The violence-ridden Kenyan elections of December 27, 2007 represent a sad moment in the history of this proud nation, who has for some time been a beacon of hope in the quest for African models of democracy. Having largely maintained stability in the post-colonial years following its attainment of independence under the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya has been a multiparty state since 1997. Although Kenya's postcolonial history has not been without turbulence, an hopeful era began following the peaceful exit of President Daniel arap Moi after his magnanimous defeat at the polls by Mwai Kibaki in 2002. For the last five years, Kibaki's government has maintained peace and relative stability in Kenya despite a continuing trend of class inequality. Nevertheless, as one of the largest African economies, Kenya has been considered to be a model of African governance.
Last week, Kenya's electoral process was again put to the test. Sadly, however, this election of 2007 has been stained by claims of election rigging by Kibaki's government. Indeed, EU observers have condemned the election results, adding fuel to the fiery rejection of the election results by supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga. All of this has brought Kenya to the brink of civil war along tribal lines, between the Kikuyu largely represented by President Kibaki, and the Luo represented by Odinga. Scores have already been slain by record violence perpetrated by both opposition supporters and government forces as Africa and the international community at large scramble to avoid looming crisis.
Given that Kenya has for so long resisted tribal conflict on any massive scale, and given the forecasts of hope for this fledgling democracy, we at the Dread Team ask the obvious questions: Why Kenya? Why now?
The first point that has to be considered is taken from an historical perspective, beginning with the colonial boundaries laid out by Britain in the early to mid nineteenth century. As has infamously been the case in many regions, the summary grouping of disparate tribal entities has had disastrous consequences, in many ways contradicting traditional law and practice. In such contexts of subnational tribalism as is seen in much of Africa, the pluralistic presumptions of Western democratic thought are rendered inapplicable in the reality of non-European situations. The ensuing result of ill-informed, badly drawn colonial boundaries, it seems, is at its worst the eruption of mass brutality between forcibly confronted subnational groups.
But Kenya had for so long averted this fate, played out repeatedly elsewhere in world politics in this the dawn of the postcolonial era. So, why now? Indeed, any type of political unrest is often symbolic of a desperate populace, an impoverished populace. Despite Kibaki's progress in the last five years in tackling endemic corruption, increasing economic growth, and improving access to primary education, most Kenyans remain below the poverty line and the disparity between rich and poor continues to grow. Curruption remains endemic and Kenya continues to bargain from a disadvantageous position in world trade matters.
Given these facts, the Kenyan people appear to have been reasonably primed for a change and invested their faith in their young and hopeful democracy to effect this change. If Opposition supporters are correct in their assertions of impropriety in these recent elections, then Kibaki has done his country a great disservice for the small and costly reward of continued power. In any event, his actions following the disputed election have churned the widespread suspicions of fraud and so are non-conducive to progressive democracy in Kenya. Notably, it was most imprudent of Kibaki to resume the protocol of signing in minutes after the completion of the vote counting, even as rumours raged of election rigging.
Sadly, despite a largely peaceful run-up to election, ethnicity is being exploited in the aftermath of a suspicious election result for egoistic political gain, and the casualties are the Kenyan people. Therefore, while many Western commentators have attributed the recent violence in Kenya to deep tribal rifts, the matter seems to also be a case of a people who are tired of their will being thwarted. They, the aspirational model of the African future of governance, have tasted the sweet fruit of freedom since the defeat of Moi by Kibaki in the 2002 elections, and will accept no less than full accountability from their leaders. When these basic wants of a progressive society are unmet, existing tribal antagonism is ripe for eruption.
The best defeat of tribal discontent is in the attainment of prosperity across the board, at the national level. Why Kenya, now? Why this disturbance in the path of this beautiful nations' heralded success? Perhaps this recent chain of events represents the syndromic tribal unrest seen in her neighbours, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia etc and directly attributable to the faulty colonial arangements left in place. Or perheps this is a different flavour, that of a people exhibiting defiant refusal of political opacity following a taste of progress. And the added exploitation of ethnic tension by politicians, itself a consequience of colonial interference. Perhaps this will be but a blip in the forward movement of Kenya's political process. Nevertheless, this represents a significant study in the difficulties still presenting obstacles to African progress: neo-colonialist capitalism that continues to deepen wealth disparity, tribal tension exacerbated by lingering effects of colonialism, corruption, the inappropriate superposition of Western democratic concepts. Let us hope that all contenders in this volatile matter are inclined toward the high road, toward the ultimate dream of Kenyan and African excellence. We at the Dread team express solidarity with our Kenyans brothers and sisters in these trying times.
Bless
