An Africa expert discusses what can—and should—be done to stop the violence.
Comment: kibaki riged the election but the mediator koffi annan dont want to infom kibaki of why he did so . we want annan to step down kibaki and his goverment and announce IMMEDIATE RE ELECTION BY PHILEMON KCA STUDENT KERICHO
Comment: we are a product of our colonial history, post independence reorganization that resulted in an all powerful preisdency, the Moi era and its economic meltdown plus mega corruption that resulted in the common mwananchi being deprived of his economic rights as a resultof this turbulent history. we must review and remedy historical wrongs before we can talk of harmonizing our society. it is not about tribes, but remember our tribalism was institutionalized byour colonial masters and perpetuated bythe successive regimes.
Comment: The solution to the ongoing crisis is not finger pointing nor come down to re read history and see why they are rich and why not.It is not about the two tribe,Luo and Kikuyu,nor the two class of reach and poor.The kenyans and particulary leaders should understand that,the fate of Kenyans is in their hands to manipulate.Playing it fairly will easy the cruelty now ingrained in the two camp of Luo and Kikuyu.In prima facie,one may draw the conclusion the fight was caused by rigging of votes,frankly it was their since colonial time. Tanzanian could have witnessed the same polarised society,has it not for Nyerere to nationalise all schools and making it compulsory and accessible to everyone.We witness too the effort by Kagame in trying to make education as the key element in fading the polarity between Tutsi and Hutu,now visit Kigali and see the impact it has and the rating of their president.
Kibaki tried as much in making primary education universal and wanted to go to ambitious universal secondary education, for this he deserves credit.What has Oginga done to Kibera slums to deserve a credit as the champion of the poor?,to what I see here is so easy to capitalise on people ignorance to fulfil ones ego.However,the overhaul of Kenyan election process should also be tabled now for discussion and change, so that we do not get people of Kibaki type in the future.Sharing of governance accountability and not "power" between Kibaki and Oginga,in doing so,avoiding giving Odinga a bigger sphere of influence which he arleady has in the parliament also not letting Kibaki stand as symbolic president.
Comment: Kenya is an artificial country, an EU plantation, under which the African are poor and dying of disease and ignorance and exploitation. In Africa, including Kenya, each and every Native African ethnicity should decide how to live their lives. With the view of self determination, the Kikuyu and Luo shold declare independence and dissolve the bogus Kenya plantation. The new Kikuyu and Luo federal states (majimbo) should have direct representaion in the AU. Kibaki can represent the Kikuyu and Odinga the Luo, etc.
Comment: The last statement in this article is the epitome of all outsiders' ignorance in this issue. What if the poor and homeless people started rioting in america, demanding an equal share? The rich would revolt claiming they are where they are because of their hard work, not becuase they stole and opressed. Raila Odinga has appealed to the poor of kenya because he claimed he will give them an equal share and take from the rich. Mungiki, which is a kikuyu sect, originally supported Raila, but now they are fighting against him because he, William Ruto, and other members of ODM are claiming the Kikuyu's are the cause of corruption, and they are stealing from kenya. The sad part is, even if Raila was to become president, he wouldn't do much for the poor. He is the first in Kenya to have a hummer, but he has done nothing for his constituent, which includes the kibera slum, the largest in East Africa. TIA
Comment: This Kenyan conflict was started by an abuse to dedmocracy by the Kikuyu mafia--a group of Kikuyu Business magnates surrounding Kibaki who thought they will just Kick any protester they perceived to be a luo and subdue him to submission. They did not know war against democracy has never been and will never be won.
Kikuyu Chauvinism as the one posted below and their corruption which is a actually the only culture they have, is also resented by other communities.
Kenya needs democracy, good laws and a good constituition to come out of the crisis and avoid a recurrence of the same in future. No one can abuse democracy with impunity. Kikuyus and other Kenyans need to realize that and avoid using the mathare mafia to cheat the world that they have been having democracy.
Comment: I am a Kikuyu. I can settle , work and invest anywhere on this planet as long as it is habitable and safe. That is the attitude that drives me.Let me give you an illustration of why other communities mostly in Western Kenya are poor. When a Luo/Luhya/Kalenjin dies (wherever in the world) they must be transported all the way to their ancestral lands for burial. For a Kikuyu, one is mostly buried in the nearest cemetry . While other communities have welfare societies for funeral fundraising, Kikuyus have investment clubs that buy shares and property and invest all over the region. The conflict in Kenya is between those that believe in capitalism and private enterprise and those that believe in communal property ownership and egalitarianism. For those that claim that Kikuyus have been favored by successive governments over the years, please remember that a Kikuyu would rather live in his own cheap house, drive a small car , take his kids to the local public school, drink at his local pub and wear second hand clothes than drive a Mercedes, wear the latest designer suits, drink Cognac at The Norfolk and hang a 126 inch Plasma TV on a rented wall. The savings from this kind of frugal living are invested for posterity. That is why they own so much. But, we recognise the need for a more equitable society where the vulnerable are taken care of through social programmes. What we resent and will firmly resist is the idea of one man pretending that he can take away that which we have toiled over generations to build and give it to people who'd rather make merry and entertain women than invest wisely in assets that appreciate with time. If you have time please confirm how many Kikuyus are settled in the West as opposed to other communities in Kenya. And as for the 'stolen election' let me ask this- In a free and fair election in Saudi Arabia , who would win with a landslide? Your answer is as good as mine. Would anyone in their right mind allow King Abdallah to hand over power to him? I rest my case.
Comment: It is indeed disheartning to see places I know during my research visit to Kenya in 1979-80 blackened by smoke or stained by blood. The current troubles are not due to 'ancient tribal animosoties' as is so often cited as causes for African strife in the western media. They stem from tensions arising from the aftermath of the Kenyan war of independence (Mao-Mao) which was centered in the Kikuyu homeland (Central Province). Following Mao-Mao and the collapse of Brisich Colonial Rule, the Kikuyu emerged in the most powerful political position, vis.-s-vis. other ethnic groups. One could imaging that they, the Kikuyu, the most numerous ethnic group (with their cousins the Embu and Meru) in Kenya perceived themselves as posessing the right to govern Kenya in perpetuity. Between the death of Jomo Kenyatta and the election of Daniel Arap Moi (a non-Kikuyu from the West) the Kenya Air Force was effectively dispanded because of a plot by some of its Kikuyu officers to circumvent the political process. Even Mr. Moi, himself, could not have come to or retained power without the backing of powerful Kikuyu politicians, most notably the venerable Charles Njonjo. Let us not forget that the Kikuyu have dominated the government for decades; and that the political history of Kenya includes several political murders: Tom Mboya, a very prominent Luo and KADU member, among them.
In comparison to Liberia, Sierra Leone, the North-South tensions in Nigeria, the eastern Republic of Congo, Suday (Darfur) and Zimbabwe, Kenya has appeared as a beacon of stability. Much of Kenya's reputation in the West derives from its committment to capitalist development and a pro-western political stance (remember, Moi was the first African head of state to get on the 1980 moscow Olympics boyocott bandwagon with US President Carter)
Tensions between Kikuyu and the Luo have simered beneath the surface of stabiliy calm for decades. They have now erupted and thereaten to endanger the nation's economic development and future stability. Yes, Kenya was a beacon of stability. Kikuyu-Luo violence is now threatening to put out the light!
Comment: King Abdula of Jordan once said,democracy means diferent in different society.The American democracy have created more harm in the world than transparency,good governance and accountability it is supposed to enshrine.History has it all,though America democracy tend to ignore.As borders in Europe reflect the gross similarities in that society,in Africa it has served as gross error of our time.Dividing the Fulani,Hausa,The Masai,The Makonde,The tutsi etc,which was further compounded by divide and rule system by the British.However,we should not let History entrape us in perpetual inferior mind and fail to solve our own crisis.It is time for the East Africa Federation to come together so strongly and establish a system that will haunt down the devils and bring them to justice.
Comment: It is time for common sense to apply in solving the current crisis in Kenya.Let not the two,Kibaki and Oginga, remembered as leaders who could not come to term despite the ongoing killing and looting of property. Oginga stands a better chance in stopping the crisis by openly and vehemently condemn the killing by his followers or rather people who are using ODM as pretext to criminal act.It is so obvious,no matter what happen,Kibaki will cling to power.Steping down is tantamont to cleansing of his begotten wealth and his peer.
Comment: In 2006 I traveled to Kenya, in western Africa. My wife and I are now planning on leading a return trip to Kenya in July 2009 of about 6-8 people, as the Lord directs. There is much need in Kenya right now! We will be doing whatever we can to help. (HIV/AIDS relief, Orphanage visits, Medical clinic assistance, building for the Maasai people and ministry in slums, where the violence is mostly occuring) We cannot do this alone. Between flights, lodging, food, materials for work and donation and immunizations, my wife and I alone are looking at a cost of no less than $7,500. If you can assist us, a tax-exempt donation can be made out to: South Side Christian Church, 6822 W. Wedgewood Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53220, and writing ???Kenya Missions??? or my name, Justin, on the memo line. Thank you for any consideration.
Comment: Justin, Kenya is in East not Western Africa. If you don't have the funds to make the mission trip, I'm not sure how you can help on the ground in all the areas you mentioned before, or will you just be prosthletizing?
Good luck with your fundraising.
Comment: As a kenyan affected by the violence it's interesting to read so many comments on here pointing a finger of blame at Europe and the West.This to me is unfortunate.The blame for this crisis fair and square falls at the feet of Kibaki and his administration.
The manner in which the election was conducted,the abrupt swearing in,the gagging of the media,the ban on public assembly so that Kibaki and his co-conspiritors could ride out the storm and preserve himself in power,is akin to a civillian coup.
Yet again in Africa,a small cabal of old men have killed the promise of liberty and prosperity and government for the good of many and not the few
Kenya's maturing democracy lost an opportunity to grow and prosper when it became clear that the incumbent would not relinquish power in a contest which he had clearly lost.
Comment: Waiting the AU is not good news for Kenyans because AU has no money and political will to govern their homes. It's a shame, look to Somalia. Promise and talk about Promise again would not help Kenya. I think Kenyan people should look themselves in the face and take hard decitions to safe their country. Otherwise they are looking forward to destruction, death, femine, refugee, Internnally Displaces. As person from there, i say just look to Somalia. It's easy to brake your country, but it will be hard to put together again. May be i will say it could take 60 years to put back Kenya where it is in now 2008.
Comment: The AU is like a toothless castrated dog. It barks but it can't bite. The teeth in Africa are the native people, not the current corrupt EU plantations(so-called countries) imposed on native people or "tribes." There is no greater moral force in Africa that the "tribe" native natural origin, allegience to people family, culture, and humanity. The native Africans reduced to districts, must elect and have direct representation to the AU with direct taxation and veto power.
Comment: Most westerners have no idea how countries that are black can have ethnic/racial violence. As long as you maintain the integrity of the clans and tribes you will have ethnic violence except under dictatorships. Democracy has never worked. The AU is not capable of guarding a whorehouse, just another example of corruption in Africa on a bigger scale. The Nigerians made millions on the contributions of other contries towards Darfur. Funds which were intended to pay the AU soldiers their MSA would disapear into the high ranking officals accounts on numerous occassions. There is no accountability!!!!! The AU still owes me three months worth of MSA.
Comment: The West (Europe) is the most tribal continent, except that the tribes are considered nations. Britain and other EU tribal medieval monarchs are no democracy. EU the UN are the reason native African people are not permitted to claim self-independence much like Eupoean countries. Is it by accident millions of Africans die in Africa while a few corrupt socalled leaders and dictators prosper? The fate of Africa is calculated genocide, akin to the genocide of native Americans: the Western (colonial) art of killing savages or primitives!
Comment: The difference between an expert of news events and an expert of war, is the expert of news events can tell you what should have happened AFTER the event has taken place. An expert of war is someone who is in the middle of the battle and understands what is happening around them. No more experts please.
Comment: Kenya has been behind the ball, much like the next internal wars will be TZ. It may take 50 or 100 years, but as sure as night and day, there will be war! Ethnic violence in Africa is the law disguised as military dictatorship and corruption. The vitims die of poverty and disease in ignorance.
http: / / groups. yahoo. com/ group/AfricanUnionist/
Comment: Kenya is an artificial country, a vestige of British German East Africa Corporation. It was designed by military strategists, acting on behalf of "sovereign powers" or EU monarchs, to pit native Africans nations, now called "tribes," against each other inorder to be ruled or fight medieval wars. Colonialist under the disguise of AU and UN lock native people under these so-called countries by design. Keny and Africa needs a new model. Federal native states of elected representatives to join the AU, and get ride of current plantation evil. In Kenya, is majimbo, modified federalism, with a right of referendum to direct membership inot the AU the answer?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanUnionist/
Comment: Kenya is an artificial country, a vestige of British German East Africa Corporation. It was designed by military strategists, acting on behalf of "sovereign powers" or EU monarchs, to pit native Africans nations, now called "tribes," against each other inorder to be ruled or fight medieval wars. Colonialist under the disguise of AU and UN lock native people under these so-called countries by design. Keny and Africa needs a new model. Federal native states of elected representatives to join the AU, and get ride of current plantation evil. In Kenya, is majimbo, modified federalism, with a right of referendum to direct membership inot the AU the answer?
Comment: Is Robert Rotberg's analysis that the Kenyan army could be mobilized to enforce quiet if there is a compromise between the ruling party and the opposition party a realistic one? Are the Kenyan army ranks mixed among various ethnic groups, or is it also Kikuyu dominated? That's important information to share with your readers.
Comment: Well, there s a lot to be added to this fine analysis. When it comes to the unterlying causes, there seems to be a contradiction between tribalism, on the one hand and struggle for resources by the poor, on the other. But, there is none.
The struggle for resources has become very skewed towards one tribe, the Kikuyu, who have more or less taken the role of the former colonialists.And at the same time they have also inhereted the hatred, which was at colonial times directed towards the white rulers.
Why have the Kikuyus, a historically small tribe of farmers, located with the back to Mt. Kenya, which served them as a sanctuary against much more mobile and bellicose tribes like the Maasai, become so powerful?
The answer seems to be EDUCATION, which was brought to them by missionaries which they welcomed in opposite to more patriarchial societies like the Maasai, generations earlier.
Its the Christian faith, which brought them earlier access to education and health. Being the biggest tribe in numbers is already a consequence of their earlier access to the modern world..
Another important underlying factor of the present problems lies in the Kenyan political system, which depends on private initiative and competition more even than the USA. system
Access to good schools and health care is limited to those, who can afford. With another word, to the Kikuyus, which further widens the gap between them and other less developed tribes.......
It would be too simple to put the Kikuyus in opposition to all the other tribes, but they stand more than others for an elite, who enriches itsself at the costs of the rest.
TO stop widening the gap between the have and havenots is the basis for any solution in Kenya.
Toni Kamau
Nairobi
rerfuge area against more powerful tribes like the Maasai,
Comment: Well, there s a lot to be added to this fine analysis. When it comes to the unterlying causes, there seems to be a contradiction between tribalism, on the one hand and struggle for resources by the poor, on the other. But, there is none.
The struggle for resources has become very skewed towards one tribe, the Kikuyu, who have more or less taken the role of the former colonialists.And at the same time they have also inhereted the hatred, which was at colonial times directed towards the white rulers.
Why have the Kikuyus, a historically small tribe of farmers, located with the back to Mt. Kenya, which served them as a sanctuary against much more mobile and bellicose tribes like the Maasai, become so powerful?
The answer seems to be EDUCATION, which was brought to them by missionaries which they welcomed in opposite to more patriarchial societies like the Maasai, generations earlier.
Its the Christian faith, which brought them earlier access to education and health. Being the biggest tribe in numbers is already a consequence of their earlier access to the modern world..
Another important underlying factor of the present problems lies in the Kenyan political system, which depends on private initiative and competition more even than the USA. system
Access to good schools and health care is limited to those, who can afford. With another word, to the Kikuyus, which further widens the gap between them and other less developed tribes.......
It would be too simple to put the Kikuyus in opposition to all the other tribes, but they stand more than others for an elite, who enriches itsself at the costs of the rest.
TO stop widening the gap between the have and havenots is the basis for any solution in Kenya.
Toni Kamau
Nairobi
rerfuge area against more powerful tribes like the Maasai,
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