Election Eve

It's the eve of the elections here in Kenya.  For those of you who don't know the history, the last elections in Kenya, held at the end of 2007, ended in rioting and violence with 1000+ people killed and 600k+ displaced.  Suspected vote-rigging was the main reason that people took to the streets and many changes have been put in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.  The 2007 election campaigning was also marked by hate speech from the candidates and ethnic tensions ran high.  This time, things are very different.  The Kenyan people adopted a new constitution in 2010 which strengthened the judicial system and laid a stronger foundation for a free and fair democratic process.  All of the Kenyans I've spoken to about the election are very hopeful that this time things will be different, and, so far, they seem to be right.  This is a full page ad from The Daily Nation, one of the major newspapers in Kenya.

The two major candidates have a long and storied, intertwined history that has its origins before Kenya's independence from the British in 1963.  In order for one of them to win, they have to get 50% + 1 of the vote and get 25% of the vote in at least half of the 47 counties.  Unfortunately, the polls show them in a statistical dead heat and the likelihood of a runoff election in April is quite high.  This is complicated by the fact that one of the major candidates and his running mate have cases before the ICC for crimes against humanity for their alleged participation in the violence that followed the last election.  Their trials are slated to start right around the time of a potential run off and there is much speculation about whether they would even show up to be tried.


The rioting and violence went on for several months after the last election and Peace Corps eventually decided to pull out in March 2008, returning in August of that same year.  The violence took everyone by surprise and no one was prepared, including the Peace Corps.  This time they're not taking any chances.  This time they chose to consolidate all 110 of us in one location just south of Nairobi, to facilitate an evacuation should it be necessary.  Peace Corps is taking every precaution to ensure our safety and I am grateful for their effort.  Here's an excerpt of a letter they wrote for us to send to family and friends:

"Peace Corps Kenya is currently planning for a country-wide consolidation event in which all volunteers will be brought together in a safe location outside of Nairobi during the time around the national elections period in March.  During this time, Peace Corps will take advantage of this opportunity to offer technical and language training, aside from providing for a full menu of basic support services to volunteers who are away from their routine and their communities.

While Kenyan elections will be held on March 4th, it is anticipated that results will not be announced for at least 72 hours, with final counts likely to take up to one week.  Given that all volunteers will be together supported by a number of staff, it will allow for PC to maintain the volunteer community informed of news and events as they unfold, with a view to moving everyone back to their communities as soon as the situation is clear."



I don't know what the next few days holds for this country.  Like many of my Kenyan counterparts, I am also hopeful that the elections will be peaceful and that the people of Kenya will respect the process and its outcome.  I love my life here and hope to return to some semblance of normal soon after these elections.  And during this time, while I'm safely tucked away in a lovely hotel/resort, I'm thinking of my students who I can only hope and pray are safe as well.  Here's hoping for peace in Kenya.