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Andrew Parks Honors Global Studies African Leadership Debate 2/28/13  Social Issue: Post-Election Violence

Elections are a vital part of a country and mean a lot to lots of people who want the best for their country. They also believe their country cannot perform to their full potential without the right leaders in office. This causes people to become very influential and emotional when it comes to country elections. When Raila Odinga accused his running-mate, Mwai Kibaki, of rigging the 2007 Kenyan election and therefore causing him to win, Odinga supporters were outraged. This rage led to the killing and fleeing of thousands of Kenyans after ODM groups showed their outrage to the outcome of the election. This caused Kibaki supporters to retaliate and spark a two-month conflict between the supporters. The conflict eventually subsided, but the effects on the government and political groups were substantial. Tensions between Kibaki and Odinga supporters are high and due to the political instability in Kenya, further conflicts are a spark away with the upcoming election. The main difference between the two men is Odinga leads and supports a pro-democratic social movement (The Orange Democratic Movement) and his ideas for democracy interfere with Kibaki’s Republic. With the upcoming election and flaring tensions, it will be hard to keep peace in Kenya, especially after Odinga reported Kibaki of rigging the 2007 election.

1. My character’s name is Raila Amolo Odinga. He represented the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in the 2007 Kenyan election. His running mate, Mwai Kibaki, represented the Party of National Unity and was the previous president in office. Raila Odinga has shown much determination over the years to reach this position and has put himself in a very good position to improve Kenya and turn them into more of a democratic country.

2. Odinga represents the country of Kenya in Eastern Africa. It borders the Indian Ocean on its southeastern corner and is surrounded by neighboring countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Sudan. The climate varies from your geographical position in the country. The snow capped Kenyan highlands mark the northern portion of the country; where as the rest of the country is mostly lowlands and savannahs. As of 2011, Kenya’s population is roughly 41.6 million. It runs a market-based economy and runs a strong exporting system for trade. Their economy is slightly below the world average and is 114th freest according to the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom. Kenya is a Republic (formerly known as the Republic of Kenya) run under a president in a semi-presidential system. A vice president and prime minister also aid the president. Because of Kenya’s strong exporting trade system, they can play a vital role in the world economy with further involvement. Odinga and other ODM leaders are working on this and are starting to open their country up more to Western culture through their support of Barack Obama. And due to their recent economic drop, they need to become more involved in the world economy to benefit themselves and other countries who depend on them for valuable exports. Because of Kenya’s potential importance to the world and their strides to become a factor in the world, I believe Kenya is most deserving of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award.

3. Raila has had multiple altercations with the law, starting with his seven-month house arrest after playing a role in the failed coup attempt against the president in 1982. Later, he was charged for treason and detained without trial for 6 years. After being released from prison in 1988, he found himself back in prison for his involvement in with human rights and pro-democracy activists. He had one more prison stunt in 1989 and shortly after being released in 1991, he fled to Norway alleging government attempts to assassinate him. Just a year later, Odinga returned to join the FORD party led by his father Jaramogi. After Jaramogi’s death in 1994, it has been a continuous road towards presidency after earning a parliamentary seat. Odinga became head of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after the constitution draft was rejected. The Orange is a symbol for “no” vote. Raila Odinga and his supporters have showed that they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and they are very influential in doing this. In fact, they helped persuade 57% of parliament to reject the constitution that Odinga and the ODM believed was “corrupt.” This also shows how Kenya is becoming more of a free republic where leaders are allowed to express their opinions and are able to solve issues democratically. Because of this strong, democratic effort by Kenya, I believe they are doing the most right out of any African country in order to win the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award.

4. Odinga is an influential leader of the Orange Democratic Movement and is backed by the many supporters of the ODM. Odinga also has an interesting connection to the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama’s father is Kenyan, which in Kenya literally makes him one of their own. Many uneducated Kenyans are then biased to support Obama and his actions because of the belief that he could help Kenya’s poverty through writing blank checks. Odinga then used this to his advantage by supporting Obama and trying to replica him in his campaign. Some of his actions included creating t-shirts with him and Obama standing side by side with their arms around each other. He even went to the measure of claiming he was Obama’s maternal cousin, knowing many uneducated Kenyans would support him by just hearing Obama’s name associated with his. Obama was then believed to support Odinga by claiming the government under Odinga’s bitter rival, Kibaki, was corrupt. In the end, Odinga is able to claim false support from the President of the United States and thousands of uneducated Kenyans, therefore killing two birds with one stone. I believe Kenya’s involvement to try and connect with the United States is an important step towards ending poverty in their country. It also shows how they are an outgoing country and are willing to accept Western culture and ideas in order to reshape and improve their country as a whole. Because of Kenya’s willingness to open up and try to make changes to their country, I believe they are doing the most right in order to win the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award.

5. Safety and Rule of Law – Kenya has gone through various situations that have improved their country and the safety of its people. After the violence presuming the 2007 election that lasted nearly two months, Kenya retained peace without further UN or AU involvement (*Note* the two groups later sent envoys to the country to help the rebuilding process). This shows the world that Kenya can sustain a level of self-sufficiency and will not become completely reliable on nations such as the United States during their rise in the world’s economy. The rule of law in Kenya is a vital part of keeping peace and equality between rival political groups and the peoples of Kenya in general. In fact, Kenyan law is backed by a very strong governmental system which includes a president, vice president, and prime minister. Although the 2007 post-election violence may cause some people to question the strength and safety of the law, I can assure you those conflicts were the result of people who care about their government and are willing to go to any measures to protect it so that it may benefit the people. I may also assure you that those conflicts are behind Kenya and the country is working together to create a safer and more powerful nation as we speak.

Participation and Human Rights - Kenya continues to show changes in political matters as new parties, like the ODM, are being created and playing an important role in Kenyan politics. Because of this, political participation and awareness is definitely a strong point in Kenya. Many people are also concerned about the conditions in Kenya and the high poverty rate, so many turn to political participation in hope to try and change their country for the better. The concept of human rights has started to become an important priority in Kenya ever since the early 1990’s. Although first neglected by the government, activists have finally broken through political matters and are starting to make a difference in Kenyan society. For example, Raila Odinga was arrested in the late 80’s for supporting pro-democratic activists and human rights leaders. But now, the ODM, led by Raila Odinga, is making significant measures to provide people with much needed democratic rights and freedoms. Now that the government of Kenya is allowing more people to speak out and try to change their country, I believe Kenya is making the most significant strides out of any other African country and is well deserving of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award.

Sustainable Economic Opportunity - Kenya poses a substantial threat to become a leading exporting country. The only problem is that Kenya has not been able to exploit their resources to their full potential due to violence and accused corruption in their political system. But with the possibility of new leadership in Kenya and with the creation of new democratic political groups, the economy can be improved greatly. New democratic rights and freedoms can allow Kenya to become more open to the world economy and can give Kenya their rightful spot in the world economy. Because of these great strides, Kenya should be a top contender for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award. Human Development – The development of Kenyan peoples has been a work in progress ever since the mid 1900’s. Although poverty has taken a toll on the country, a potentially booming economy can quickly change that. Human development has not only taken an effect on the wealth of humans, but it has also taken an effect on where humans stand in their government. The development of humans intellectually has enabled many people to rise above their corrupted government and propose solutions to the various problems Kenya has at hand. For example, Raila Odinga studied in portions of Europe after leaving Kenya for an extended period and used the knowledge he gained from his studies to team with his father and eventually develop the ODM. His efforts also include the creation of the East African Spectre, a company that makes petroleum glass cylinders. This potential knowledge can lead to the creation of many more companies which can contribute to its strong exporting trade system. Human development can help aid and improve the government in Kenya, but it can also take drastic measures on the nation’s trade. In conclusion, Kenya is taking massive strides to becoming an important country in the world and is more than deserving of a consideration for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation award.

Raila Odinga presents valuable connections to numerous themes in Africa, specifically Kenya. For example, he is a leader of the ODM party and presents a vital role in the theme of political change. Kenya is going through a time of political insecurity and right now, the Kenyan government is vulnerable for foreseeable changes. Kenya, influenced by United States policies (more specifically Barack Obama), is starting to take on Western ideas like democracy. By leading the ODM, Odinga is influencing political change in Kenya by running for president and raising awareness for a possible democratic nation. Also, Raila presents the possible theme of an economic boom in the future. By trying to open Kenya to the United States, Odinga is possibly expanding Kenya’s future trade networks with other Western countries. By building on Kenya’s strong exporting trade system, Odinga can reverse the economic trend in Kenya and use their valuable exports to propel them to a vital role in world trade. Using his prior knowledge about creating companies, Odinga can also expand businesses in Kenya. This can help Kenya create more products and overall improve their exporting system.

6. Explained Above

Works Cited

Primary Source

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"African Press International (API)." African Press International API. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. URL: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://africanpress.me/2007/09/24/a-shocking-interview-with-raila-odinga-while-on-his-us-tour/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This source showed an interview with my person, Raila Odinga, and helped show me some of his views on Kenyan government.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Secondary Sources

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Kenya." Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">URL: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.heritage.org/index/country/kenya__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This source gave me an insight to the economy of Kenya and helped give me economic information on the country and helped me build my argument.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Kenya Geography." Kenya Geography. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. URL: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.mapsofworld.com/kenya/geography/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This source gave me an insight on the geography of Kenya and revealed how its geography leads to the success of its economy.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Kenya: Post-Election Violence and Resolution." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Global Issues In Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2013 URL: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=c01ac7e3c010a4__] [|__2f363bebdc7326f5c6&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=pl7053&tabID=&docId=CP32085__] [|__20123&type=retrieve&contentSet=GREF&version=1.0__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This source gave me background information on Kenya and what sparked the post-election violence after the 2007 election.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Okong'o, Edwim. "Obama: The Kenya Connection." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Raila Odinga." Raila Odinga. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. URL: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/blog/2008/01/the_kenya_conne.html__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This source helped show the connection between the United States and Kenya and how Kenya could use it to prosper.