Kenya’s president steals an election, showing utter contempt for democracy and his people
THE mayhem that killed hundreds of people following Kenya’s election on December 27th completes a depressing cycle of democratic abuses in Africa’s biggest countries. Nigeria held its own mockery of an election last April. Scores were killed and observers pronounced it the most fraudulent poll they had ever witnessed. Congo held a more or less peaceful election in October 2006, since when the main opposition leader has been hounded into exile. And the year before that, flawed elections in Ethiopia resulted in the deaths of 199 protesters. Needless to say, the incumbents all won.
So it is easy to be angry, as well as gloomy, about African leaders’ continual betrayal of the democratic values they say they hold so dear. And all the more so in the case of Kenya, which has a strong tradition of holding elections, a vibrant political culture, a relatively free press and a sophisticated economy. Given all these advantages, as we wrote before the election, Kenya had an opportunity to “set an example” to Africa and hold free and fair elections. But the country blew it.
Or, more precisely, the political elite blew it. A small cabal of politicians almost certainly stole the result by fraud (see article). In the parliamentary vote, President Mwai Kibaki’s ruling party was routed. Yet in the presidential vote Mr Kibaki emerged victorious at the last moment and had himself sworn in only a few minutes later, forestalling pleas from all sides—even from the head of the election commission he himself had appointed—for a pause to investigate mounting claims of malpractice. The report of the European observers was unusually strong in its condemnation of the count.
As in Nigeria, Kenyans queued quietly to exercise their right to vote, reflecting the enormous appetite for democracy that exists on a continent that was until recently dominated by dictators and “big men”. But for democracy to survive, it is not enough to hold elections. Politicians must accept that they may have to give up office, and thus all the opportunities for self-enrichment that come their way. It is no coincidence that the most corrupt politicians are also those who cling most desperately to power—as in Kenya and Nigeria.
In stealing the election, Mr Kibaki has also invited a dangerous backlash against his Kikuyu tribe, the country’s largest. Tense tribal divisions have long threatened to widen as the minority groups, including opposition leader Raila Odinga’s Luo, have come to feel marginalised by the concentration of power in Kikuyu hands. If the current violence does evolve into something worse, perhaps even civil war, Mr Kibaki and his henchmen will bear much of the blame.
No time to be nice
Initially, America, which sees Kenya as a front-line ally in a war against Islamist militias in neighbouring Somalia, made the mistake of endorsing the president’s re-election. Now Britain, America and the African Union are urging Mr Odinga and Mr Kibaki to talk in an effort to stop the bloodletting. That lets Mr Kibaki off the hook far too easily. All the violence should certainly be condemned, but most of the diplomatic pressure should be exerted on Mr Kibaki’s supposed new government to annul the results and organise a recount—or a new vote.
If Mr Kibaki will not do this, the rest of the world should suspend direct aid to his regime and impose a travel ban on his officials. That is the least the wretched people of Kenya have a right to expect from their friends abroad.
9 thoughts on “Impose travel ban on Kibaki officials – The Economist”
Democracy died somewhere in africa and the funeral is taking place in kenya.
“Birds of feather, flock together”. Kibaki certainly would not be alone to be the receipient of such an infamy without Meles sharing that honour!
No, democracy is emerging in peoples’ mind in africa. They have become conscious that they deserve it and are longing for it. On the contrary, it has become hard for the leaders to swallow this fact but there is noway to stop the bottom-up upheaval. It is a sign of the beginning of the end of dictatorship in the continent.
Selam
My good friend Zagol,
Democracy will never die; it just “fades away like a good soldier.”
Even though no one knows the exact date and birth place of democracy, it was born in Greece. From there, it traveled all over the world. It stayed in Africa for a while but found the climate there inconvenient. While it was in Ethiopia, it suddenly got sick, and its illness affected many Ethiopians in which about 200 of them died while they were helping this sick democracy to recover from its illness – the Woyanne regime. Then, as soon as it arrived in Kenya, the Kenyan President secretly signed a letter to deport this sick democracy to Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis vehemently rejected Kibaki’s request, saying that treating an un Islamic democracy was against their culture and religion; however, the God-fearing Odinga protested that the ailing democracy should stay in Kenya until it recovered from its life threatening illness – Kibaki. While the Kikuyu and the Luo were arguing about the fate of this democracy, some Americans overnight transported it in a private jet to Washington where it is now recovering from its long illness. In Washington, the media reported democracy to have said that it would go back to Africa as soon as possible.
How come this current situation in Kenya got this much international coverage? What is the reason that all internation media did not cover it as much as they are covering Kenyas outrage??
Is there a line of # that the death toll must pass befroe we can get enough attention..?
anyways this media fools ether are for or against …never been fot the truth…..
Africans are very thirsty for democracy. The dictators in Africa are having a hard time to dictate and rob the people’s desire for self governance with impunity. The people are saying take away my democratic rights over our dead bodies. So far the dictators are willing to kill to stay in power. Unfortunately the world is watching silently while African dictators are murdering innocent people to stay in power. Keep on fighting, my people. Africans deserve to choose their leaders as well.
The African countries opposition party must stand together to throw the dictatores from Africa,therefore the Ethiopian oppsition parties must be the vangaured road opener. Andargachew Tsigie the son of Ethiopia already start something. Let us share ideas with the opperessed people of our neidhbouring people to protect Africa from destruction.
Let this be a lesson for all Ethiopians who cry or cried FRAUD,and for those who died for nothing since Meles played smart and threw the opposition leaders in jail. EVERYTHING STOPPED!!!
KETENEKOLU AYFERU!
Kenyans are showing to be a little different with (guts) and there is no way of stopping them until Kibaki leaves office. It’s do or Die !!!
Most of the things in life don’t come cheap and I am afraid democracy is not an exception. Having that in mind, it is important that Kenyans- and Africans in general- should be prepared to sacrifice their lives and keep on fighting for the long haul until they achieve the good governance system they are yearning for.
The leaders of the opposition should be determined and responsible enough to have a vision for the future of their nation. They should have a well thoughtout strategy and strong organisation that can withstand whatever the current regime and international community throw at them. They should not weather when the regime employs the usual intimidating tactics of imprisoning the opposition leaders or killing their supporters. Their believe in the struggle for democracy should be stronger than the hurdles placed before them.
Anything short of that will abort the ideals of the people, cheapen the lives lost for the struggle for democracy and bring about despair just as the case is in Ethiopia and has been elsewhere in Africa.