2 weeks back, we took a day trip to Lake Naivasha. Even the silly road block we encountered (as described in my last entry) was mildly entertaining and somewhat intellectually inspiring as we clashed logic and charm with the local constabulary. Everyone was the Kenyan cliche...corrupt but friendly. This week all changed. Two ugly thugs, Mwai Kibaki and his antihero, Raila Odingo, clashed egos bigtime in the hotly contested elections, held, believe it or not on the 27th Dec. Luos (tribal folk who are lazy, like fishing and have a lot of sex) claim that this was designed to prevent them getting to the polling stations as the transport is run by Kikuyus who are all business people and own the buses and taxis and will simply stop running over the election period. Our personal and much loved taximan, who is a Kikuyu says that the real reason for them stopping is that the Luo will be stoning their buses in the runup to voting. Stalemate...and little wonder that after several polling stations showed up voting turnout exceeding 100% the bells started ringing. Wasn't long before road blocks became sinsterly like Rwand a decade or so ago with travellers being asked to produce ID and identify their tribe.
The question is - Will democracy ever work in Africa? Does it work in South Africa? Is South Africa actually a part of Africa. Personally I have no idea at all. Just hope that things calm down a bit and people stop hitting each other on the head in Kenya. It really has been a shining light of hope for a continent which has produced some of the most bizarre and despotic leaders....
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