Tuesday, January 01, 2008
In a country made up of 42 different ethnic tribes, the tensions which exist between certain communities have never spilled over into all-out war. Ethnic clashes have broken out, most recently in the Mount Elgon region near the border with Uganda, but the country as a whole has remained united.
This may be Kenya’s biggest test. Luos, the second-largest tribe in Kenya, but one that has long been marginalised, believed they were finally going to get their chance to rule. The Kikuyus, Kenya’s largest tribe, have provided two of Kenya’s three presidents and retained influential positions during the rule of Daniel arap Moi, a Kalenjin.
Politicians have never been shy of stoking ethnic tensions, favouring their own people once in power. “This tribalism was started by [Jomo] Kenyatta, perfected by Moi and super-perfected by Kibaki,” said Elvis, a young accountant living in Kibera. He refused to give his surname as it would reveal his tribe. “I am a Kenyan – that is my tribe,” he said.
Kisumu, the third-largest city in Kenya and the heart of Luoland, has been starved of investment. Earlier in the year flights to Kisumu had to be cancelled because the airport’s decrepit runway was falling apart. In stark contrast, Eldoret, a small market town in Mr Moi’s home province, has a smart modern airport that wouldn’t look out of place in a small European city.
All the important economic and security positions in Mr Kibaki’s regime have been filled by Kikuyus, part of the so-called “Mount Kenya mafia”. It is this “mafia” which analysts and diplomats in Nairobi believe is behind the attempts to win the election come what may.
The anger spreading through Kenya at the flawed election results is not limited to Luos. Mr Odinga topped the poll in six out of eight provinces and unrest has been reported from the shores of Lake Victoria in the west to the Indian Ocean coast in the east.
Before the election, supporters of Mr Odinga said an ODM victory would mean it was their “time to eat”, a reference to the spoils that come with power. Yet even if he somehow manages to take office it is unlikely that life will change for many of the poor Luos currently rioting on the streets. If history is anything to go by the only ones who get to “eat” are the rich and well-connected. The poor, whether Kikuyu, Kalenjin or Luo, remain poor.
Source: The Independent, Jan 01, 2008