The refugees don’t look the way refugees are supposed to look. In Londiani, in Nakuru, in Kericho they have been camped around police stations or churches with their belongings – bed frames, fridges and sacks of clothes – often piled next to their matatus or gleaming white Toyota Corollas. These are not poor people. In many … More These Refugees Aren’t Poor Enough
So Kenya stands on the brink of catastrophe. Ethnic tensions have been laid bare in a month of post-election violence. Kalenjin and Kikuyu gangs are intent on taking lumps out of each other. Slums have been razed and hundreds of thousands of people sent fleeing. “Violence continues, threatening to escalate to catastrophic levels,” is how … More Laugh or Cry?
So the BBC has gone the way of The New York Times in avoiding references to tribalism. Auntie’s euphemism of choice is “inter-communal violence”. The tribalism deniers should talk to John Oduri, a Luo. I met him in Naivasha yesterday. He had been with his brother when a mob of Kikuyus arrived at the door … More Naivasha: Killed for Not Being Circumcised
The set at gate F9 in Schipol Airport is showing pictures of bodies in Kenya while we sit waiting to board flight KL565 to Nairobi. People are pretending not to watch. I’ve cut short my Christmas break by a day to get back home and cover tomorrow’s planned demos in Nairobi. A quick call to … More Heading Home
Kenya goes to the polls tomorrow. It’s shaping up to be the closest election in Kenyan history. Raila started with a huge lead in the polls – perhaps not surprising as he started campaigning three years ago after walking out of the government. Kibaki reeled him in, only to see Raila head out in front again. … More I Predict A Riot
