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KenyaLast updated March 2008 Often referred to as "the cradle of humanity" because some of the earliest evidence of humankind's ancestors has been found there, Kenya is today the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa and humanitarian efforts. Kenya has the region's most developed economy, but much of its economic potential was undermined by decades of corrupt business and government practices that favored a small group of individuals and businesses close to former dictator Daniel Arap Moi. Moi's 24-year hold on power ended in December 2002 when Mwai Kibaki led his National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) to a resounding electoral victory, but despite this coalition's promises of economic growth and curtailing corruption, Kenya remains a country of extreme disparities. Popular frustration at the persistence of poverty and lack of access to political power has contributed to the conflict that erupted out of the December 2007 presidential elections. Entering office in 2003, the Kibaki administration faced grave challenges in improving the lives of Kenya's impoverished majority and tending to long-neglected infrastructure such as roads, telephones and railways. At the end of 2005, the failure of the rains and rapidly declining food security led President Kibaki to declare a state of emergency. The long-running drought and famine crisis peaked in 2006, with millions of Kenyans in need of emergency food aid supplied by the World Food Program. Increased competition over scarce resources, such as water and grazing land, has exacerbated conflict among pastoralists and led to ethnically-targeted violence on numerous occasions. Much of the optimism surrounding Kenya's potential as an emerging democracy and as a country symbolizing stability in a tumultuous and conflict-prone region soured as a result of the December 2007 presidential elections - (see Africa Action's January 3 statement). Despite widespread reports among local and international observers of election irregularities, incumbent Mwai Kibaki claimed victory and assumed the presidency, galvanizing widespread and violent civil unrest among supporters of Raila Odinga, leader of the opposition party the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). A government crackdown on independent media broadcasting and repressive police actions targeting opposition supporters fueled the spread of a chaotic conflict that has left over a thousand people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes. In January 2008, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan traveled to Kenya to facilitate negotiations between Odinga and Kibaki to resolve the political crisis. On February 28, the two leaders agreed to the initial principles of a power-sharing arrangement, welcome news to Kenyans weary of chaos and uncertainty. Violence has persisted, however, after the deal was signed, pointing to the long-term challenges Kenya faces. A sustainable resolution to this crisis must address Kenya's deeper issues of social, political and economic justice. Constitutional reform, particularly around the issue of presidential power, was a source of deep divisions within Kibaki's ruling coalition since the Kenyan public rejected his proposed constitution in November 2005. Efforts to build on the February peace deal should undertake a process of transparent constitutional review in order to reinstate public trust in Kenya's government. Western media outlets have seized upon the ethnic dimensions of the conflict as the sole explanation for the scope and intensity of the violence that emerged from the tarnished elections, but this single-minded focus ignores the underlying structural socioeconomic inequalities that are the ultimate root of the crisis. During his first term, Kibaki was relatively successful in leading Kenya's macroeconomic recovery from the stagnant growth rates of previous years. 2006 saw GDP rise 6.1 %, and an estimated 6.5% for 2007, according to the World Bank. While these factors endeared Kenya to Western governments and investors, the benefits of the country's growth have been concentrated among an economic elite, and continued corruption perpetuates economic injustice. Poverty is still a defining reality for Kenya, with overall poverty
levels at 46.1% of the entire population and an average per-capita-income
of $540. HIV rates have slowly declined over the past few years to 5.1
%, but AIDS remains a serious challenge. The mass internal displacement
and humanitarian emergency created by the post-electoral violence risks
destabilizing the recent expansion of access to lifesaving antiretrovirals
for HIV-positive individuals. Beyond the immediate political challenges, Kenya's prospects depend
upon three key factors: successful constitutional reform (including effective
inquiries into past wrongs), a fresh start on economic development (requiring
the cancellation of the country's nearly $8 billion of external debt),
and continued progress that builds on recent successes in the fight against
HIV/AIDS. At a time when the global media spotlight is on Kenya, it would
behoove Washington to pay closer attention to the Kenya that Kenyans are
trying to create and less to U.S. geostrategic visions of the "war on
terrorism" that are disconnected from East African realities. U.S. support
for these priorities will require new policies and resources that could
help support the country's long-term stability. LinksKenya Action Alerts
World Bank Country Brief Kenya Economic Report Africa Action Calls for U.S. Leadership to Support Kenyan Democracy
Latest news from AllAfrica.com Univ of Pennsylvania, African Studies Center - Kenya Page U.S. State Department Kenya page Basic information on Kenya (CIA World Factbook)
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