Experiencing
life outside your own country continues to broaden our perspective of global realisms.
The past few weeks have caused Morris
and I to trust deeply that all would be well here in Kenya during their
national election. We have joined many
around the world to pray for peace as we supported efforts toward promoting a
calm election process as well as preparing for any potential emergency. We have
a new appreciation for a place like Canada where the nuances of democracy are
understood and followed without fear. We
have a more profound empathy towards a nation like Kenya where people have the
same rights as anyone else but those rights are not always secure. In 1963 Kenya became a democratic nation, but
when a national egalitarian process like an election happens, suddenly there is
no certainty that democracy will be followed completely.
We all knew
this would be a close race between Uhuru Kenyatta, reigning President, and 72
year old Raila Odigna, the Opposition leader who was trying for the fourth time
to secure the top seat in Kenya’s legislation. Interestingly, the fathers of
both these men competed for the same office a number of years back. Kenyatta’s platform focused on a promise to
create a million jobs while Odinga said he would fight corruption in the
country. For weeks, people were tense
and on the ‘edge of their seat’ to see whether this would be a diplomatic and
non-violent process. One horrific incident
shattered hopes even before Election Day.
Levels of anxiety and uncertainty
were raised when Chris Msando, director of the Information Technology commission
overseeing the election’s voting process, was tortured and killed. Speculations
over the cause and intention of this murder began to trickle through the land.
On August
08, nearly 80% of the 19 million eligible voters went to the polls to elect a
new President. From 1:00 a.m. til late that evening, residents lined up for
hours (some ques were 3-4 kilometers long) at more than 40,000 polling stations
to hope their vote counted. We woke the
next morning to the news that Kenyatta was in the lead and Odigna was adamant
this was a rigged election, declaring the voting process a fraud. Immediately, some violent protests broke out,
thankfully not reaching the feared levels from 2007. As we heard of the fatalities, we knew that
democracy has its limitations here and our hearts were saddened by the loss of life
in an event that should be everyone’s peaceful right. It was particularly sad
to know the Kibera neighborhood in Nairobi, the poorest area of Kenya, was
specifically targeted. Those whom Jesus says should receive our greatest love
and attention, were now the object of injustice.
It took
three days before the voting tallies were complete and the incumbent President
declared the winner, securing more than 57% of the votes. Every day we checked
for the levels of safety around our communities and anxiously waited to ensure
no major uprising occurred. When myself and Commissioner Grace took our flight to Nairobi on Aug. 11, there was a noticeable extra police presence at the Kisumu airport. When Morris and the TC traveled to Kisumu on August 15, they could see the remnants of the fires that had occurred in the city. Another disturbing
news story revealed that the President of the IEBC (Independent Electoral and
Boundaries Commission) had committed suicide. Once again, sadness surfaced. After several days of wondering how Odigna
would finally manage his defeat, it appears he has filed a petition with the
Supreme Court to challenge the election results. The ruling will be released on
September 01.
If I could
borrow a line from my home country’s national anthem, I would choose these
words for Kenya: God keep this land glorious and free. We
continue to pray for peace in Kenya. “In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.”
