Poverty behind the violence in Kenya

from Radio Netherlands

By our correspondent Koert Lindijer

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for a million people to attend a banned rally in Nairobi's Uhuru Park. The authorities have deployed large numbers of police officers to prevent protesters from reaching the park.

In the past few days, hundreds of people have been killed in violence sparked when ruling President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the country's presidential election. The official election results are contested by international observers and the chair of the election commission. So what is the cause of the sudden unrest in Kenya?

Kenya's image as one of Africa's most stable countries has been shattered. The fierce violence both before and after the election result shows how poverty can destabilise a developing country. Nearly half of Kenya's population live below the poverty line. During a temporary collapse of an effective central authority, such as occurred during the failed 1982 coup or the current unrest, the poor seize their chance to loot.

Tribal conflict
The violence is all the more intense because of aroused tribal sentiments. Politicians in Kenya often position themselves as tribal leaders in the tradition of African chiefs. Opposition leader Raila Odinga is the undisputed leader of the ctribe, while voters in the traditional Kikuyu heartland voted en bloc for ruling President Mwai Kibaki. Tribal conflict has not reached the level of intensity it did in, for instance, Rwanda, but all candidates played the tribal card in their campaigns.

The recent rioting exposed a yawning gap between the Kikuyus and other tribes, raising increasing fears of civil war should these sentiments be given free rein. On Wednesday, the government accused the opposition of ethnic cleansing of Kikuyus. Earlier this week, excited young men armed with machetes erected roadblocks in the northwestern city of Eldoret and took out their anger and frustration on local Kikuyus.

"This seat is ours, and we will never give it up",

the Kikuyus said before the elections. After the official results and the ensuing riots, a Kikuyu woman said:

"I did not know we Kikuyus aroused so much envy, I would have been better off voting for the opposition, at least we would have been spared this hatred".

Why the Kikuyus are vulnerable
Kikuyus are the most vulnerable ethnic group. Since the country's independence in 1963, the patronage of their political leaders has enabled them to settle across Kenya, outside their densely populated traditional heartland near Mount Kenya. Poor Kikuyus own small food stalls or drive minivans; rich Kikuyus own bars, construction companies or other big companies.

Their position is most precarious in the Rift Valley, where Kikuyu women and children who had sought refuge in a church in the town of Eldoret were killed when local youths torched the building. The Rift Valley has a long history of tribal violence directed against immigrants, and especially against Kikuyus. The valley's original inhabitants are the Kalenjin, the tribe of former President Daniel Arap Moi. He campaigned for President Kibaki, but his supporters were defeated in the general election and a new group of young Kalenjin took power in the province. It was this group of politicians who brought groups of armed young men to Eldoret. Not only the Kikuyu, but also Mr Moi also fell victim to their anger: one of his farms was torched.

Polarisation
Kenya's relatively strong economy, good infrastructure and modern educational system created an impression of fading tribal divisions, but the jealousy against the Kikuyus never went away, and the political elite continues to exploit tribal sentiments to win elections. The riots have incited tribal sentiments that can spin out of control when the army and other security forces are infected with the same virus. Kikuyu militias, such as the infamous Mungiki sect are fighting back to protect their tribesmen.

The election has held Kenya in its grip for months now; nomads, small farmers, beggars and stock brokers, everyone is passionately following politics. The widespread political awareness led to a large turnout in the elections. Democracy is very much alive among common Kenyans, but most of them are now sitting at home, terrified, wondering what awaits them in the rapidly polarising country.