Friday, February 1, 2008

Kenya in Crisis Day 35: An Update

The situation continues to be more and more tenuous in Kenya. The violence is ratcheting up and now we are seeing more and more, that people of power are getting murdered. Meanwhile all of the so called leaders are treating this crisis as something more of a real estate negotiations rather than a crisis that may likely bring this country into genocide. Another politician was murdered yesterday.

A policeman shot and killed an opposition lawmaker yesterday in what authorities say was a crime of passion over a woman. But machete-wielding protesters convinced it was an assassination clashed with police, leaving at least three dead. The fighting interrupted talks aimed at calming a nation gripped by violence since a disputed election a month ago.

Police said David Too was shot by a police officer who discovered the lawmaker was having an affair with his girlfriend. The woman — whom Too family members deny was linked to the politician — was shot in the same attack and also died, a hospital official said.

Too was the second anti-government legislator killed in a week; opposition politicians said both were victims of assassination plots.

Meanwhile, little tangible effect has happened since the two leaders, Odingo and Kibaki, met on Wednesday. I am quite dubious of Kofi Annan acting as mediator. Let's just say his skills don't give me much hope that the right person is there to bring some sort of stability.

Meanwhile, new UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon got behind a new four point plan.

He has come to provide heavyweight diplomatic clout for efforts to end a month of post-election turmoil in which more than 850 people have been killed.

Ban went straight to see negotiating teams for President Mwai Kibaki and his rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga. "Look beyond the individual interest. Look beyond the party lines. Look towards the future, the brighter future of your country," the UN boss urged them.

While all this negotiations look good on paper the reason I am skeptical is because it is all being done in the backdrop of the violence that I have described.

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