MLK Day Kenya News Update
Yet another potential mediator is on hand, President Yoweri Museveni, of Uganda.
KENYA’S main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement has welcomed President Yoweri Museveni’s mediation aimed at stemming the violence that followed the December 27 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.
Mr Museveni has in the recent past been strongly criticized for being the only African head of State to have congratulated Mr Kibaki on winning the disputed poll. And claims of Ugandan troop deployment in Kenya only served to fuel tensions.
“President Museveni has telephoned Hon Raila Odinga informing him of intentions to travel to Kenya and mediate between us and the PNU in efforts to make sure that there is peace and democracy in Kenya. As the chairman of the East African Community he is welcome,” ODM spokesman Salim Lone told Daily Monitor …
The UK will communicate on Wednesday whether it recognizes Kibaki as president of Uganda.
People continue to die.
The Orange party leader Mr Raila Odinga spoke of peace “returning soon” as the Government made an important concession by allowing today’s mass funeral service in the first ever sign of softening up.
But there was widespread outrage over the Kalonzo Musyoka-led mediation team, on a day 26 more lives were violently snuffed out.
In the midst of all this, the Catholic Church’s John Cardinal Njue sent out a passionate plea to President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga: Swallow your pride, sit down and talk so that you save this country before it is too late….
Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man believes that Martin Luther King’s words from 40 years ago
seemed to have been directed to Kenyans just as much as to Americans!
and he quotes, for Odinga’s side and for Kibaki’s, the words that he thinks each should most take to heart.
The Kenyan crisis, and its affect on the Mombasa port, continue to have ramifications in other countries of the region.
The already disturbing economic ramifications of Kenya’s disputed election to the wider East African region could prove substantial if the situation does not return to normal soon.
Already, despite clumsy attempts by bureaucrats to down-play the impact, business in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DR Congo has slowed down as industrial goods, raw materials and foodstuffs that come through Mombasa port either cannot move or it is very risky to move them.
Last week, Ugandan importers under their umbrella organisation Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) invaded the trade ministry to protest government’s “inaction” to help them transport their goods containers which have been stranded for weeks at Mombasa port since the post election violence broke out….
Are the ethnic killings a spontaneous response to a rigged election? Or might they have been planned?
Young Kenyan Man is now a refugee in Uganda.
Took a flight via Air Uganda and since these guys are making a comeback, it means first class treatment for economy class guys. Of course, it’s not cheap compared to road, but considering what happened to my cousin this past friday, I’m glad I took the upstairs route.
He informed me that between Kisumu and Busia, the road is blocked by gangs of youth and the local cops are overwhelmed by the situation, such that these guys in their Akamba bus didn’t get police escort automatically but had to go searching for it. Apparently even the cops are somewhat influenced by the tribal issues and only when they got a Kikuyu OCS somewhere in Luanda, were they able to travel safely to Busia.
They got stopped by a gang who demanded money to let them pass, and just after they’d done a mini harambee and the road cleared, another gang showed up with a tractor tyre and kerosene. They wanted to burn the bus and demanded for Kikuyus in it. Fortunately the driver had his wits with him and drove off, under a hail of stones.