Help us provide in-depth coverage of the critical Kenyan presidential election.

Update: We obviously underestimated how generous people would be and so quickly. Thank you! We set our fundraising goal at the bare minimum because we didn't expect this to happen. But we're grateful for any additional contributions to help us travel further, stay longer and report more.

UPDATE 2:

European and American coverage of elections in sub-Saharan Africa is generally limited to a piece announcing the winner. If there’s violence, perhaps the brief will be a little longer. But it offers little window into the scale of the undertaking or the critical issues that are being debated.

On March 4, 2013, Kenyans will go to the polls to elect their next president. In the running – and widely tipped to win – is Raila Odinga, a veteran politician and the current prime minister. We have secured permission from Odinga’s campaign to shadow the candidate for a month leading up to election day – and his potentially historic victory.

What this means is we can provide the kind of coverage for western outlets that’s generally missing. A deep dive inside the campaign of a man who would be one of the critical continental leaders for the next five years.

We are Andrew Green, a freelance writer and broadcaster whose worked has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and more, and Will Boase, a freelance photographer whose images have appeared in the Financial Times, the Guardian and elsewhere. Between us we've covered most of East Africa, as well as elections in Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Several major publications have agreed to run our work, which will focus on what Odinga’s election will mean for Kenyans, for East Africans and for the world. And if he is denied victory – as he was five years ago – this could be an even more critical story, with a deepening of the schisms that were created the last time Kenyans went to the polls. But we can’t offer this kind of unique coverage without your help.

It’s an expensive undertaking and we are not getting expenses covered by any of the outlets. Even a few dollars will expand our shoestring budget and help us pay for meals or hotel rooms as we careen around the country, chasing the candidate and the stories. Anything left over will be set aside for a possible photography exhibition at the end of the competition. We've set the minimum limit of $500, but hope to exceed that.

We hope you’ll help us document this critical moment in Kenyan history.