NAIROBI: "We nearly lost Kenya", said Kofi Annan, then UN secretary-general, describing the chaos that pursued disputed election in the region in 2007. Cut to nine years later, and the situation reads the same, with Kenya walking on similar lines. Tear gas attacks have become normal with Mondays, as a journalist reported, being referred to as "Machozi Monday", Swahili for "tear gas Monday".
In a style that was started off by former President Daniel Arap Moi, Kenyan politicians have often resorted to manipulate community grievances in exchange of their support. Criminals and young people are used as pawns to intimidate the competitions and wipe out their supporters from areas that have already been marked. Now, with yet another election announced for next year, Kenyan residents are worried. Worried about their economic circumstances, worried about the political fights that are almost confirmed to break out, and worried about the impact, the violence has on their lives and on their children. "It's getting very nervy. The economy crashes and burns when we fumble these elections. What's worrying is that this is happening so early, that we already have this degree of contestation."
Businesses close down every Monday, parents keep their children away from school, people stay away from the streets. The opposition leaders thrive on the fear, as a part of their agenda seems to be to slow down the economy. The entire gala surrounding the ballot reeks of hostility. Hate speeches circulate in the form of text messages, and Twitter/Facebook posts.
The opposition's poster boy, Raila Odinga leads the protests and has been calling for the appointment of new electoral commission personnel, amongst other demands. The 2017 elections are in all likelihood the last that Odinga will contest. They pit him against the incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta, heir to the country’s most powerful political dynasty. The stakes are higher than ever and the mood among younger Kenyans frustrated with the status quo is febrile.
Despite his advancing age, Odinga can still be a spoiler. The demonstrations have rattled investors and shaken the economy. Kenya has looked like a star performer - a rare exception on the continent - because it is diversified and largely unscathed by the collapse in global commodity prices. The recent arrest of several politicians accused of using hate speech proved a sobering moment. Thanks to additional pressure from the UK and US, the rival forces have now agreed a means of negotiation.
It is vital this pressure is maintained until a set of measures is found to restore confidence in the democratic system. The protests may be legitimate. But too often in Kenya they result in violence that spirals out of control.
