Kenya has deteriorated into a bloodbath in the aftermath of controversial election results that handed a victory to incumbent, Mwai Kibaki. The opposition leader, Raila Odinga as well as outside observers from the EU have claimed fraud. The difference was just 231,000 votes out of 8 million and early indications had Odinga winning. It was only a late burst but Kibaki that handed him the victory. Now many are disputing the legitimacy of that burst.
We all remember the spectacle of the 2000 elections: hanging chads, dimpled chads, etc. We remember thinking that we are the laughing stock of the world. The Kenyan elections should put that into perspective. The Kenyans have such unrefined election laws that Kibaki quickly swore himself in before any real legal challenges could be made.
After that happened all hell broke loose. The country has deteriorated into primitive tribal warfare. Tribes loyal to each of the candidate are fighting each other many times using things like rocks and knives. So far there have been reports of 300 deaths and that toll will likely grow.
I initially got interested in the story because my hometown paper the Chicago Tribune presented the election as a beacon of hope. The events that have transpired in its aftermath were exactly the events the Trib said wouldn't.
I have said it before and I will say it now again. The evil that continues to go on in Africa will eventually have to be cleaned up by the Western World. That kind of evil simply cannot be contained forever. Somalia has been in a state of anarchy for nearly 20 years. The country is ruled by warlords. No less than three different countries have seen a genocide in the same time frame, and the Kenyan elections are just the latest in the series of tragic events that plague Africa.
Stay tuned...
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