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Q&A: "I Will Give the Big Boys a Run For Their Money"

Interview with Nazlin Umar

NAIROBI, Apr 17 2008 (IPS) - She&#39s made her mark in the history books by becoming one of only three women to contest the presidency in Kenya; but, Nazlin Umar won&#39t be taking up residence in State House, at least not during the current political term.

The Workers Congress Party member was the only woman among the nine candidates running for president in the Dec. 27 polls that unleashed widespread violence in the East African country, this after opposition leader Raila Odinga accused President Mwai Kibaki of electoral fraud in securing his second term as head of state.

However, Umar did not perform well in the election, and has yet to see whether she will be able to take a seat in parliament. The results of legislative polls in her constituency, Kamukunji, were annulled because of concerns over vote rigging, and a date for a re-run in the area has not yet been set. Parliamentary polls were also held in December.

IPS correspondent Kwamboka Oyaro interviewed Umar about her presidential aspirations ahead of last year&#39s ballot, and recently met her again to talk about life on the campaign trail. The discussion came just ahead of Thursday&#39s ceremony to swear in a coalition cabinet that is intended to unite Kibaki and Odinga in forging a path out of the post-election quagmire.

IPS: Although the presidency has been decided, you still have your sights set on political office in the form of a parliamentary seat. But, the Workers Congress Party hasn&#39t managed to win elsewhere. Why do you believe you can win on this ticket in your constituency?

Nazlin Umar (NU): Right now we have no opposition in parliament. Kenyans feel let down as they have never demanded a coalition government. The big boys are big traitors of the Kenyan people, so the presidency that has been decided is not the decision of Kenyans. I don&#39t think the union…will last. You will see. You can&#39t have two people leading the country.

To avoid this tragedy facing our country without an opposition, I have started a movement to bring together all those who contested last year&#39s elections and lost, to make a formidable opposition outside parliament. In the next few weeks we will unveil our agenda.

When the re-election is called – I am the one who demanded it after seeing obvious rigging in my constituency – I will of course contest. So far, I am sure the Kamukunji seat is mine. The people have appreciated me more after seeing that the men don&#39t have their welfare at heart but are fighting for political posts and supremacy.

IPS: As a presidential candidate, you called for the salaries of senior officials – including parliamentarians – to be cut. If you are elected to the legislature, what reductions would you push for concerning the pay of law makers?

NU: I can&#39t certainly say by 50 percent or any other percentage. But it should be clear that MPs (members of parliament) and ministers should earn just slightly above ordinary people and not the exorbitant salaries they are currently paid while many Kenyans live in poverty.

As an MP I would introduce a private member&#39s bill in parliament asking for a pay cut. I know I will get support outside parliament and since most MPs&#39 eyes are set on 2012, the next elections, they too will support the bill. I believe it will be enacted.

IPS: As concerns the matter of vote rigging, what are the main steps that need to be taken to ensure that this does not happen again in the next round of polling?

NU: Electronic voting is the solution. You don&#39t even need a voter&#39s card. Many youths turn 18 and it takes ages before they get identity cards, let alone voters&#39 cards. It should be an automated voting system so that as soon as one votes, the information is relayed immediately to the national polling centre. This will be foolproof, and rigging will be out of the question.

IPS: Looking back at your presidential bid: When we last spoke, you were optimistic about the support you would gain through word of mouth and people seeing the way you approached the race. Why didn&#39t this translate into a better showing at the polls?

NU: But those votes were rigged…In the PNU stronghold all my votes were taken. In ODM strongholds all my votes were also taken. I didn&#39t have money to hire polling agents to be on the look out and prevent this, making my opponents have a field day. ("PNU" refers to Kibaki&#39s Party of National Unity, and "ODM" to Odinga&#39s Orange Democratic Movement.)

Other things also came up to affect my performance at the polls. As soon as I became the only female presidential contestant the women&#39s organisations that purport to support women candidates took off. I received no penny from them. They actually came out to support the male candidates. I think race and my being Muslim, or not coming from a big ethnic background, also affected my votes. I can say I was a victim of gender and race intolerance.

IPS: Your relative lack of media exposure during the campaign was an obstacle. What type of media strategy would you craft if given the opportunity to run again?

NU: From my experience in the last elections, I realised that media in this country are not objective at all…They were biased against some candidates and went out of their way to write positive stories about candidates of their choice. Indeed, as an MP I will also craft a bill to make it law that media give equal coverage to all political aspirants. What they did was a violation of freedom of the press…I am going to use the discrimination I faced – gender, religious and racial violations – to get donor support for programmes to discourage such practices.

IPS: You also had concerns about campaign violence when we last spoke to you. Did these concerns persist throughout the campaign?

NU: Yes, they continued. Supporters of the two main parties kept threatening me. There is even a time my residence was fired at.

IPS: Do you believe authorities are being thorough and persistent in investigating threats against you?

NU: Investigate threats? No. I think they are too busy for that. I didn&#39t hear anything from them after reporting the threat. But as long as I had security, I was certain I was safe – not any more after the security was withdrawn.

IPS: Would you consider another bid for the presidency?

NU: Yes…When we have another go at the presidency, I will give the big boys a run for their money. My chances are now even higher. During the wrangles for cabinet positions, Kenyans discovered that the men didn&#39t have their interests at heart but were just selfish. I am the best option.