, by Paul K. Chisholm
I've had a great opportunity, residing in Kenya for the past several months, to observe the politics and culture of a developing nation. The many problems and challenges faced by this country, which must seem insurmountable to the local people, don't appear so bleak to an outsider.
As a foreigner living in Kenya the country gives a favorable impression compared to its neighbors. To illustrate what I mean let's consider the following countries which border Kenya.
Somalia - destabilized by warlords, with no government as of this writing and arguably ungovernable; Ethiopia - long running civil war and famine; Sudan - just concluded a 22 year civil war which killed 2 million people and is currently home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world in Darfur; Uganda - instability on the northern border with ongoing war against the Lord's Resistance Army and one of the worst hit African countries by AIDS; Tanzania - suffers from low development and extreme poverty.
Returning to Kenya we find a country that has enjoyed border security, political stability and relative peace since independence in 1963. After 30 years of one party rule Kenyans were reluctantly given a shot at establishing a multiparty system that came into being in 1992. This process was almost entirely driven by Kenyans themselves, and while not easy, was relatively peaceful.
Their leader for over 20 years, Daniel Arap Moi, while open to criticism by western standards, reluctantly gave in to the will of the people and accepted electoral defeat in 2003. A free press has emerged with several independent newspapers and political commentary T.V. shows where Kenyans are free to express their opinions on the state of the nation, including ample criticism of the government.
No realistic assessment of Kenya could deny the very real problems facing the country.
The number one issue facing the country is corruption. It's an issue of major importance to Kenyans and foreign interests. Corruption has cost the country billions of dollars and perhaps irreparable damage to its credibility, deterring investors and resulting in the withdrawal of foreign aid.
Corruption has manifested in every conceivable form in both public and private sector. Ghost workers drain the public payroll so that civil service employees often go months with no pay. Add to this an almost crippling beauracracy, and public faith in the system is almost nonexistent.
Kenya's transportation system is in drastic need of upgrading with many roads in steady decline. With highways that are almost impassable, travel that should take several hours can consume an entire day. The many problems this creates includes disincentive to travel, wasted time and an inability to efficiently ship produce and goods.
The country's human rights record, while not in the abominable state of other African nations, still has ample room for improvement. Police have ministerial authority to shoot to kill. In addition, the public, with support from various non-governmental organizations, have little to no confidence in the police and consistently rank them as a major source of corruption.
Kenya also has its hands full with millions lacking proper sanitation, access to clean drinking water or an adequate source of income. Local Kenyans will offer everything from apologetic explanations to forceful condemnation of the state of the country.
It would be extremely presumptuous as a foreigner living here to pretend I can fully understand and identify with the challenges the average Kenyan faces, and I make no attempt to do so.
From where I sit there are positives in Kenya. Keeping in mind development can only be measured in decades, not months or even years. With a reasonable and focused combination of domestic and foreign pressure/aid, Kenya and the lives of Kenyans will improve. It is not going too far to say the country offers a positive example of change, to at least some of its beleaguered neighbors.
As an outsider looking in, Kenyans should be proud of what they've achieved so far. Most important a movement for democracy that came from within. Let's hope the future will see more such milestones - improvement in Kenya driven by Kenyans.
-- Paul K. Chisholm, April 2005
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