[wanabidii] DIASPORA VOTING, CALL FOR ACTION -TIME IS NOW

Folks,

Time is now to make Diaspora voting a reality. I think time for rhetoric and promises has come and passed, we want to see Diaspora voting implemented starting with a genuine diaspora voter registration exercise. While on his visit to Europe two weeks ago, on April 09, 2016- President Uhuru Kenyatta announced to an attentive Kenyan Diaspora audience in Berlin Germany that his government had funded the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure that ALL Kenyans wherever they are get the opportunity to vote, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lusJmJQQRU . Kenyatta's pronouncement, all 36 seconds of it, is perhaps one of the most consequential political statements to the most marginalized and disenfranchised Kenyan constituency, Kenyan Diaspora. And yet, there is no indication that IEBC is acting or moving and I have reason to believe there is a deliberate scheme to purposely run out the clock and lock us out of the ballot box once again next year.

We need to get organized folks! This is an effort to get us all of us organized on a common platform and push to compel the government and the IEBC to implement this constitutionally mandated right, it is long overdue. To that end we ask that you join us at this year's Kenya Diaspora Conference organized by the Association of Kenyan Diaspora Organizations Inc. (www.akdoi.org) on June 24/25 at Georgia Institute of technology (Georgia Tech) where Diaspora voting is one of the major topics. We need you to join the cause so we can make a difference for ourselves and our country through the ballot-box next in 2017 and beyond. You can register athttp://akdoi.org/events/2016-conference/register/ or at

 https://www.eventbrite.com/d/united-states/2016-kenya-diaspora-conference/?mode=search .

As many of you know, the Kenyan Diaspora has been agitating the IEBC to do its work and get on with voter registration for starters, it has lost each litigation brought before the courts to compel it to do its work, we have held many earnest discussions with IEBC bosses, they indicated that they didn't have the money to register the Diaspora but President Uhuru Kenyatta says otherwise and so far the status quo remains, we are still disenfranchised and will remain so unless we rise up and demand our rights, things must change and NOW is the time folks.  So once again, please join us, join the cause and let's make a difference.