Thoughts for post-election promise in Kenya

BY JOSEPH WAWERU KAMENJU

Kenya's closely contested election and the reaction to disputed results have plunged the country into one of its worst post-independence political challenges. In the election, held last December, the margin between the declared winner and the loser was very close. Independent observers also noted glaring anomalies in the tallying of the final votes.

When no meaningful dialogue to solve the problem was established, protests over the perceived electoral fraud metamorphosed, reawakening deep underlying grievances and issues that have long been left unresolved. At the time of this writing, parts of the country are still in chaos, and a resolution doesn't seem imminent.

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa with the equator cutting roughly through its middle. It is about the size of France but has about half the population at nearly 37 million people. Kenya is composed of some 42 or so disparate tribes, each with its own language and cultural uniqueness. Sometimes the animosity and suspicion among Kenya's different tribes have degenerated into intertribal warfare and violence — but not to the degree it has recently.