Citizen TV Review of the Year, Sunday 28th December 2008

Tonight, a year ago, Kenyans were waiting excitedly for their (already belated) election results. The rest, as they say, is history. There was already violence on the streets by now, erupting from an increasingly frustrated youth. The results of the election were released on 30th December and were immediately disputed. Then all hell broke loose. The subsequent report by S.A.’s Justice Kriegler proved to be a washout and I have heard that the central issue, quite simply, was the fact of Kikuyus (having ‘won’ the election) turning people off their land and setting up their own shamba (home/kraal) in its place, all over Kenya.

Right now, I’m hearing that the I.D.P.’s (1 100 dead at the time and 100’s of thousands displaced) do not have an extra Shilling for Christmas and they are expected to stand out in new Christmas clothes (a black African tradition). Senior Superintendent Mthenge is on the box, having been voted U.N. Kenya Person of the Year for having single-handedly talked a group of rioters down from (further) public violence. Again, that was today, a year ago.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga are actually, deliberately, from different tribal roots (the letter “K” in your surname tends to denote Kikuyu, the letter “O”, Luo). The biggest political event of the year, between the two, was when they shook hands in September on the stairs of Kenya’s Parliament (or Hall of Shame according to Mueni), with Kofi Anan and Graca Machel (among others) looking on. So far, so good.

And despite President Kibaki’s impassioned plea for moderation, Kenyans are saying they are celebrating in such a way as to make up for lost time because they were unable to celebrate last year (because of post-election violence). And twenty one prison inmates have just been admitted to hospital for unspecified alcohol poisoning.

Woza Kenya!

A Citizen TV interviewer is now talking to three record company execs who are saying how come Kenyan music is recognized in other parts of the world but not in Kenya? Sounds familiar. The youth massive must take control of their future! They are the next generation of leaders! To which the interviewer replies that we mustn’t forget that the current leadership came out of the Moi era when there was a leadership vacuum.

But I sense that the current youth are too disaffected and alienated from political culture to take the political initiative. I may be wrong but it’s more likely the youth will take to the streets right now! Exciting times ahead and I would agree with the one company exec who says that Kenya is poised to take East Africa by storm. The Kenyan pride is there but there may be a lack of self-conscious pride. The difference is like “I am proud of Kenya versus I am proud because I am a Kenyan”. Yes?

Well, we’ll see what happens in the coming months!

B