Originally published on the CGS blog on May 20, 2008.
Last night, on the way home from dinner with friends, I bumped into another friend and colleague I had not seen in some time. This individual, who first came to the U.S. as a political refugee from Kenya, began to tell me about the violence in his homeland and the risks to peace. On an individual note he let me know that his brother in law had been killed in the violence and that his parent’s farm was burnt by a mob. On a big picture level he stated real concern about the push by Kenya PM Mr. Odinga to secure amnesty for his supporters. According to the BBC, allies of President Mwai Kibaki have rejected the call for amnesty saying it would lead to a ‘culture of impunity’.
My friend tends to agree, even though he has many friends in the Odinga camp. He feels that neither side is pure and that both need to be held to task by Kenyans and the international community. It is the culture of impunity and the lack of adherence to the rule of law that is at the root of Kenya’s problems and Kenyans need outside pressure to keep all political parties honest.
