Political tech consulting firm Aristotle International has signed a pact with Kenyan political coalition The National Super Alliance to engage in fundraising and representational activities in the United States, less than a month after the east African nation was rocked by an unprecedented court decision that nullified that country’s recent presidential election.

NASA is comprised of more than a half-dozen center-left Kenyan political parties formed for the purpose of opposing Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was recently reelected to a second term during that nation’s contentious August presidential election.

NASA’s endorsement for president is longtime challenger Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former Prime Minister and Kenyatta’s main competitor during the 2017 election.

NASA

Odinga appealed Kenya’s Supreme Court regarding Kenyatta’s win, claiming the election was not validly conducted due to alleged computer vote-rigging that was committed by the country’s electoral commission.

In a historic September ruling, the court agreed and deemed the election invalid, ordering a new presidential election to take place in October. Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta, referred to the decision as a “coup.”

The do-over election, scheduled to take place on October 26, will feature only Kenyatta and Odinga on the ballot. The country’s August parliamentary election results stand.

Aristotle has been hired to enlist U.S. government support for a fair and transparent election process in Kenya through meetings, phone calls and email communication with members of Congress, Congressional staff, and State Department officials, according to documents filed with the Justice Department in September.

The firm will also work to encourage “selected individuals” to provide financial support for Odinga's campaign efforts by sending funds directly to non-U.S. NASA accounts.

Kenya, whose reputation has been sullied by low human rights standards and high-profile terror attacks from extremist groups such as the Al-Shabaab, has signed image-building lobbying pacts in recent years with Sonoran Policy Group, Podesta Group and Squire Patton Boggs. The Kenya Tourism Board also recently signed on UK-based communications giant Grayling to kick off a high-profile global tourism PR push in a bid to position the country as a top African destination.

Aristotle, which was founded in 1983, provides political software to members of Congress and political parties, as well as data and list services for PACs, advocacy groups and global political campaigns.

Terms of the firm’s agreement with NASA, including compensation, have yet to be determined.