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Kenya's problem goes beyond ethnicity and elections


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There's more to Kenya's post-election violence than tribal rivalries and a bungled vote. This article explores the root-cause of the unrest in the Rift Valley towns and countryside. As Kofi Annan pointed out, we can't continue to view the problem as tribal fighting. We have to address the fundamental, chronic political and economic issues that underly the problems -- i.e. equitable distribution of resources like land, housing and water. It suggests that instead of a tribal rift, we should be focusing on the widening division between rich and poor. In working towards restoring peace, we have to consider how those put into power will influence policies that will address these underlying problems.
abbym0308

6 responses // Kenya's problem goes beyond ethnicity and elections

  • http://current.com/items/88827608_gunmen_kill_kenyan_op...
    Meanwhile, an elected official from the opposition party was killed...
    Tori
  • im just glad dont live there ;/
    madtaz
  • i hate it when everything in Africa is reduced to tribalism. when one calls something a tribal conflict it implies that this dispute goes way back to some primitive time, and the people invovled are primitive themselves. much like the Rwandan genocide was called a tribal conflict. when the media speaks about European conflicts the word tribal never comes up. the Bosnian-Serbian war was never called a tribal conflict.
    JasonMorgan
  • While I agree that the problems that beset Kenya now, and that beset Rwanda and other countries in the past are more than just tribal animosities, I don't think one can dismiss the tribal aspect of these killings altogether. Granted, a more equitable distribution of resources would help to ameliorate some of the tensions that exist, but there is-as there always has been-an undercurrent of tribal lines and animosity that still exists to this day. It stuns me how brutal some of the people can be, although-and it really is important to realise this- that a small percentage of the people are participating in the killings, while the majority are fleeing it. The degree of the corruption of the majority of the elected leaders is astounding as well, and this goes beyond the colonialism that existed for so long on the continent. When you hear and read the $400 billion dollars was stolen by the leaders of Nigeria over a 20 year period, and you see what Amin, Mugabe, Kagame, and others have wrought on the members of tribes other than their own, it is difficult for those of us in the western world to grasp. Tribal animosities and allegiances are still a huge factor in a large part of the world, and the ethnic killings in Iran, Serbia and Kosovo, and Africa are clear indicators of this. I have no idea what the solution is, either.
    nyingma13
  • I agree. This is a culmination of years of poverty, government corruption, and particularly the severe drought that has taken not only their water, but their livestock, fish, and their livelihoods. The recent election was the straw that broke their backs... This is about more than "tribal" difference, this is about their very survival.
    JanforGore
  • I have to agree and one of the biggest issue is poverty. The people who are displaced in Kenya right now are the poor people especially those who live in slums...they are the ones who are being affected the most. Politicians in Kenya are known for buying votes from the poor and uneducated....
    Nyamorabu

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