KENYA ’S ELECTION FRAUD: CIVIL WAR LOOMS

Mwai Kibaki

As more than 300 Kenyans have died in the wake of protest condemning alleged election rigging by President Mwai Kibaki, there are now fears that the country once an oasis of peace in a troubled great lake region of East Africa may be heading for a serious civil strife.

Pointblanknews.com correspondent in Kenya Thomas Nganga reports that arms and ammunitions are being smuggled in from troubled neighboring countries and the Port city of Mombassa in anticipation of an impending fight back by majority Kikuyi tribesmen who have become endangered internally displaced people since the tragic electoral fraud.

Kenya neighbors, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda are plagued by serious long-playing civil wars. Some have lasted for more than 40 years. Kenya, apart from the Mau-Mau gorilla anti-colonial uprising had witnessed relative geopolitical stability. It also suffers periodic draught and crop failure, yet it flora and fauna an impressive array of games makes it an important tourist destination in the world earning an annual gross of $500 Million.

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As at news time only a handful protesters have made there way to the Uhuru Park, venue of opposition rally already declared illegal by Kenyan authorities. The police which have come under serious international criticism for using life ammunition to combat angry protesting mobs at the weekend which led direct death of over 200 Kenyans is now using water canon and teargas to stop pro-democracy activists from the rally billed to be addressed by the presumed winner of the purportedly stolen mandate, Mr. Raila Odinga.

African Union Chairman and Ghanaian President, Mr. John Kufour, is still expected to arrive Kenya in an attempt to bring the feuding parties to round table negotiations.

Reports from Kenya indicate that the boundary congruity between Kenya and Sudan to the West and Kenya Somalia to the East makes it easy for angry mobs and their financiers to import sophisticated weapons. Odinga had told reporters that “as you can see Kenyans would not take the insult lightly.” Despite attempts by the police to deter protesters from attending the rally at Uhuru Park, large mob set burning tires and barricade three miles south of the venue and continue to sing “no Odinga, no Kenya.”

There is growing disenchantment with the so-called New Economic for African Development, NEPAD for having failed to deliver in its promised peer review mechanism amongst Africa’s presidents and heads of government concerning democracy and good governance.

In particularly the electoral irregularities in places like Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the sit-tight leadership in Libya, may have served as impetus and bad example for the alleged result falsification.