Saturday, December 22, 2007

Opinion Polls in Kenya

Kenyans have never been very good at predicting election outcomes. In 1992, one Kenneth Matiba was widely expected to beat President Moi at the elections. The buzz about his campaign was like nothing the country had ever seen.

The amount of money he spent on the election was without parallel in our history. He also had the crowds, massive ones and these all over the country. Unlike the other opposition parties which were largely ethnic in their makeup, he had backers in all the provinces and was riding on a wave of euphoria that was truly gigantic. With charisma in buckets, he infected his supporters with such an enthusiasm they struck a real terror in the establishment's heart.

More here from Vitalis Oyudo on the impact of opinion polls on the Kenyan electorate.