Kenya in this post-election period
The purpose of this journal is not political; however, in the current situation, it is impossible not to say something about the havoc being wrought on Kenya's international reputation. The resulting - and perhaps long-lasting - economic problems will affect all Kenyans. And let's not forget the individuals who have also been directly affected by the violence in certain areas of the country. As I have said before, the post-election violence has not been as widespread, nor indeed as widely condoned, as many in the media would have us believe, but nonetheless, for those who have been affected, it has been horrific, and Kenya's demise in the eyes of the world as a result will affect every last one of us in this country.
Here is an article which is being anonymously circulated around Kenya and which, in my opinion, speaks for the majority of Kenyans, who have seen through the thinly disguised, fraudulent motives of their politicians, and who have understood that the current problems have arisen purely because of the selfish ambitions of two men, neither of whom fought the election fairly, and neither of whom have any consideration for their people. There are no innocents in this, apart from the peace-loving people of Kenya who went out to vote calmly and with goodwill on December 27th last year, and have since been rewarded with politicians who prefer violence and disruption to mature dialogue, and who have no thoughts for the welfare of their own people [for those of you not familiar with all the names, you can refer to my explanatory notes at the bottom]:
Are These Really The Leaders We Want?
(Article anonymously circulated around Kenya in January 2008)
"What are we doing? Why are we letting these politicians destroy our country? Neither party cares about the people. ODM is inciting protests while they sit and hide away in their luxurious houses and big cars. The government doesn't reassure the people. The economy is coming to a standstill, thousands are already jobless.
Raila, Ruto, Ngilu, Orengo call for mass actions! For what? To protest what? Who are they asking to come out for the mass action? Is it people who have the jobs? Are they asking people to leave work and protest? What are they saying, leave your jobs, don't worry we shall provide for you when you lose that job! Go out and protest while we can run away from the danger in our big cars. Did we not see Mr Balala run off in his brand new Range Rover when it got a little heavy leaving his fellow common protesters outside to fend for themselves as he sped off?
Have any of them been to see any of the displaced people to give them any form of support? Have they been to see the 100's of girls and women that have been raped? Is that part of the protests?
How about the looting of businesses and burning and stoning of vehicles? Is that part of the protests?
There is no peaceful protest! We all know that, the plan is to create chaos in the country and then blame the government, blame the ECK, blame whoever they can just to prove a point. In the meantime, the country slowly wastes away. The government on the other hand shows no leadership capability as they hide away and stubbornly refuse to agree to a coalition government, despite ODM having a majority of elected MPs!
If Raila is to be our president should he really be inciting people to destroy the country just to make a point that the government is not capable? Why do these people not show real leadership capabilities and resolve their issues through peaceful dialogue instead of inciting the common wananchi [people] to go out and protest?
Are Raila and Kibaki really the so-called leaders Kenya needs or are they greedy self-seeking grabbers who want to yet again (as previous politicians have done) loot our country?
Please forward this to as many people as you can if you believe what is happening is wrong. Add a number and your name if you want so we can know how many people actually are affected by this."
Notes:
ODM = Orange Democratic Movement – the official opposition party, currently disputing election results (interestingly, all ODM MPs-elect attended Parliament to be sworn in as MPs last week – their convictions are obviously not so strong that they would refuse their hefty MP salaries and even heftier expense accounts in favour of standing up for their beliefs. By attending Parliament, were they not legitimizing Parliament and the recent elections?)
Raila [Odinga] = Leader of ODM
Ruto, Ngilu, Orengo, Balala = all senior members of ODM
Kibaki = President of Kenya, & leader of PNU = Party of National Unity (has been President for past 5 years and re-elected in flawed election of December 27th 2007)
ECK = Electoral Commission of Kenya - widely accused of being too weak, and of being bullied into accepting flawed ballot papers (from both sides) and announcing inaccurate election results.
