A divided opposition lacking ideas is in danger of handing victory to the ever more confident ruling party
The political battle lines for next August's general elections have been drawn. President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party, which grew out of the governing Jubilee coalition and combines twelve small parties, will face Raila Odinga's Coalition for Reform and Democracy which, unlike Jubilee, continues to fragment amid internal quarrels. Both parties held huge rallies at the weekend of 10 September. Jubilee gathered at Kasarani Stadium near Nairobi while CORD met at Mama Ngina Gardens in Mombasa. Both were expensive affairs, bringing in delegates in their thousands and paying for advertising, their accommodation, entertainment and out-of-pocket expenses. Each party showcased its campaign fleet of 47 latest Japanese sports utility vehicles, one for each county in party colours – red for Jubilee and orange for CORD. The Jubilee launch cost about 2 billion Kenya shillings (US$20 million), paid for by party leaders, their business friends and foreign contractors who have done so well in the booming building sector.
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