Dreading Tomorrow

Macharia Gaitho--Managing Editor, Special Projects at Kenya’s Daily Nation--seems just as nonplussed as the rest of the world at the sight of his country is exploding before his eyes while his leaders argue.

In this business I am consulted a great deal by foreign diplomats, journalists, representatives of international development organisations, NGO-types and others wanting my take on the prognosis for Kenya.

I have always told them that that despite the fiercely competitive politics that does not end at election time, Kenya will always remain a relatively stable, safe and secure place. Ahead of the polls many were quite worried about the prospects of post-election violence, especially if there was no clear winner. My opinion was that there would be the usual grumbling from the losers, maybe some scattered violence, but things would eventually return to normal and we would start advance politicking ahead of 2012.

I take back all the confidence I expressed about my country. I was naïve and shortsighted, and failed to recognise that President Kibaki would not care about taking the oath of office while standing on a pile of human bones or that Mr Raila Odinga would not mind staking his claim while swimming across a sea of blood.

It is indeed surreal that the two can be arguing over who won the vote while around them rages a bloodletting that might do Pol Pot of the killing fields of Cambodia or the Interahamwe of the Rwanda genocide proud.

But now Odinga has changed his mind and will negotiate with Kibaki.

Raila also said he was willing to participate in an interim government whose only purpose would be to prepare for a re-run of the presidential election.

"The interim government should last no more than three months," he said, adding that such a poll should be conducted by an independent body and not the ECK, which has been discredited as partisan and whose members are President Kibaki's appointees.

Meanwhile the demonstration against Kibaki will go forward in spite of the Kenyan Police Commissioner’s admonition to his public.

Police Commissioner Hussein Ali has cautioned Kenyans against attending rallies called by politicians, warning that they would be arrested.

Major-General Ali outlawed a meeting called by ODM leaders at Uhuru Park on Thursday, citing the volatile security situation in the country. [SNIP]

Maj-Gen Ali warned: “Anybody inciting Kenyans into violence, engaging or procuring others to commit criminal offences will be dealt with according to the law without any exception,” he said.

Admonition, threat or promise? Not much sleeping tonight.

UPDATE: Voter turnout? 115%.

PREVIOUSLY:

Kenya: Up in Smoke
Winds of Kenyan War
Kenyan Tribal Violence

Comments

[Stormy70]

Thank you for all the Kenya posts. Welcome back to blogging.