[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307560__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307560","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307560","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307560__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307560__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307560__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ECivil society leaders in Kenya\u2019s Coast region are concerned there has been far less voter education in this election than in previous polls, including by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). \u201cThey [the IEBC] are not really visible,\u201d said Yusuf Mwatsefu, executive director at the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.huria.ngo\/index.php\/pages\/about-style-2\u0022\u003EHuman Rights Agenda (HURIA)\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThere\u2019s not as much voter education in Mombasa this time around.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32913\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_kenya_voter.jpg?itok=a8CO3SWJ 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_kenya_voter.jpg?itok=Iwo47jaB 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708africa_kenya_voter.jpg?itok=Iwo47jaB\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022566\u0022 alt=\u0022A Kenyan woman casts her vote at a mock polling station during a pre-election exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, June 12, 2017.\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EA Kenyan woman casts her vote at a mock polling station during a pre-election exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, June 12, 2017.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2017 Reuters\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EFunding for voter education allows organizations to teach voters how to vote, as well as the basic laws of voting, and the roles and responsibilities of elected officials. Ideally, these programs can reduce incidences of spoilt ballots, voter manipulation, and electoral malpractice at polling stations. The IEBC has been a major recipient of such funding in the past, but Coast Regional Coordinator Amina Soud agrees that their programs for 2017 are under-resourced.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ECivil society officials attribute the reduction in voter education funds to escalating \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.the-star.co.ke\/news\/2017\/05\/03\/uhurus-administration-most-hostile-to-human-rights-defenders-report_c1554273\u0022\u003Estate threats and intimidation\u003C\/a\u003E of civil society that forced some local and international donor organizations to scale back their work. In a January 2017 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fidh.org\/en\/issues\/human-rights-defenders\/kenya-4-years-after-the-signing-of-the-pbo-act-into-law-kenyan-civil\u0022\u003Epress release\u003C\/a\u003E, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) alleged that the government of Kenya regularly harassed and intimidated civil society organizations through the NGO Coordination board. The FIDH argued the board was responsible for a smear campaign against the Kenya Human Rights Commission, a key partner in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.khrc.or.ke\/images\/docs\/KuraYanguSautiYanguPressRelease-1.pdf\u0022\u003EKura Yangu, Sauti Yangu\u003C\/a\u003E (\u201cMy Vote, My Voice\u201d) election campaign initiative by a coalition of civil society groups.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe civil society leaders we spoke to pointed to a cycle of intimidation that undermined civic education initiatives more generally, and voter education in particular. Francis Auma at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hakiafrica.or.ke\/\u0022\u003EHaki Africa\u003C\/a\u003E said that there was less donor funding available for elections work in 2017 than in previous cycles. There was a little more money [for this work] in 2013,\u201d said Hassan Abdille, executive director at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTETEZI\/posts\/442108905878056\u0022\u003EMuslims for Human Rights\u003C\/a\u003E (MUHURI).\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EOn their part, the IEBC coast office agrees they have not been able to carry out voter education work to the extent that they would like to. Amina Soud, IEBC Regional Coordinator at the Coast, told us that their education initiatives countrywide didn\u2019t begin until June 30.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EMohammed Baroh from the Kwale Human Rights Network said the IEBC programs started too late. \u201cCivic education should be a continuous process,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it hasn\u2019t been done\u2026. Why allocate funds for something if you aren\u2019t going to do it?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003ESoud said the IEBC was committed to reaching the entire region by election day, but the civil society leaders remain unsure that sufficient time and resources remain. An extraordinary effort from the commission and its partners is needed in these last few days to make this ambition a reality.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]