Just to "tie up" some of my posts on Kenya over the past couple of months - as much as one can tie up civil strife/violence in a neat little bundle of online text - let me point you to yesterday's announcement on the power sharing agreement between the current President (Mwai Kibaki) and the opposition leader (Raila Odinga):
Kenya Rivals Sign Power-Sharing Deal
By REUTERS (posted on the NYTimes)
Published: February 28, 2008
Kenya rivals agree to share power
By BBC News
Published: February 28, 2008
The agreement - in basic terms and, for now, in theory - sets the stage for an overhaul of the current government structure (based upon Kenya's 45 year old constitution). In fact, the constitution will actually have to be modified in order to effect yesterday's deal into law, a process that will begin this coming Thursday (and hopefully acted upon as soon as possible, thereafter) when parliament reconvenes. On a side note, doesn't it seem remarkable that the constitution of the United States has been going strong for over 220 years (with the occasional hiccup, of course)?
In any case, the biggest change in the Kenyan system seems to be that the main opposition leader will assume the position of Prime Minister (a newly created post), but there are myriad details to be worked out - including exactly how much power the Prime Minister has in the overall government; Kenya's political parties will also be jostling for new deputy prime minister and other cabinet positions.
Uncertainty of execution aside, the agreement is certainly a step forward (back) towards societal stability. And - again, according to the Western media sources that I've tapped for information about the situation - the average Kenyan person welcomes the potential to get their lives back to normal (even as some happiness is tempered with skepticism). In fact, hopefully the country takes this opportunity to improve the overall infrastructure of government and society at large; it's a time when people are ready and open to change, and they've got support and attention from the international community. For sure, it's still a long road, but a worthy one.
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On a related note, my sister decided to come home to the US around the start of this month, just two weeks after she was officially discharged from the Peace Corps. She found it impossible to get back to her village in the Western portion of the country, given the levels for violence at the time. So, in-person goodbyes with the people she lived and worked with the past year and a half were never said, and I can only imagine that added to the surreal nature of her Kenyan experience.
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