Word: odinga
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...observers are calling a blatant attempt by President Mwai Kibaki, head of the Party of National Unity, to rig the Dec. 27 general election. With a high turnout, the vote was initially hailed as a success, but the mood soured as the counting went on. When opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement jumped to a lead of nearly 1 million votes, results were delayed from several of Kibaki's strongholds. When the final result was announced, Kibaki, 76, had squeaked through with a victory of just 232,000 votes over Odinga, 62. Kibaki was sworn in about...
...Kenya's political divisions overlie its tribal ones. Kibaki is a member of the Kikuyu tribe, Kenya's largest with 20% of the 37 million population, which has dominated the political scene since Kenya's independence from Britain in 1963. Odinga is a Luo - they make up 10% of the population. The two tribes have shared a tense coexistence, segregating themselves and rarely intermarrying. Luo have long complained that Kikuyu hoard political and economic power for themselves. And Kibaki never made good on his promises to stamp out corruption - a failing that has turned several other tribes in Kenya against...
Hope that the violence will end depends on whether Kibaki and Odinga can strike a deal. The two men were coalition allies in the 2002 election, but fell out when Kibaki failed to appoint Odinga Prime Minister. Five years later, positions are hardening further. Kibaki virtually disappeared after he was named winner, making no televised announcement. Odinga, meanwhile, has declared he will not negotiate with his rival until Kibaki admits he lost the election and steps down. Odinga said he was "pained by what is happening," but swore to force Kibaki from office, and called for a million...
...Odinga's supporters are just as defiant. "We cannot accept [the election result]," says Otieno, the Kibera businessman. He vows that if the march does not go ahead as planned, there will be worse conflicts to come. "We will go peacefully into town. But if the police interfere, you can guess what will happen. All hell will break loose...
...railroad tracks made famous in The Constant Gardener, the Ralph Fiennes movie that was filmed there in 2004. The damage to the area has been so bad that it is impossible to find water to drink or even a bottle of Coca Cola to purchase. Despite their support of Odinga, some residents wonder whether their rage was worthwhile...