[Marxism] Violence Grows in Kenya (WSJ)

[Walter Lippmann]

Washington promptly endorsed Kibaki, but has since then taken a bit of
distance from him. It's not possible from thosands of miles away to 
determine the actual numerical vote count. Yet it seems fairly obvious 
what's going on there: Kibaki is trying to consolidate an electoral coup.
That is the implication from all the coverage I've seen so far on this.

It thus seems unlikely that Kibaki will back away and thus to admit he'd
stolen this election. In an honest set-up, that ought to be the end of
a politician's career. Washington's committment to democracy is, as we
know from experience, limited to when it serves Washington's goals and
interests. They loved "democracy" when Chavez's constitutional reform
proposal lost, but they loved a coup when Chavez was briefly overthrown
in that 2002 military coup. 


Walter Lippmann
=======================================================================
("Mr. Kibaki has been a strong supporter of American counterterrorism 
efforts in the region. His government has received substantial antiterrorism

training and funding from the U.S. Mr. Odinga, in efforts to distance
himself 
from the incumbent and appeal to Kenya's sizable Muslim population, 
appeared to be less supportive of U.S. interests going into the elections.")
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
("In 2005, Mr. Kibaki proposed an amendment to the constitution that 
allocated more power to the head of state, but voters rejected the 
amendment in a movement led by Mr. Odinga.")
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
("Mr. Odinga has planned a rally in a downtown Nairobi park tomorrow, 
at which supporters are encouraged to wear black armbands. Although 
he has called for peace, the gathering could easily boil over into further 
violence. Mr. Odinga has said that any negotiations for a satisfactory 
settlement of the crisis would have to start with government recognition 
that he is the legitimate president, not Mr. Kibaki.")
=======================================================================

The Wall Street Journal 		

January 2, 2008


Violence Grows in Kenya
Protesting Escalates
As President Kibaki
Begins a Second Term
By SARAH CHILDRESS
January 2, 2008; Page A3

Kenya's marred presidential vote and the violence that has spiraled
from it are threatening an island of stability in the otherwise
volatile horn of Africa, as well as endangering U.S. counterterrorism
efforts in the region.

At least 260 people have been killed so far in fighting that broke
out after election officials over the weekend said sitting President
Mwai Kibaki won last week's presidential election and international
observers criticized voting irregularities.

Opposition candidate Raila Odinga had gone into the voting on
Thursday ahead in most polls. That had raised expectations among his
supporters and many outsider observers that Kenya was poised for a
mostly peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected
government to another.

Those hopes collapsed after election officials named Mr. Kibaki the
victor on Sunday, following delays announcing the final results. 
He was hastily sworn in, triggering violent protests from Mr. Odinga's
supporters.

Those protests have since disintegrated into pitched battles and
tribal fighting. A mob torched a church sheltering hundreds of
Kenyans fleeing election violence Tuesday, killing up to 50. Mobs
have torched cars and burned homes. Much of the violence has flared
in Kisumu in the West, as well as in cities along the Indian Ocean,
where Mr. Odinga is most popular.

Slums in Nairobi, the capital city, also have erupted. The slum of
Kibera, home to one million people, has been cordoned off by police,
who were out in force Tuesday, clad in riot gear. The police presence
has helped calm the violence, but the mood remained tense. Food is
scarce in some areas because many shops have closed to avoid looting.

The election has been a disappointment for Africa watchers, who had
hoped the country's fledgling democracy and buoyant economy could
serve as an example for other countries on the continent. The current
crisis also has significant repercussions for the U.S., its Western
allies and their strategic interests in the region.

Mr. Kibaki has been a strong supporter of American counterterrorism
efforts in the region. His government has received substantial
antiterrorism training and funding from the U.S. Mr. Odinga, in
efforts to distance himself from the incumbent and appeal to Kenya's
sizable Muslim population, appeared to be less supportive of U.S.
interests going into the elections.

Kenya, meanwhile, has served as a largely neutral but influential
force in some of the complex conflicts that have flared around it in
East Africa. It has served as a staging ground for aid groups working
in conflict zones from Sudan to Somalia. It has also served as a
commercial, banking and transportation hub and a model of sorts for
the kind of development the U.S. would like to see across sub-Saharan
Africa.

"There's an enormous amount at stake for the U.S." in restoring
order, says Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa program at 
the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The U.S. State Department initially congratulated Mr. Kibaki, though
it withdrew that message of support after the U.K. and the European
Union, tasked with observing the elections, voiced concerns about its
legitimacy.

In a statement released Monday by the U.S. embassy in Nairobi,
Washington said it is "concerned by serious problems experienced
during the vote-counting process." It cited unrealistically high
voter-turnout rates, discrepancies in reported vote counts, apparent
manipulation of some election-reporting documents, and long delays in
reporting results. "It is important that the rule of law be
respected," the statement continued.

Apart from his inaugural speech, in which he called for calm, Mr.
Kibaki has remained largely silent. But some electoral commissioners
have since called for an independent investigation into the results.

Washington's focus on fighting terrorism in Africa, and its support
of governments who help, have in the past made for uncomfortable
partners. The U.S. has backed Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles
Zenawi, a strong antiterrorism ally who won a third term in a
bitterly disputed election in 2005. Scores of protesters were killed
in that voting. Washington raised objections after flawed polling in
Nigeria in April, but it has also supported the winner, Nigerian
President Umaru Yar'Adua. Mr. Yar'Adua recently announced the capture
of several people suspected of links to terrorist group al Qaeda.

This election was to mark the second democratic transition for Kenya,
and the first time Kenyans had two viable choices for president.
Violence was a concern, as it is during elections in developing
countries world-wide. But analysts hoped that this time, ethnic
politics, and the corruption that had dogged years of dictatorial
rule, would be put aside.

Mr. Kibaki had swept dictator Daniel arap Moi from power in 2002,
vastly improved the country's infrastructure, and introduced free
primary education. Under his leadership, the economy boomed. 
But more recently, the charismatic Mr. Odinga tapped a vein of
dissatisfaction, especially along ethnic and economic lines.

The poor have been frustrated by growing economic disparity amid the
country's boom. The Muslim community was enraged by what people saw
as discriminatory treatment under the president's antiterrorism
policies. And many Kenyans who don't share Mr. Kibaki's ethnic roots
claimed his Kikuyu tribal base has benefited disproportionately from
economic growth so far.

Most observers had assumed that Kenya's lively press and highly
engaged population would ensure that both candidates respected the
democratic process. But some human-rights activists said Mr. Kibaki's
government had begun a slow clampdown on political and press freedom
in recent years. In 2005, Mr. Kibaki proposed an amendment to the
constitution that allocated more power to the head of state, but
voters rejected the amendment in a movement led by Mr. Odinga.

"Since then, I could see a hardening of rhetoric and action within
the political leadership," said Maina Kiai, chairman of the Kenya
National Commission on Human Rights, a respected watchdog group,
adding: "So, this was foreseeable, in that sense."

Mr. Odinga has planned a rally in a downtown Nairobi park tomorrow,
at which supporters are encouraged to wear black armbands. Although
he has called for peace, the gathering could easily boil over into
further violence. Mr. Odinga has said that any negotiations for a
satisfactory settlement of the crisis would have to start with
government recognition that he is the legitimate president, not Mr.
Kibaki.

--John D. McKinnon contributed to this article.

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