07-31-2017, 10:17 PM
*** 1-Aug-17 World View -- Torture and murder of election official raise fears of violence in Kenya
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Torture and murder of election official raise fears of violence in Kenya
****
![[Image: g170731b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170731b.jpg)
Election poster in Kenya (Reuters)
With the minds of the people of Kenya still filled with sharp memories
of the massive bloody violence that occurred after the 2007
presidential elections, most people were shocked and disgusted to
learn on Monday that the person most responsible for guaranteeing free
and fair presidential elections next week on August 8 was tortured and
killed on Friday.
Chris Msando, who was in charge of IT systems for Kenya's electoral
commission, went missing on Friday. On Monday, his naked body was
found dumped in a forest, with his left hand and fingers broken, a
swollen injury on his head, and evidence of strangulation. The body
of a woman identified only as Shiru was also found, leading to some
social media speculation that the murder was a personal matter
triggered by an illicit affair.
However, most Kenyans believe that Msando was murdered to affect
the presidential elections next week. Those who support the
incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta, say that polls show that their candidate
is likely to win, and therefore the opposition are the likely
murderers, with the objective of making it possible to rig
the election against the incumbent.
Those who support the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, say
that the polls show that the election will be close, and the
government had Msando murdered in order to make it possible to rig the
election to make sure that the incumbent wins.
On Monday, Msando was to oversee the public testing of a new national
computerized voting system, the Kenya Integrated Electoral Management
System (KIEMS). A similar electronic system that was used in the 2013
election failed spectacularly, leading to manual counting of votes
which some have argued allowed for voter manipulation. The test was
put on hold following the announcement that Msando's dead body was
found, and it's unclear what the status of next Tuesday's presidential
elections is now. BBC and Standard Media (Kenya) and The Nation (Kenya) and Standard Media (Kenya) and Deutsche Welle (9-July)
****
**** Widespread fears in Kenya of a repeat of the 2008 tribal violence
****
After the December 2007 president elections, there was a period of
extremely bloody inter-tribal violence in Rift Valley in Kenya, that
began early in 2008. The worst atrocity occurred when 30 people were
lured into a church to escape violence, and a young gang locked the
doors and set the church on fire, burning everyone alive. All in all,
more than 1,200 people were killed in the tribal violence between the
Kalenjins, whose nomadic lifestyle was typical of herders, and the
Kikuyus, who were mostly farmers.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is from the market-dominant Kikuyu tribe,
while his opponent, Raila Odinga, is from the marginalized Luo tribe,
which is an offshoot of the Kalenjins. Observers in Kenya are
pointing out that the Kikuyus and the Kalenjins have reached some sort
of agreement to prevent violence this time. However, as I described in detail in April,
the
violence between herders and farmers is a classic battle and standard
fare in country after country, including America in the 1800s.
In fact, the pre-election violence in Kenya has already begun. As I
described in my April article, well-known Italian conservationist Kuki
Gallmann, 73, was shot in the stomach by herders who invaded her
Gallmann Laikipia Nature Conservancy in Laikipia county in Kenya's
Rift Valley.
Kenya's last generational crisis war was the Mau-Mau rebellion
that began in 1952 and climaxed in 1956. In 2008, Kenya was
still in a generational Unraveling era, which made a full-scale
war very unlikely, and explains why the violence at that time
fizzled fairly quickly. Today, Kenya is in a generational
Crisis era, and so the possibility of full-scale war is much
greater.
As I described in April, there is a significant generational
difference between 2008 and 2017. During the last year, Kalenjin
politicians have been inciting violence by herders against farmers.
In 2008, the senior politicians were all survivors of the Mau-Mau
rebellion, and they would not have incited violence and risked
full-scale war. But today, those survivors are almost all gone, and
politicians are really playing with fire by inciting violence. That's
the difference between a generational Unraveling era and a Crisis era.
Kenya is headed for an all-out war, repeating the extremely bloody
violence of the Mau-Mau rebellion, either now or in the months to
come. The torture and murder of Chris Msando sets the stage for
accusations of vote-rigging by whoever loses the election, and if one
side or the other becomes convinced that the election was stolen, that
could trigger new violence. The Star (Kenya) and Deutsche Welle and Human Rights Watch and Standard Media (Kenya)
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kenya, Rift Valley, Chris Msando,
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kikuyus, Raila Odinga, Luos, Kalenjins,
Kenya Integrated Electoral Management System, KIEMS,
Kuki Gallman, Mau-Mau rebellion
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Torture and murder of election official raise fears of violence in Kenya
- Widespread fears in Kenya of a repeat of the 2008 tribal violence
****
**** Torture and murder of election official raise fears of violence in Kenya
****
Election poster in Kenya (Reuters)
With the minds of the people of Kenya still filled with sharp memories
of the massive bloody violence that occurred after the 2007
presidential elections, most people were shocked and disgusted to
learn on Monday that the person most responsible for guaranteeing free
and fair presidential elections next week on August 8 was tortured and
killed on Friday.
Chris Msando, who was in charge of IT systems for Kenya's electoral
commission, went missing on Friday. On Monday, his naked body was
found dumped in a forest, with his left hand and fingers broken, a
swollen injury on his head, and evidence of strangulation. The body
of a woman identified only as Shiru was also found, leading to some
social media speculation that the murder was a personal matter
triggered by an illicit affair.
However, most Kenyans believe that Msando was murdered to affect
the presidential elections next week. Those who support the
incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta, say that polls show that their candidate
is likely to win, and therefore the opposition are the likely
murderers, with the objective of making it possible to rig
the election against the incumbent.
Those who support the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, say
that the polls show that the election will be close, and the
government had Msando murdered in order to make it possible to rig the
election to make sure that the incumbent wins.
On Monday, Msando was to oversee the public testing of a new national
computerized voting system, the Kenya Integrated Electoral Management
System (KIEMS). A similar electronic system that was used in the 2013
election failed spectacularly, leading to manual counting of votes
which some have argued allowed for voter manipulation. The test was
put on hold following the announcement that Msando's dead body was
found, and it's unclear what the status of next Tuesday's presidential
elections is now. BBC and Standard Media (Kenya) and The Nation (Kenya) and Standard Media (Kenya) and Deutsche Welle (9-July)
****
**** Widespread fears in Kenya of a repeat of the 2008 tribal violence
****
After the December 2007 president elections, there was a period of
extremely bloody inter-tribal violence in Rift Valley in Kenya, that
began early in 2008. The worst atrocity occurred when 30 people were
lured into a church to escape violence, and a young gang locked the
doors and set the church on fire, burning everyone alive. All in all,
more than 1,200 people were killed in the tribal violence between the
Kalenjins, whose nomadic lifestyle was typical of herders, and the
Kikuyus, who were mostly farmers.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is from the market-dominant Kikuyu tribe,
while his opponent, Raila Odinga, is from the marginalized Luo tribe,
which is an offshoot of the Kalenjins. Observers in Kenya are
pointing out that the Kikuyus and the Kalenjins have reached some sort
of agreement to prevent violence this time. However, as I described in detail in April,
the
violence between herders and farmers is a classic battle and standard
fare in country after country, including America in the 1800s.
In fact, the pre-election violence in Kenya has already begun. As I
described in my April article, well-known Italian conservationist Kuki
Gallmann, 73, was shot in the stomach by herders who invaded her
Gallmann Laikipia Nature Conservancy in Laikipia county in Kenya's
Rift Valley.
Kenya's last generational crisis war was the Mau-Mau rebellion
that began in 1952 and climaxed in 1956. In 2008, Kenya was
still in a generational Unraveling era, which made a full-scale
war very unlikely, and explains why the violence at that time
fizzled fairly quickly. Today, Kenya is in a generational
Crisis era, and so the possibility of full-scale war is much
greater.
As I described in April, there is a significant generational
difference between 2008 and 2017. During the last year, Kalenjin
politicians have been inciting violence by herders against farmers.
In 2008, the senior politicians were all survivors of the Mau-Mau
rebellion, and they would not have incited violence and risked
full-scale war. But today, those survivors are almost all gone, and
politicians are really playing with fire by inciting violence. That's
the difference between a generational Unraveling era and a Crisis era.
Kenya is headed for an all-out war, repeating the extremely bloody
violence of the Mau-Mau rebellion, either now or in the months to
come. The torture and murder of Chris Msando sets the stage for
accusations of vote-rigging by whoever loses the election, and if one
side or the other becomes convinced that the election was stolen, that
could trigger new violence. The Star (Kenya) and Deutsche Welle and Human Rights Watch and Standard Media (Kenya)
Related Articles
- Post-election massacre in Kenya raises concerns of tribal war (02-Jan-2008)
- Ethnic revenge massacre in Kenya kills 41 (22-Dec-2012)
- Kenya's herders attack well-known conservationist, stoking tribal tensions (24-Apr-2017)
- Herders invade ranches in Kenya, ambush and kill British ranch owner (07-Mar-2017)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Kenya, Rift Valley, Chris Msando,
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kikuyus, Raila Odinga, Luos, Kalenjins,
Kenya Integrated Electoral Management System, KIEMS,
Kuki Gallman, Mau-Mau rebellion
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
