Another Kenya post-election round up
Human Rights Watch urged an independent review of the Kenyan elections, while Archbishop Desmond Tutu hinted that a coalition government might be possible after meeting with President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
bankele takes a break from the usual business blogging to consider an Alternative solution for Kenya election stalemate.
One institution we have intact and legitimate is parliament – whose members were gazetted this week. Parliament to be reconstituted – and they can then vote for the president.
The MP’s are our elected leaders and all (but 3) of the countries 210 constituencies have duly elected their representatives for the next five years. There elections are not in doubt for the most part and they are a legitimate group of people, many of them new to parliament for the first time. The vote can be in public or by secret ballot. And surely it will be easier to tally 210 votes than 10 million votes. This can be done in a week at most and will result in a legitimate president for the country.
Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman laments
… These broadcasts are brimming with just barely-suppressed glee at being able to say that tribal violence is tearing the East African nation of Kenya apart, long regarded as an exemplary bastion of stability in the region. We have confirmed some cherished stereotypes and validated many racists worldwide. In addition to everything else, really, those of you with young children had better start thinking about how, if we survive this, you are ever going to be able to explain what you did with your Kenya. What will you tell them?
Will you tell them: well dear one, your uncle’s neighbour cut off his colleague’s hands because that colleague’s father was from a village about fifty kilometres away from where the president’s mother used to live? Will your mouth be able to form an explanation for your children, or will your words burn in your throat …
Let us stop this.
Yesterday afternoon, I attended a meeting of a small group of concerned Kenyan citizens at the Kenyan High Commission. The recently appointed ambassador to SA chaired the meeting. We arrived a bit late so I missed part of what was discussed at the meeting. The group was trying to find ways to respond to the crisis in Kenya. I think the meeting was also cathartic for the attendees who feel helpless about the situation, especially being in the diaspora. The issue of who won or who lost the election didn’t come up – the focus was on what Kenyans in the diaspora can do with regards to the immediate crisis of the violence and the displacement. One key resolution was for those of us who have access to the media to demonstrate that the situation is a lot more nuanced than Kikuyu vs. Luo and than “tribal war” – this tag by the international media is leading to piecemeal solutions being offered that won’t really address the underlying issues. We also committed to engaging in dialogue with our neighbours, friends, co-workers etc. – this might seem like a very fluffy suggestion, but let me reiterate that emotions are still very charged and most conversations don’t drill down to what are the real issues – the more we can move away from the rhetoric that was used to get voters charged during the campaigns the more we can begin to prepare the path for reconciliation as a country once this mess is over….
She directs us to Afromusing, who has been blogging from Eldoret, and who has a post on ways to help.
Another round up of Kenyan bloggers from Kenya Pundit.
Sokari has more Bloggers covering Kenyan elections.
A round up from Global Voices, which also directs us to a blog for restoring peace, harmony, and unity in Kenya.