ONE staffer Amanda Epstein updates us from the ground in Kenya, where controversial elections held on December 27th have led to widespread rioting and violence.

-Nora Coghlan

Kenya has been topping international headlines after disputed elections between incumbent president Mwai Kibaki and opposition candidate Raila Odinga. Although President Kibaki was declared the winner, Odinga rejected the results after allegations by observers and members of Kenya’s Election Commission that the election was deeply flawed. Though tensions are high across the country, the worst of the violence has been confined to specific regions such as Nairobi, Western, Central Kenya and the Coast region. The crisis has already left close to 600 Kenyans dead and an estimated 500,000 more internally displaced. Though the worst of the violence seems to be over, there has continued to be sporadic violence across the country since the election and tensions are still high. Both President Kibaki and Odinga are under significant pressure internally and externally to come up with a solution. An international mediation team, including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former South African First Lady Graca Machel, and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa will begin meeting with both sides this week. Potential solutions include addressing the issue within the Kenyan court system, a new election or a power-sharing arrangement in addition to other options.

While the unrest began with the looting and burning of shops, the violence has increasingly taken on an ethnic dimension. Though most Kenyans live in harmony regardless of tribal affiliation, Kenya has endured isolated periods of violence and tribal identities continue to be very important. Historically, whichever tribe has held the presidency has enjoyed greater access to wealth, job opportunities and better regional development. As has happened elsewhere in Africa, tribal tensions in Kenya have been aggravated by socio-economic pressures such as scarcity of good land, jobs and food.

Kenya will experience huge economic losses as a result of the unrest. In the days immediately following the election, there were significant shortages of food, fuel and basic supplies and many people could not find food to eat for several days. On the South Coast of Kenya the price of potatoes and other basic foods quadrupled overnight—an unmanageable price increase for families that were already barely scraping by. Many small businesses, homes and livelihoods have been already been destroyed. Transport was brought to a standstill in the days immediately following the election and is only now slowly starting back up. The Kenyan tourism industry will be significantly affected by the crises, which will likely result in serious job losses across the country as tourism declines. The unrest in Kenya is having a ripple effect across East Africa. Kenya’s port city, Mombasa, plays a vital role in the region’s economy and transport disruptions in Kenya are affecting fuel prices in neighboring countries and shipment of relief supplies to places such as Darfur and Somalia. Refugees from Kenya are also moving to border areas, particularly in Uganda, which could have a potentially destabilizing effect.

For up-to-date information on the situation in Kenya, check out one of Kenya’s leading newspapers, the Daily Nation and AllAfrica’s Kenya page.

-Amanda Epstein