First Impressions

The Blog
This is my first time blogging, so I am not sure how to begin. I will start with the name: "Joy in Kenya" - why did I choose that name for my blog? First of all because of my middle name, and secondly because I hope with all my heart that peace and also joy will return to Kenya soon.

If this were my first time in Kenya, I would probably be quite shocked by the situation. As it is, the situation usually seems worse from the outside than from the inside. Life continues despite the unrest and the anxiety about the future. Yes, we are worried, but we are also hopeful. I am saddened by the news of people losing their homes and their means of livelihood (the two watchmen working for the compound here have both had their houses burnt down). Up until now I have not felt threatened or unsafe, but I have stayed inside the house (or at least within the compound) since I arrived on Monday.

When I arrived, people had been staying at home for the last five days. Now it has been more than seven days. Things are slowly getting back to normal, people are out again, buses running, stores open. But that is not enough, and people are getting tired and impatient with the situation. Even after three days I am feeling impatient and angry at the political leaders who are too stubborn to compromise or even to enter into dialogue. Today, however, the regular TV programs were cancelled to broadcast news in a joint media effort to send out messages of peace and to plead for a solution to end the violence.

The Situation
A short summary of what has happened as viewed from the inside: On December 30th, the results of the General Election were announced to the public with Mwai Kibaki as the winner. However, there were irregularities in the tallying of the votes, and the opposition party's candidate Raila Odinga did not want accept defeat. Since then, Odinga's supporters (mostly people from the tribe of the Luos) have resorted to violence to protest the outcome of the election. They have attacked people belonging to the Kikuyu tribe (Kibaki is a Kikuyu, and many of the people in higher positions in politics and business are Kikuyus), burning houses and businesses in the slums in Nairobi and in other cities. The ones suffering most are of course the poorest who are now left without anything.

Both Kibaki and Odinga are urging people to be peaceful and calm, but at the same time, Odinga called for a rally to be held today. The police did a good job in keeping the crowds away from the planned venue without resorting to senseless violence themselves. Odinga's party threatened to hold another rally on Tuesday, then they moved it forward to Saturday and now the newscasters just announced that it would take place tomorrow at 10 am. That means that businesses cannot open tomorrow as planned. Despite this news, my host family and their neighbours are confident that things are moving slowly in the direction of a solution.

We appreciate your prayers for Kenya, that the situation may be resolved soon and that the political leaders will be willing to dialogue and find a solution together.

At this point there is no need to worry about my safety as I am in a safe place and will not be leaving the compound. I am hoping to keep you posted on what is happening - hoping that my blog will soon contain more mundane and boring information on my life here!