Uhuru Kenyatta, indicted for crimes against humanity, takes the lead
As Kenya is all set to get a new leader, with Kibaki retiring from politics, the political corridors are hoping for a stable government, especially at the backdrop of violent streaks. Prior to the elections, there was a series of violent bursts that sent ripples in Kenya’s heartland. A clash in the Tana River delta involving a politician resulted in the death of around 150 people. In another incident of violence in 2012 in Mombasa, a Muslim cleric lost his life which led to unrest in the vicinity with people taking to the streets and vandalising property. To top it all, the presence of the Somali militant group al-Shabaab has added to the environment of violence. Incidents of street violence in places like Kisumu and Siaya have epitomised the political unrest ripping the country apart.
Elections in Kenya have had a history of bloodshed and violent uprisings. The protests during the 2008 election that was engineered by the opposition leader Raila Odinga left more than 1,000 people dead and rendered 600,000 homeless. In the last one year, the UN reported over 500 Kenyans dead including police officials and another 1,00,000 displaced.
Today, Kenya is plagued with severe inequality, poverty, unemployment and frequent strikes. With 40 per cent of youth being unemployed, the human capital is plainly unproductive and ends up opting for solutions through violence. So much so, the intellectual class including teachers and doctors are often found resorting to strikes. In order to curtail these social malaises, Kenya’s government had passed a new Western-style liberal constitution with reforms promising a better standard of life to police and security officials. But bills related to economic and social reforms are still to be tabled.
There are reasons to be optimistic about the new constitution that has provisions for new institutions of reforms and audit bodies. The most promise lies within Kenya's youth. As per a March 2012 World Bank working paper, “93 per cent of Kenyans are mobile phone users and 73 per cent are mobile money customers." In other words, over one-fourth of Kenyans are now online. As the youth in Kenya is all set to globalise, the least they expect is a non-violent political future. The new government must convert the young pool of talent into a demographic dividend than alienate them.
As Kenya is all set to get a new leader, with Kibaki retiring from politics, the political corridors are hoping for a stable government, especially at the backdrop of violent streaks. Prior to the elections, there was a series of violent bursts that sent ripples in Kenya’s heartland. A clash in the Tana River delta involving a politician resulted in the death of around 150 people. In another incident of violence in 2012 in Mombasa, a Muslim cleric lost his life which led to unrest in the vicinity with people taking to the streets and vandalising property. To top it all, the presence of the Somali militant group al-Shabaab has added to the environment of violence. Incidents of street violence in places like Kisumu and Siaya have epitomised the political unrest ripping the country apart.
Elections in Kenya have had a history of bloodshed and violent uprisings. The protests during the 2008 election that was engineered by the opposition leader Raila Odinga left more than 1,000 people dead and rendered 600,000 homeless. In the last one year, the UN reported over 500 Kenyans dead including police officials and another 1,00,000 displaced.
Today, Kenya is plagued with severe inequality, poverty, unemployment and frequent strikes. With 40 per cent of youth being unemployed, the human capital is plainly unproductive and ends up opting for solutions through violence. So much so, the intellectual class including teachers and doctors are often found resorting to strikes. In order to curtail these social malaises, Kenya’s government had passed a new Western-style liberal constitution with reforms promising a better standard of life to police and security officials. But bills related to economic and social reforms are still to be tabled.
There are reasons to be optimistic about the new constitution that has provisions for new institutions of reforms and audit bodies. The most promise lies within Kenya's youth. As per a March 2012 World Bank working paper, “93 per cent of Kenyans are mobile phone users and 73 per cent are mobile money customers." In other words, over one-fourth of Kenyans are now online. As the youth in Kenya is all set to globalise, the least they expect is a non-violent political future. The new government must convert the young pool of talent into a demographic dividend than alienate them.
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