Kenya in turmoil

The following is an article which I have just completed for publication in the Sheridan Sun. It's a story which I believe many in the international sphere should be aware of.

Kenya in turmoil

by Ryan Bolton

It started with a botched election and has led to brutal murders, a mass exodus and headlines of ‘ethnic cleansing.’

Machete toting Kenyans have set fire to churches, schools and vehicles plummeting Kenya, a country – which was once lauded as a peaceful and stable African nation – into a battlefield.

Kenya, the ocean-side East African country, has been in a state of bedlam since its national elections on Dec. 27, which international diplomats have deemed rigged on both sides.

In the post-election weeks nearly 900 Kenyans have lost their lives and at least 300,000 have fled their homes.

The root of the violence has also shifted to ethnic groups pitted against one another. The election has reportedly opened a Pandora’s box of past tensions of wealth, power and land disputes dating back to British colonial rule.

President Mwai Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe has been targeted by various other groups, namely opposition leader, Raila Odinga’s Lou tribe and the Kalenjin tribe. In response, the Kikuyu peoples are avenging the deaths of their fallen kin.

“With so many tribal groups and the death of two opposition members of parliament the problems have escalated and the local police will find it difficult to control,” said Liz Durdan, the director of international services for Upper Oakville Centennial’s Rotary Club. “I have lived in Nigeria and I know that often the police used bribes to get things done.”

Two Kenyan opposition lawmakers, both members of Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement, have also been murdered, exacerbating the situation.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been attempting to cool the political rift as the current chief mediator. Full of optimism, Annan announced that the government and opposition had agreed to commence a “peace plan” last Friday, which would curb the bloodshed in two weeks time. However, more than 20 people were brutally killed by rebels shortly thereafter.

The BBC reported a youth named Lefty as saying, “Let Annan do his bit but there’s going to be no resolution. The clashes will continue.”

“It is a very sad situation and the countries [sic] economy will falter without tourism and I am sure many people will cancel trips [to Kenya],” said Durdan in an e-mail.

With words of ethnic cleansing being used, international sources are foreboding another African genocide, such as Rwanda in 1994.

Last Thursday, Alpha Oumar Konaré, chairman of the African Union, said: “Kenya is a country that was a hope for the continent. Today, if you look at Kenya you see violence on the streets. We are even talking about ethnic cleansing. We are even talking about genocide.”

It’s time for international aid and Kenya itself to abide by and find solace in its national motto: “Let us all pull together.”