenyatta would use Skype to run the country from The Hague.
Issues discussed during the debate included health, education, the economy and corruption. The candidates were all unfailingly polite to each other and the debate was without the gladiatorial aspects of US presidential debates where candidates directly challenge each other and frequently interrupt answers.
The second presidential debate will take place on 25 February.