By: Rashid Wanjala
That Cord presidential candidate isn’t taking chances is not in doubt. Raila’s is no-holds-barred campaign machinery, replete with the latest state of the art technology that includes but not limited to cloud computing technologies.
Raila has been keeping tabs on the goings on in the campaign in real time, with internal polling being completed every 72hrs on samples of 1000 voters picked from 47 counties, and the results being relayed straight to his gadget, which automatically refreshes on new polling data arrival. Relaying to his gadget means that he can access at the touch of his IPAD the cloud data from anywhere in Kenya and the World. As a Scientist/Engineer, I am told Raila takes numbers seriously.
CORD’s pollster, whose name we won’t disclose to guard CORD’s strategic classified information is an internationally renowned pollster supported by top-notch Ivy league alumni who are well versed with modern polling science and scenario simulations.
Of course they work in a bottom up fashion with a locally assembled think-tank well versed with local political terrain and dynamics, while this elite team of Kenya’s top brain cobbled up by the CORD leader offers strategic direction, oversight and supervision.
Raila’s campaign HQ has huge touch screens which can display the Kenyan digital map, in which are digital maps of various counties, and regions. Whenever Raila wants to view the polling data of a specific ward or county, he just clicks on that particular region on the screen and the data pops up, PAP!
The data includes his current support in that specific area, in the various demographic groups, including the issues that need addressed that those voters care about. Such data is what determines his itinerary or change of itinerary. It’s called micro targeting of specific groups and granular analysis.
Reliable sources who we won’t name due to conditions of anonymity intimated to us that Raila’s is a knowledge based 21st Century campaign machinery, whereby SMART investments are being made through directing campaign resources in those places where they are truly needed.
However, SMART allocation of resources won’t be accomplished without sufficient data available in real time. Doesn’t have to be second by second, but it can be within the shortest most realistic times, mostly 36 hours, if you do face to face interview.
That is why, whenever CORD says it’s going to win in round one, then it’s based on sound, credible, irrefutable and corroborated data. Anyone privy to Raila’s Tech Campaign strategy and who understands polling science would tell you, CORD is in this game to win. For example the issue of land was found in CORD’s internal polling to be important to an overwhelming 85% of Kenyans, which is why CORD has made it a foundation of campaign theme. CORD’s message and confidence is informed by numbers.
And the reliability of this is that it corroborates NSIS observation that if land debate continues, Uhuru’s goose would be cooked, which prompted Statehouse and Jubilee controlled Internal Security ministers to instruct Police Inspector General and NCIC to ban land-talk in election campaigns. That’s for another day.
If Raila wins, and once this Tech campaign strategy becomes de-classified information, it would probably unmask the tech-suaveness of a man that my tour of the CORD HQ revealed. It’s my hope that he would be offered a chance to replicate this cloud computing power and technology because at that magnificent level of operation, Kenya won’t be the same. It is the classic manifestation of Raila’s well known organizational capabilities.
Leave a Reply