The Fiftieth Year of Independent Kenya: Elections, Righteousness and Churches

What is it about?

Select consequences of the elections in 2013, the fiftieth year of Kenya independence are analysed here around two events both potentially rich in national symbolism. One was the planned attack by gunmen on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, which was used to make a strong appeal for national unity after close, divisive general elections, just before a concerted attempt was made to mobilize the African Union (AU) against the trials in the International Criminal Court (ICC). It gives evidence that al-Shabaab as well as much of the global media-coverage, did not know what was going on inside the building that the Kenya Army eventually demolished in part. The second event was the funeral of the former Archbishop, David Gitari, which would normally have attracted front-page coverage in the print-media, but the opening pages were cleared in both the two main newspapers for an event that had not yet happened, the filing of a document in the ICC. What was displayed in these two events was hunger for less accountable power that threatens the freedom of the media and the role of the churches in the life of the nation.

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Why is it important?

Kenya has benefited relative to other countries from the freedom of the print-media in particular and the capacity of the churches to attract its attention by the mass support they have, especially when their spokesmen speak out. Early in the election-span it was shown that the freedom of the press and the voice of the churches in the public forum were both significantly suppressed not to promote national transparency and accountability, but the converse. Thus both internal and external checks on executive power were overridden.

Perspectives