Kenya's reputation of being one of the most stable countries in Africa was shattered in early January as the outcome of suspect presidential elections threw the country into a cycle of violence and instability. Between 600 and 1,000 people may have been killed as rival tribal groups clashed throughout the country.
The post-election turmoil has unleashed an enormous refugee crisis and according to the Red Cross, 250,000 have fled their homes and at least 500,000 are in need of assistance. UN World Food Programme trucks carrying 2,500 tonnes of supplies have been delayed because of the violence and food prices have gone up by 50 per cent. The turmoil also has ramifications for the wider region, which is already rocked by war, famine and political instability. Kenya is an important exporter to neighboring countries and the port of Mombasa is a key centre for imports, not just for Kenya, but for the region as a whole.
Out-going president Mwai Kibaki has claimed victory after elections on 27 December. However, oppostion leader Raila Odinga, has refused to accept the result, claiming Kibaki’s victory was the result of massive vote-rigging. The European Union’s chief election observer, said the poll had "fallen short of key international and regional standards for democratic elections". Indeed, Kibaki's own party was decimated in parliamentary elections taking place on the same day, with 15 ministers of his outgoing government losing their seats.
Kenya has experienced significant economic growth in recent years and is seen as an African business hub and the most successful market economy in the region. Last year, the economy grew by 7%. Despite the enormous profits made by multinational companies, Kenya is a massively unequal society. 60% of the population live in poverty and Nairobi is home to Africa's largest slum, Kibera, with one million inhabitants. Since independence, Kenya's politicians have been more concerned with bending the knee to imperialism and lining their own pockets, than alleviating the endemic poverty of the masses. The annual salary of a member of parliament in $60,000 while the minimum wage is around $700 a year!
Rampant poverty and inequality have fanned the flames of tribal divisions which, have been whipped up by politicians in an attempt to win power. Both candidates campaigned along tribal lines and Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement played on the fears of smaller tribes that Kibaki was only representing the interests of his own Kikuyu tribe, who have dominated the political scene since independance.
However, there is no desire on the part of the Kenyan masses to be dragged into a communal bloodbath. A Kikuyu man living in Eldoret summed up the mood of many, "These politicians, all drinking coffee in the InterContinental (hotel). They are not the ones fighting. It is the common man who is suffering" (The Independent, London, 8 January 2008.) One Nairobi radio station even announced it was banning politicians from its airwaves as they were inciting violence.
The US and the EU have come down hard on Kibaki and Odinga, calling on them to form a unity government in the "national interest" i.e. the interests of the multinational corporations. The continent is now the stage for a new scramble for Africa as the Imperial powers target the continent's natural resources. China is already prospecting for oil off the Kenyan coast and Russia has just signed a gas deal with Nigeria. It is this, and the not concern for the country's impoverished millions, that motivates western imperialism.
The Kenyan masses cannot rely on any of the current political leaders. Both Odinga and Kibaki were erstwhile allies of former dictator Daniel arap Moi, who presided over massive corruption and growth in inequality. Fundamentally their programmes do not differ and both vow to continue pro-IMF anti-working class policies. What is needed is a party uniting the various tribes on a socialist programme that would challenge the rule of capitalism and begin to address the enormous social problems facing the masses.
