Map of Kenya courtesy of www.goway.com
DEVELOPMENTS
More than 200,000 Kenyans have been displaced due to election-fueled ethnic chaos in this usually stable east African country. Another 100,000 people face starvation as a result of the violence. The intense riots and looting were touched off on December 27th when the incumbent presidential candidate, President Mwai Kibaki, declared victory over contender Raila Odinga under questionable circumstances. The apparent manipulation of the election process, which independent election observers said failed to meet democratic standards, unleashed the ethnic frustrations of Mr. Odinga's supporters against those of President Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe.
Close to five hundred deaths have been officially reported, although the actual number is likely to be higher. The most shocking example of bloodletting took place in a small town in Western Kenya, where up to fifty Kikuyus were burned alive while taking refuge in a church. Although the violence appeared to subside at week's end, and African Union led negotiations seemed likely, a new wave of violence was sparked on January 8th when Kibaki unilaterally announced his selections for major cabinet posts. No members of Odinga's Orange Democratic Party were selected, despite winning a majority of parliamentary seats. Kenya's economy, the largest in East Africa, is already feeling the negative effects of destabilization.
