The animosity between the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki with his closest political competitor Raila Odinga was triggered as a result of allegations of electoral theft. The election was reportedly rigged and the opposition chief disputed the final outcome.
The spontaneous ethnic-triggered clashes erupted in a section of the Rift Valley, Luo Nyanza and some parts of the Coastal region. Most People were displaced from their homes; some lost their lives while others became physically handicapped.
Humanity was at its lowest and Kenya was steadfastly going down the drains. The events leading to the post-election violence was hastily orchestrated in protest of the electoral outcome. The main antagonists were members of the Agikuyu community and the Kalenjin community. Homes were burned and the inferno was overwhelming and heart wrenching.
The image that captured the attention of many people, including the international press, was that one of a woman holding hands on her head as she watched her house razed down.
The democracy that Kenyans were so much yearning for led to the death of thousands of innocent Kenyans. Those at the periphery felt the spill-over effects from those who were on the streets engaging police in running battles. The chaotic scenes that followed the 2007 general elections had set a dangerous and nerve-wracking precedence.
Politics was discussed in lower tones. It became rare to see a group of people discussing the election results contrary to the previous ones. People lived in fear and the economy was on the brink of collapse. Foreign investors shunned from investing in Kenya. Majority nationals working in different companies and organizations were laid off due to political instability in the country.
The progress of a country is largely dependent on its political stability. The onus of the government is an assurance to its citizenry of its ability to protect people’s properties and above all the lives of the common mwananchi.
Why police Force was replaced with Police Service
The government of Kenya under Kibaki’s tutelage almost failed on its core mandate. Instead of protecting lives, the police force was part of the group that pumped bullets into innocent Kenyans. Kenyans were terrorized by the security apparatus. In some parts of the country, like Mt. Elgon region and Nyanza, women were raped. Sadly, some gallant women were able to live with the evidence of rape.
The trigger-happy officers had the guts and effrontery to use their tools of protection to instill fear, ultimately satisfying their own ego. The way police manhandled civilians was a call for the general overhaul of the entire policing system. The term ‘police force’ was replaced with the phrase ‘police service.’ There was an imperative need to change the constitution.
How Raila Odinga Became Kenya's Prime Minister
The spontaneous violence reached bitter proportions, attracting the attention of international agencies. A few Africa leaders, among them former Heads of States, converged in Nairobi in a bid to end the violence. On 6th of January 2008, Raila postponed his initially planned rallies to pave way for the mediation process.
African Union Chairman, the Ghanian President, John Kufuor through the invitation of Kibaki began the negotiating process. Prior to Kufuor’s visit, Kenya’s foreign affairs minister Moses Wetangula had travelled to Ghana to update him on the situation in Kenya.
Raila Odinga had ruled the possibility of entering into a coalition government with Kibaki. He maintained his earlier stand of having a transitional government for three months, allowing room for fresh elections after the stipulated period.
On 8th January 2008, Kibaki constituted a cabinet of 17 ministers. Kalonzo Musyoka, his competitor on an ODM Kenya ticket, was appointed as the Vice President. Uhuru Kenyatta, the KANU chairman, was appointed as a minster for local government. On making the appointments Kibaki said, “I have considered the importance of keeping the country united, peaceful and prosperous and a strong broad-based leadership.”
The announcement of the cabinet sparked renewed protests in regions perceived to be ODM strongholds. The cabinet was half-filled while speculations were rife that ODM will fill the remaining positions after negotiations.
On 9th January, Kufuor separately met Kibaki and Raila, but there was nothing worth to bring the antagonizing parts together. Kufuor would later allude that Raila was not ready for dialogue with Kibaki.
ODM called for rallies on 10th January, though the police insisted that the rallies were banned. ODM secretary general Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o called on the international community to issue sanctions against Kibaki’s government.
International intervention through Koffi Annan, a former United Nation’s Secretary General helped calm the situation that was blowing out of proportion. Both PNU and ODM selected a few of their respective members to negotiate with Annan and come up with a formula of pacifying the country that was burning.
PNU selected members were Moses Wetangula, Martha Karua and Mutula Kilonzo while ODM selected Sally Kosgey, James Orengo to represent them at the negotiating table.
Finally, the National Accord was sealed with the proposal of introducing the post of a Prime minister with two deputy prime ministers. The proposal was adopted by the National Assembly. Raila Odinga became the Prime Minister with Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta deputizing him, a move that restored sanity in the country.
The Election commission of Kenya (ECK) was disbanded because of the way it had interfered with the 2007 general elections. Samuel Kivuitu, who was the ECK chairman, was blamed for rigging elections in favor of Mwai Kibaki. At the course of 2008, ECK was replaced by the Independent Elections and Boundary Commission (IEBC) with Isaack Ahmed as its titular head.
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