Bob’s Blog

With Kenya in the news so much now, I thought some people might be interested in how Kenya got to where it is today. The Peace Corps provided us with a timeline during training which I copied below and added the last few weeks.

Oct. 19, 1952 British Colonial Government declares state of emergency, and next day arrest Jomo Kenyatta.

1952-1956 Mau Mau rebellion. almost 14,000 africans die, many more hurt, while only dozens of colonists die.

1961-Jomo Kenyatta released from jail.

Dec 12, 1963 Kenya gains independence (Uhuru in Kiswahili). Kenyatta is first Prime minister.

Dec 10, 1964 Kenyatta becomes president and names Oginga Odinga vice president.

Aug 22, 1978 Kenyatta dies, his second VP, Daniel Arap Moi, becomes president.

1982 Constitutional Amendment says there can only be one party in Kenya. Kenya Air Force tries to overthrow government, Army stops them.   

1990- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Ouko, assassinated. Riots in Nairobi, Kisumu, Njoro, Nakuru. Raila Odinga (son of Oginga Odinga) and two others arrested.

1991- All three released, lack of evidence. Moi changes his mind allowing multiparty politics.

1992- political parties form. From feb-april, there are political/tribal clashes in Kisii, Kisumu, Bugoma, and Molo. hundreds killed, thousands displaced.  

2002- KANU, the ruling party, and NDP, Raila Odinga’s party, merge into a new KANU.

July 2002- Moi announced retirement and urges Kenyans to vote for Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo Kenyatta, as third president of Kenya.

NARC forms made of Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, George Saitoti and others. They consider running against Uhuru, and Moi begins to fire them one by one. NARC nominated Mwai Kibaki to be their presidential candidate.

Kibaki is injured in a car accident leaving a campaign in Kitui, he goes to London for medical care while Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga campaign for him.

dec 30, 2002. Mwai Kibaki is elected president.

jan 2003. Kibabki names cabinent, absent are Kalonzo and Odinga, and he is further criticized for having many people from one region, Central, near Mt. Kenya.

since then… ODM formed by Raila Odinga and Kalonzo, they are te main opposition group in government.

before the elections this year ODM split to ODM(odinga’s group) and ODM-K(Kalonzo’s group)

the three major candidates were kalonzo, raila and kibaki

The election was held Dec 27 and results were very delayed in coming out. riots occured when people couls not find out who was president. After the media reported Raila was ahead by 300,000 votes on the 28th morning, they say he is leading by 30,000 in the evening, and the next day the electoral commission states that Kibaki won. Raila supporters assume the election was a sham and riot. in the midst of chaos, European Union election observers say there were “irregularities in the election” noting that voter turnout in some places was well over 100%, which they called suspicious. Riots turned from political to tribal,  generally, with Luos, raila’s tribe and the second largest in kenya, killing, or scaring Kikuyus, kibaki’s tribe and the largest in kenya.

violence has calmed down for now, although raila nd kibaki are currently in peace talks, we will see what happens at the end of that…