The worst that had been expected by Kenya watchers has happened. Many commentators had said that the country was slowly maturing into a real democracy. They were proved to have been too hasty! The mess that occurred during the presidential elections has awakened the sleeping monster of tribal divide in the country.
Though both Kibaki and Odinga had kept clear of sectarian issues and instead focused on national issues, hidden tribal instincts have surfaced and too with a vengeance. The animosity between Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe and Odingo’s Luo (and its allied tribes) has its root in history. The real cause of friction is, as usual, unequal distribution of wealth and opportunities of Kenya.
Since the country’s independence in 1963, Kikuyus have dominated Kenya’s politics and economy, though they are merely 22 percent of the populace. The other tribes have long resented this. When after the controversial elections, Kibaki was declared the winner, the resentment burst forth.
The non-Kikuyu tribes feel that their candidate, Odinga, has been denied the victory through cheating. The resulting violence is tearing the country apart. Both the major parties, ODM and PNU, will have to come to the table for talks to defuse the volatile situation. The statesmen in both Kibaki and Odinga will have to rise. This is no time for a narrow vision. Sadly both of them seem to be sticking to their respective stands.
The incompetence (or partiality?) of Kenya’s election commission has unknowingly unleashed powerful tribal animosities, which have the capacity of tearing the country apart. Kenya today resembles Rwanda. It had been touted lately as one of the most promising nation of the Dark Continent.
