Kenya, commonly known as one of the safari giants on the African continent has been making headlines after demonstrations broke out in different parts of the country. Many outsiders are wondering what could be the cause of the riots. Is Kenya still safe for travel?
In this article, we break down for you what is actually happening in Kenya.
The journey that has led Kenya into the present demonstrations started on August 15th, 2022. This was the day the sitting president of Kenya William Ruto was announced as Kenya’s fifth president, a declaration that was refuted by Laila Odinga the first runner-up in the presidential race.
Though Laila Odinga tried to challenge Ruto’s victory in Court, Kenya’s supreme Court on 5th September 2022 upheld Ruto’s victory for the presidency of Kenya. According to Laila Odinga, Kenya’s elections were rigged forcing him to be placed in the second position yet he had won with over eight million votes.
Everyone wanted a peaceful Kenya without bloodshed. Even the minor riots that broke out after the declaration of Ruto as president were squashed. Ruto had promised a lot of economic transformation including a reduction in prices of most essential products such as cooking oil and fuel.
Unfortunately, six months down the road, these promises have not yet come to pass. The cost of living is still high. But the president is simply asking for a few months to set these things in order.
Amidst this uncertainty, a riot broke out against Chinese square; a well-known place for the best product rates. While many Kenyans were enjoying low rates from this place, the Kenyan traders were being forced out of business since they could not fairly compete with the Chinese.
In response, the traders staged a riot against the unfair competition in the market. It was during this time that the most popular Kenyan opposition leader Laila Odinga also launched his weekly demonstrations set to happen every Monday. He is calling the public to riot against the high cost of living which he believes the government of Kenya has the capacity to subsidize but simply turning a build eye.
On top of the cost of living issue, he is also bringing to memory the claim that Ruto is not rightfully the president of Kenya. In other words, what started as an economic outcry among Kenyans has been twisted to claim that it is happening because Kenya is having the wrong president in office.
Part of the riots has been peaceful demonstrations along the streets with crowds chanting while others have been a bit violent with masses setting tires ablaze. In some places, the police have been sent packing back to their armored vehicles by the demonstrators.
The situation is still unclear given the grave past of Kenya. Over a decade ago, the political tensions almost escalated into a tribal-induced genocide. If it was not for the union government that Laila Odinga became part of, many lives were being held in balance.
Based on the election outcome, the possibility of forming a unity government is very minimal given the fact that the supreme court of Kenya has pronounced itself against Laila Odinga on a number of occasions. The persistence will only seem to place Laila Odinga against the democratic values he stands for.
The only threat posed by the current demonstration is the unfulfilled promises by the seating president that might force even those that voted for him to turn their back on him. It should be noted that most African politics rely on service delivery, not political ideologies.
