I have not read such bilge water in a very long time. Seems Alexandra has been indoctrinated into the infamous "happy valley or Kenyan cowboy" circle. This piece of intellectually lazy journalism, so typical of "expats" on Africa, reeks of; thinly veiled bias towards status quo; a contempt for social ideology; condescension towards the poor majority; a criminal lack of grasp of simple facts (Raila does not wear purple nor is his Hummer yellow); and a tinge of patronization of Kenyans; a lack of historical understanding of political Kenya and the monumental role Raila plays; a narrow personalized view completely divorced from reality etc ad infinitum. Just because her chief editor and audience will believe whatever Alexandra says, makes her more so irresponsible for passing off expatriate gossip for the Gospel. As a Kenyan I feel deeply insulted by this hogwash, more so now that we have been stitched up like a kipper by, by the Kenyan elites and status quo defenders. If she did not write the piece under duress or under the influence of the happy go lucky lifestyle she most likely leads, then I cannot understand the bias for she must intelligent and competent. I blame the tone and wanton disregard of the reality to self-interest and sheer intellectual laziness. The facts are everywhere - no need to repeat them here.
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All this has helped Odinga, the main opposition candidate. The 61-year old politician served as minister of Roads under Kibaki, until a disagreement over constitutional reform led Odinga to break away and form his own party. Odinga has promised to improve Kenya's decrepit streets and make other infrastructure fixes. His platform also has a distinctly populist bent: he's said he'll improve Nairobi's notorious slums, provide low-cost housing and give cash transfers to the very poor. Odinga was polling at 46 percent to Kibaki's 43 percent in mid-December.
Should he win, however, Odinga could spell real trouble. He has fair credentials as a democrat, having spent time in jail for standing up to the Moi regime during the 1980s and '90s. Odinga has also managed, despite his age, to present himself as the choice of the next generation, filling his party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), with young, well-educated, first-time candidates. "The fight now is about generational change and thinking outside the box," says Najib Balala, 40, a former mayor of the port town of Mombasa and an ODM favorite.
But many economists and business leaders fear that Odinga's main objectives are to increase his own power, wealth and prestige, and that if elected, he'll make no more progress against corruption than did Kibaki (he's surrounded himself with many of the same figures embroiled in past graft scandals). Perhaps even more worrisome, Odinga, who is a Luo, has based part of his appeal on the resentment shared by Kenya's minority tribes against the dominant Kikuyus, . If elected, Odinga has suggested he'll oust educated Kikuyus from government, decentralize power and build up Kenya's Western province (Luo land) with money from the Central province (Kikuyu country)—steps that could increase the tribal tensions that paralyzed the country in years past.
Odinga argues that Kenya needs "radical change." Kenyans, especially the poor, seem to agree. Certainly those who have to drink poisonous waters from the polluted Nairobi River every day have reason to feel this way. But the country has made huge progress under Kibaki, and more change is on the way. It's far from clear whether Odinga will keep things moving in the right direction.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Kibaki's age as 80. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.
© 2007
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