Egypt: A Kenyan Perspective

I realize I’m skipping ahead a whole week in my entries, but this Sunday has become more than just a regular Sunday. And have no worries, last week’s entries will be up soon. There’s no place I’d rather be to witness what’s happening in Egypt than in Kenya. In the United States, an issue in Egypt can seem so distant, but here in Kenya, the issue really hits home. While Cairo is very far away from Nairobi, about 2200 miles, the strong passion for democracy and freedom and the price it costs, rings in the heart and near memory of every Kenyan. Following the 2007 elections, Kenya broke out into deadly violence. The Kenyan government estimated that a little over a thousand people died but many believe the actual number is much higher. The outbreak of violence started when incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over Opposition Leader Raila Odinga. Odinga’s people said that the election was rigged and violent clashes began on ethnic lines. Before I go any further, a brief history of Kenya is needed to fully understand what happened. Kenya is made up of over 42 tribes. When it was colonized by the British, they operated under the policy of “divide and rule”. Under “divide and rule” the British would keep all of the tribes separate so that they could not unite and coordinate a possible counterattack against the Brits. From the late 1800’s up until independence in 1963, this was the policy. This policy created heavy alignment along ethnic lines. Today, hardly anything has changed. Ask anyone on the street in Kenya over the age of 18 what they define themselves as first, their answer will almost always be their ethnic tribe first and then Kenyan second. Some of the main ethnic tribes in Kenya are the Kikuyu, the Luo, the Luhya and the Massai. Kibaki is Kikuyu and Odinga is Luo. Luo’s started killing Kikuyu and then the Kikuyu’s had numerous counter attacks. Over a thousand people were killed including two MP’s. If you think that US politics are bad when congress is always split on partisan lines, image an entire political system based on ethnic lines. It is this exact problem that is believed to have caused Obama’s dad to become an alcoholic. He was a doctoral student who could have possibly been chosen to run the Kenyan finance system but a Form 4 failure man was chosen instead because he was the same ethnic tribe as the then President. The recent post election violence was a result of the people being fed up with the system. A new constitution has since been past and reforms are on their way, but corruption still dominates the Kenyan political scene today. I spent a good part of the night talking to host Mum and Dad about the post election violence and how they understand what Egyptians are feeling right now. They are fed up with what has become the African system of government. Once someone gains power, they will do whatever they can to keep it. As Mum says, “There is something wrong with African people and power. They consider power an invitation to oppress and steal from the people for as long as they can.” One thing to keep in mind is that most African nations are new. I believe that many are quick to judge and dismiss Africa as one big problem that can’t be fixed. It has taken centuries for Western Nations, and in particular the United States, to get their countries running just ok. In 1826, then 49 years old like Kenya today, the United States was still an infant that had quite a bit of work to do. Yes Kenya and other African countries have had more tools at their disposal for developing quicker than the US did in 1776, but freedom has no time table and its costs can be limitless. Freedom is not free and many times, blood must be shed to underscore that point. What is happening in Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan and other countries in the region is awesome. These people are finally fed up. Let’s hope they are finally released from their shackles and we can see what these people can really do.