One country, two presidents, that’s the situation in Kenya as thousands of opposition supporters on Tuesday in downtown Nairobi witnessed the swearing in of Raila Odinga, forming a parallel government to that of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenya’s political impasse began last year when the Supreme Court annulled the results the presidential election won by President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying there were voting irregularities and signs of fraud. Another election was held in October, which Odinga boycotted. He alleged that the process was rigged against him. Many analysts suggested that Odinga had also pulled out of the race because he was unlikely to win.
The series of clashes that occurred through the tense election period, with dozens being killed, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
The swearing in of Odinga was not broadcasted on Kenya television stations. According to Kenya’s editors’ guild, the government had threatened to shut down and revoke licenses of media houses that broadcast the event. The live television feeds of several outlets went dead in the morning.
The chairman of the guild, Linus Kaikai, said an earlier meeting with government officials about their planned coverage of the Odinga demonstration “was held under an atmosphere of intimidation.”
Last week, members of Odinga’s coalition, the National Super Alliance, released what they said was evidence vote-rigging showing that Odinga had actually won the August contest. They said the numbers came from the government’s electoral servers — an assertion the electoral commission has denied.
Who is the president of Kenya – Uhuru Kenyatta or Raila Odinga? The African Union and the United Nations must step in to prevent the breakdown of law and order in Kenya.
