USA Africa Dialogue Series - A short note on the up-coming Kenyan elections

Things are heating up in Kenya and from here I can hear the pot
percolating:

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Kenyan+general+elections+2013&oq=Kenyan+general+elections+2013&gs_l=hp.12..0i22.4308.4308.0.5656.1.1.0.0.0.0.121.121.0j1.1.0.les%3B..0.0...1c..2.hp.26Sn5ARv-xk&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41867550,d.bGE&fp=cb9df04a10e3c0b7&biw=1024&bih=634

Africa, the British Commonwealth, the European Union and not least of
all, as to be expected the White House will also be focused on Kenya's
presidential election which is slated to take place on 4th March this
year - a straight fight – between the representatives of the main
rival tribes - a fight to the finish between the Kikuyu's Uhuru
Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president Jomo Kenyatta and
representing the Luo an equally well known front runner in the person
of the current Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Amollo Odinga - the
son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya's first vice-President.

The urbanised Luo are reputed to be Kenya's intellectuals – the more
" up country" Kikuyu – the entrepreneurs.

After watching the al-Jazeera interview of Uhuru Kenyatta, the
following dialogue took place between me and a Kenyan commentator :

Me : "So Uhuru Kenyatta was Minister of Finance ?"

Kenyan Commentator " You see, these guys stole elections and seized
power illegally in the middle of the night before embarking on massive
theft of public funds while promoting impunity. Uhuru once stole Ksh 8
billion (about SEK 800 million) and got away with it by telling
Parliament that the missing billions was the result of "a computer
error".

Me: "So he wants to come back to as president and Commander-in-
Thief ?"

Kenyan Commentator : "Yep. And maintain the status quo of theft,
impunity and tribalism. "

Three of Africa's perennial problems. I thanked him for his insights.

His reply : "Thanks for expanding the sphere of debate on the issue.
Despite the dismal picture painted, I do think that in the Kenyan
case, the democratic process has moved forward. Theory ought to hang
alongside practice but back home, theory is missing while the practice
is guess-work."
https://www.google.com/search?q=Kenyatta+%3A+%22Computer+error%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Prophet Dionny Baez, a Venezuelan Bible-thumping Pentecostal pastor
turned prophet, is confident that Uhuru Kenyatta is going to be
elected Kenya's next president. As I watched this video (as pure
theatre) and reminiscent of similar gatherings I once attended in
Umuahia, Owerri and Port Harcourt, I couldn't help thinking of Poet
Chidi Anthony Opara and some not so kind poetic remarks that would be
likely to issue from him if he were to also be consumed by Baez's
fervour :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA1SSszy0_Y

http://www.nairobiwire.com/2013/01/uhuru-kenyatta-is-kenyas-next-president.html


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