All Eyes on the Supreme Court

It was interesting last week to see all eyes on the Supreme Court both back home in the States and here in Kenya.  In the US, the Supreme Court was hearing two important cases on marriage equality and my  Facebook newsfeed was abuzz with the news.  I am ashamed to say that I have not been following that news very closely and am not up-to-date on the outcome of these cases. If someone cares to enlighten me, I would appreciate it.  Here in Kenya, the Supreme Court was reviewing 3 petitions that were filed related to the elections held on March 4th, determining whether they had been free and fair and whether or not the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president still held.  It was an exciting process to witness as the whole country seemed to be relying on the rule of justice rather than the rule of the mob as in 2007/08.  For most Kenyans, this is the first time that they could have faith in the justice system.  After the new constitution was put into place in 2010, an intensive process was undertaken to vet currently sitting judges in order to weed out those who were too corrupt to be trusted any longer.  For most of the time since independence in 1963, the sitting judges were in the pockets of the politicians who appointed them and could not be relied on to judge in a fair manner.  Though the process of vetting judges is still underway, the 6 members of the Supreme Court had been reviewed by the vetting panel and had been deemed qualified and trustworthy to uphold the law of the land.  There is a seventh member who had not been approved before these petitions came before the court and she was unable to hear the case.  And I ask you, dear reader, how can you not trust a guy who's name is "Smokin?"

During the two weeks that the Supreme Court was in action the leaders and media were urging the people of Kenya to remain peaceful, trust the courts and not repeat the violence that followed the last election 5 years ago.  I remain impressed by how well the system worked during that time and how prepared the country was for whatever might erupt during this time.  And then there was this gem of an article on pg 3 of the Sunday edition of one of the country's leading daily newspapers, The Standard.  Really?

"Virtues from Apes" indeed.  There's really no need to point out that this newspaper is not necessarily known for its stellar journalism but I'm going to do it anyway.  I mean, really?

As most of you already know, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in a shockingly brief announcement that was also, shockingly, on time.  I was at my friends' house, ready to watch the verdict televised live when their cable went out.  Apparently, this company was having problems all over the country and couldn't guarantee that service would be restored before the 5pm announcement.  We waited for a bit and finally decided to go to a local bar that has a television and a different cable provider.  We arrived 10 minutes late to discover we had missed the entire thing!!  The horror.  I have yet to attend any function that started right on time and Kenyans aren't exactly known for their laconic style when it comes to public remarks so it was just downright shocking that the verdict was delivered on time and with such brevity!  Everyone at the bar was also shocked, though their shock was mostly due to the verdict.  The court decided to uphold the results of the election stating that the process had been free and fair and Uhuru Kenyatta will be sworn in as the 4th president of Kenya on April 9th.  The region I live in was solidly in support of his main opponent and author of one of the petitions before the court, Raila Odinga, and the people in my community were very disappointed.  There was rioting in some parts of the country, which was contained, but my region remained peaceful, though a bit depressed.

For me, the main reaction I had was relief.  It's over.  It's finally over.  Since I got my invitation to serve in Kenya back in May of 2012, I have prepared myself for the possibility that my time in Kenya might be shortened by a negative and violent reaction to these elections.  I have not let myself fully arrive here in Kenya knowing that I could end up being evacuated and reassigned to another country.  Everything has been on hold until after the elections - planning trips and visits from friends in the US, decorating my house, buying furniture, starting the wildlife club at school, keeping up with this blog.  All on hold.  And now it's clear, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that I'll be here until the end of 2014.  Phew!  What a relief. I hadn't realized how heavy this was weighing on me until just now and I am grateful that there was peace in this country.

Coming soon... more details about my life here in Kenya.  Stay tuned!