Echoes of Rwanda filled our minds as Kenya became engulfed in the flames of ethnic violence following the December 27, 2007 presidential election in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, were inflamed by allegations of electoral manipulation, which was widely confirmed by international election observers. The post-election violence, soon turned into what some are now calling genocide and tensions have taken much of the spotlight off Sudan who still lingers in the grey shadows. Some claim the violence is not ethnically inspired, but economically fulled. Regardless ethnic tensions are not unknown in Kenya and have been used as fodder in many cases since independence in 1963, especially in regards to land ownership, and with this displacement is neither a new fate for many Kenyans.
The past three months have left us with mounting fears and little hope for the future of Kenya. Stories of children caught in the cross fire, youths violently patrolling the streets flood the news and our minds. Women and children have been the hardest hit by the clashes, which have left mounting instances of rape and have also hindered aid efforts. The conflict has left some 301,000 plus IDP's (one third of which are under 5), half of which are children, many of who have left their homes in search of their ‘ancestral’ homes, while others have also fled to bordering Uganda.
Many Kenyan children who have been caught up in the violence live in utter poverty, with their futures looking bleak even before the eruption of violence. One such breeding ground for the violence, due to fears and hate of corruption, lies right out side the capital city of Nirobi, in the slums of Kibera. The worlds largest slum with over one million people, the children of Kibera and their families have no running or clean water; the same streets where children play overflow with human waste, breading disease to those who have no access to healthcare. These same streets have now grown even more desperate as access to food and healthcare is even farther out of reach, as they have been the hardest hit by the violence. It is the many children like the children of the Kibera Slums who find themselves more and more drawn to violence as a means of hope for a better future. Sadly violence only breeds more violence and discontent, leaving those in poverty and social turmoil to fall farther and farther away from hope and continue to linger in the shadows of a failing state.
As January wound down some began to see a small glimmer of light as mediation talks began, due in large thanks to the help of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. As violence spread in the Rift Valley and Nairobi, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes, most saw little signs of an end to the crisis, causing concerns that the end to the violence was no where in sight to only grow.
On February 28th the National Accord and Reconciliation Act was signed by both Kibaki and Odinga, establishes the office of prime minister, and creates a coalition government. This new power-sharing deal, only serves to overhaul the way the country is governed. The terms of the agreement, which the AP outlines, establishes Odinga, as Kenya's new prime minister. Some praise the deal and says a power-sharing agreement "held the only key to a peaceful and agreeable settlement of the post-election impasse" (The Standard). Others claim that the deal only signifies Kenya pulling "back from the brink” (Economist). While former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who mediated the agreement, do deserve much credit in brokering the deal, it unfortunately leave many worried as it "remains to be seen how the sharing of power will work in practice." How long will the deal last is also a question of great concern, as many wonder if new presidential elections will soon be sought.
What fate awaits the children of Kenya? The sad reality of Kenya is that regardless of peace today or tomorrow, the scars of violence never disappear, and will now forever mare the lives of all of Kenya's children. One can only hope that the wounds heal of a nation heal enough to leave only a faded scar that all can learn from, one which serves as a reminder for what must never occur again.
Please see my esteemed colleague Dan Graeber's post's Kenya descends and Kenya witnessing "genocide on a grand scale" for more incite.
