Feature Reflection
State of the Nation
Mwai Kibaki, the Kenyan president, and Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, have signed a power‐sharing agreement after weeks of nationwide violence and political unrest which followed a disputed election. What is the current state of the nation, following weeks of violence and unrest that rocked the country since December 30th 2007? What does this power sharing deal mean for the person on the street or village in Kenya? Mike O’maera takes us through a reflection of the state of the nation. Full story below...
News and Events
- Psycho-social support by JHC
- Lenten Campaign By Hekima college
- Weaving the Link; The place of Faith based organizations
- Call for Contributions: Hakimani: Jesuit Journal of Social Justice in Eastern Africa
Heroes of Peace
A born again kikuyu mother [a widow] helped two of her Luo neighbours after four other neighbours had been brutally murdered and burnt beyond recognition when they were attacked by Militias (Mungiki gang). She hid them under her bed in her one roomed house, as she told them that none had escaped to her house. She then spent the whole kneeling by her bedside in prayer. The attackers sympathised with her and left the “stupid prayerful woman”. She then smuggled the two men in sacks carried by boda boda safely to relatives in another estate. (Wairimu, Mwariki, Nakuru)
State of the Nation:
What does the Power sharing deal mean?
Kenya is shining on the International radar again, this time, following the signing of the power sharing deal that could hold the country back from the grind towards the precipice.
Kenyans gave each other the ‘New Year’ greeting, only for it to be stolen from their lips in the first week of January by political tension and post-election violence. Fortunately, at the close of February, the country woke up to a new day, beaming with confidence there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, as the world embraced the nation with soothing, congratulatory and encouraging messages.
The world acknowledged Kenya’s momentous breakthrough to peace, with messages of solidarity and support coming in mainly from the US, Europe, Africa and the global family of nations, the United Nations.
As we bathe in the International limelight for having pulled back from a precipice, it is important to take stock of where we are at the moment as a nation.
We are certain of the damage that the prolonged conflict has caused the country in general and particularly the poor who are suffering and will continue bearing the brunt of the current crisis. For them it gets worse day by day, in at least five (5) ways:
First, family incomes are under intense stress: some have lost their forms of dependable employment following the experience of displacement; others have lost access to their tools and resources of gainful occupation such as those in agricultural production; and those able to host displaced persons have had to stretch their budget in the face of heightened inflation. Tourism revenue has collapsed; just as many other sectors of the economy are reeling from the effect of the violence. Hundreds of employees have been laid off, and this has had ripple effects on their family and dependants, e.g. One Maasai community used to earn Ksh. 28,000 (About US$ 400) per month from tourist visits. The small and medium enterprises have also gone and this has resulted in more chronic poverty.
Second, health-care has been heavily disrupted. HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) patients are finding it hard to collect their life-saving medicines. TB patients must repeat the whole course again as Tuberculosis (TB) develops drug resistance when treatment is incomplete. NGOs are working hard to help. But it has not been easy going for them either, as one Caritas worker in Eldoret, describes the situation of a HIV-positive mother who needs formula milk for her baby: “It broke my heart to see this woman, badly beaten up, sitting in the waiting bay with her four month old baby. She was making her way back home to fetch the baby’s patient card when they got hold of her. She looked completely petrified.” Infant mortality is rising.
Third, Kenya’s deep inequality: this dates back to colonial times but intensified after independence in 1963, with the first independent government failing to address the issue of land displacement exhaustively. When former president Daniel arap Moi got to work, his network of patronage kept the big guys happy while the economy, on of Africa’s most promising stagnated. Growth picked up again over the last few years of National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) administration, the result of the global commodity boom, relative Political stability, which inspired confidence from the masses which in turn brought in Investment, both foreign and domestic, among other factors.
Fourth, militia and organized crime, as the economy sinks, so it becomes easier for nascent warlords to recruit the poor for their purposes, the slums have divided along ethnic lines. The reality of armed militia prowling some parts of this country cannot be wished away. Organized crime is profiting handsomely from the looting, taking the banditry that has bedeviled Kenya to new heights. Conflict that starts as grievance often ends up driven by greed, making it all the more difficult to halt.
Fifth, Broken faith in the democratic process, On the one hand, the peaceful transition in 2002, which ended the 24-year old presidency of Moi, gave hope to the poor that their vote would achieve real change, on the other, the disputed results of the27th December 2007 elections, caused great damage to the psyche of the Kenyan voter.
While admitting that the agreement between President Mwai Kibaki’s PNU and Raila Odinga’s ODM is good news for Kenyans and East Africans in general after nearly two months of a violent crisis that left over 1,000 dead and some 500,000 people displaced, it is necessary to emphasize that the signing of the agreement is just the first step in the right direction; many hurdles still lie ahead. A true resolution of the crisis will need serious and committed leadership, especially in the Kenyan parliament.
While President Kibaki and Raila Odinga, have done their part by putting pen on paper, chances are still high that the belligerence on both sides that almost derailed the talks could resurface if political expediency demands it. The challenge now is to persuade the foot soldiers of the two leaders, who have been insisting on the righteousness of their positions, to develop a bipartisan approach in parliament to enact the necessary legislation to give the power-sharing legal teeth.
In the past, Kenyan parliamentarians have been known to take positions based on self-preservation and personal benefit. Now it is time they are told that Kenyans are eagerly waiting to see how they handle the issue of power-sharing once parliament reopens on Thursday. The MPs should also remember that the Kenyan crisis has had a huge impact on the economies of Southern Sudan, Uganda, eastern Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, and has caused serious apprehension in Tanzania. Positive leadership by President Kibaki and Mr Odinga is more than ever needed to ensure that the momentum is not lost.
There has been unease on the undue emphasis that has been put on the political compromise, and the power sharing deal, whereas a mutually agreeable solution should have been all inclusive beginning with the return or resettlement of internally displaced persons. As such part of an early interim political settlement, must address the plight of the internally displaced person in the country and those outside our borders.
While confirming the work of humanitarian agencies, civil societies, churches and all people of good will supporting the broken down societal structures, health, food security and others, there is need to step up efforts. This is where development partners who have large programmes in Kenya come in. They must act in good faith, and be seen to be doing so. The World Bank got off to a bad start, when a leaked memo appeared to support the result of the flawed December election. The ODM is on record as having called on donors to shut down aid saying: “A government that steals the vote from its own people will steal any aid given to it”, it is equally important to take cognizance of the fact that, its Kenyans who stand to gain from continued support from the development partners, particularly at his critical moment as we make efforts to recollect our pieces and move on.
Mike O’maera is a programme officer in charge of Research, Publication and Communication at Jesuit Hakimani Centre in Nairobi.