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Kenya:Country in a dilemma‏

December 6, 2012 - Written by maamule - Edited bymaamule

Kenya, one of the most developed countries in eastern Africa in now facing so many challenges ranging from insecurity threats, political frustration, economic instability and corruption caused by different factors with different scale even though Kenya may not be the only country in the continent or in the world facing these problems.

Security

Since the Kenyan defence forces KDF head to Somalia last year, Kenya became a target of Al-Shabab, armed group linked to Al-Qaeda network which were forced out of their strongholds in several regions of Somalia by the Kenyan Defence forces KDF.

Al-Shabab clearly said  that they will attack Kenyans economy and policy inside Kenya and outside Kenya. They also promised to their supporters that they will use any method of destruction to win the battle.

 Two successive blasts in a residential area near the Kenyan capital’s central business district wounded one police officer late on Friday but did not injure any civilians, police said on 13 October 2012.

Seven people have been killed and many more wounded when an apparent explosive device was hurled at a packed minibus in a predominantly Somali area of the Kenyan capital Nairobi in last month.

Eight people were injured on Wednesday evening when an explosion went off near a scrap metal store in Nairobi’s California estate making the latest blast in the city.

Kenya is a poor country, and there are many people who are forced to make a living by illegal means. Normal Kenyan citizens are definitely targets, but rich, naive tourists are an even bigger temptation for thieves, pick pockets, and con artists. Crime is not so common in rural areas, but in big cities, especially Nairobi.

Political frustrations

March next year will be the time all the Kenyans will go to the polling stations to elect their new president.

The Political parties made their final attempts to make political alliance to win the next year’s election, Uhuru Kenyatta of TNA party allied with William Ruto of URP party to form Uhuruto political umbrella but they are yet to decide who will be presidential aspirant and his running mate. Most interestingly both the presidential aspirants are under the investigation of the International criminal court ICC after they were accused to be masterminds of the 2007 Post election violence which lead to the death of many civilians.

On the other hand Officials of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM), and Ford Kenya parties have decided to join forces in the run up to the election. The ODM party presidential candidate who is also the current prime minister of Kenya Raila oding allied with the ODM-wiper’s presidential candidate who is also the current Kenyan vice president kalonso musyoko to form a political alliance which will participate the next year’s presidential election to face Uhuruto political umbrella and other candidates.

While Kenyans prepare for the next year’s presidential election the international community expressed their depth concern in the fear that the 2007 post-election violence will re-occur in the country.

Economics instability

The Kenyan economy is low just like any other country in east Africa and Africa at large, the majority of Kenyans live a daily income of less than 2$ per day while the government invested large amount of money in the infrastructure of the Nairobi – Thika high way, Ngara parkland road and other roads and roundabouts in Nairobi city, also the government spent huge money to facilitate the upcoming election.

‘Tuna kula bara bara ‘

 Dickson, 58, is one of the low income Kenyans living the poor slums of kibera told me that the Kibaki rule was so much interested in the development of the infrastructure and the foreign policy while many Kenyans can’t afford to pay their normal life  ‘ Kibaki was good president for Kenya when it comes to developing the country lakini tuna kula bara bara ( Are we going to eat roads and high ways? Asked himself the old poor Dickson who is also the father of four.

Unemployment also remains on the rise with more than 800,000 university graduates still jobless in the job market and Jobs challenge looms for the new government which is to be formed next year.

Considering the formidable challenges facing Kenyans during the run-up to national elections, the mix of media distortion and state repression of the region represents an unnecessary distraction from the real problem but the real image is still clear to people like me.

Sayidali Yasin Sheik

Sayidcali13@gmail.com