Kenya
Post Election Violence in Kenya - Background
January 31, 2008
While the immediate cause of the violence that has gripped Kenya since the
December 27, 2007 elections was the apparent stealing of the presidential election
by the incumbent, President Mwai Kibaki, the inter-ethnic violence has roots
that date back decades to the colonial period and which are the product of institutionalized
inequalities and long standing land disputes, especially in the Rift Valley. A
highly centralized, winner-takes-all political system, instituted at independence, has
exacerbated inter-ethnic rivalries as successive presidents have exploited their
position to favor their supporters and disadvantage political opponents. Political
differences have often reflected ethnic divisions. Weak governing institutions
have failed to provide a system of government responsive to the needs of all
Kenya’s people.
Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president, from 1964 – 1978, advanced
the ascendancy of his Kikuyu tribe, which, at the end of colonial rule, had acquired
property previously seized by the British from other ethnic groups.
Daniel Arap Moi, from the Kalenjin ethnic group, an increasingly authoritarian
and corrupt president from 1978 – 2002, also sought to advance the interests
of his own group, stoking tensions, especially in the Rift Valley region, the
traditional homeland of the Kalenjin.
Mwai Kibaki emerged as the victor of widely praised elections in 2002. However,
his broad based coalition eroded and he began to favor members of his Kikuyu
tribe with patronage and government positions.
Raila Odinga ran as a democratic opponent to Kibaki in the December 2007 elections,
but he drew much of his support from rivals to the Kikuyo, including the Kalenjin
and his own Luo ethnic group. The expression of political differences in
tribal and ethnic terms has stoked the fires of the inter-ethnic violence gripping
Kenya today.
Tensions have been further exacerbated by growing economic inequality and
persistent high rates of poverty, despite recent high rates of economic growth.
Since declaring victory in the presidential election on December 30, 2007,
President Kibaki has resisted calls from the opposition Orange Democratic Movement
for a recount, or for a new election. The opposition, led by former minister,
Raila Odinga, has refused to enter into any power sharing agreement that would
recognize the legitimacy of Kibaki’s re-election as president.
Former U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan is leading mediation efforts backed
by the African Union. He has called for an investigation into the gross
violations of human rights that have taken place since December 27. Annan
has stressed the need to address the long term issues that have contributed to
the current crisis in his suggested agenda for the national dialogue to end the
political crisis in Kenya.
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