With Baby Amani here, Kenya is reborn

Baby boy born while his mom queued to vote in Kenya's election
by Edith Fortunate, DN2, March 11, 2013


The patriotic call to duty was what ran through Elizabeth Mwende’s mind as she braved the early morning cold and long queues to cast her ballot last Monday. She had keenly followed the call to get out and vote over the weeks preceding the elections, and even though she was seven months pregnant, she decided to heed it.

“There was this one advert that stuck in my mind; the one with the tagline ‘Nitakuwepo’” (Swahili for 'I'll be there'), she says. “It tugged at my heart and I decided I will be on the line on Monday to do duty for my country.”

And so, seven months pregnant, Mwende woke up at 3am and headed for the polling station in Muthurwa, Nairobi. After hours standing in the line, she developed premature labor. Mwende looked disturbed, then clutched her stomach and went down on her knees. A crowd gathered around her to see what was happening; then her water broke.


Her baby was born at 6:15am. By then, other women had surrounded her with lesos to protect her from prying eyes. The baby boy, who she named Amani (Swahili for 'peace'), was born at the polling station, and shortly afterwards both baby and mother were rushed to Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

What intrigued many at the polling station, however, was the determination to vote that Mwende displayed. Even after giving birth, she asked the polling clerks whether they would let her cast her ballot, and they obliged before she was driven to the hospital in an election-observer car.

Baby Amani, weighing slightly over two pounds, was immediately put in an incubator because he had breathing problems. A matron at the hospital told DN2 that, because the baby had been born prematurely, he was likely to stay in the hospital for some time.

“We suspect that the breathing problems were caused by the cold the baby was exposed to,” said the matron. “Premature births are best done in warm environments.”

Still groggy from the medication she had been given, Mwende said she was glad it had all come to pass, and that Baby Amani would serve as a constant reminder to her of the lengths to which she went to honor the call to national duty.

“I wanted to part of Kenya’s history in electing the leadership of this nation,” she said, her voice weak from the effects of the ordeal. “I have a strong vision for this country, and being part of history was all I wanted. I did this for Kenya, because I want change for the country.”

This was Mwende’s first time to vote, and she hopes to do it again, and again, and again.

Kenya's amazing display of patriotism

Since 2007, every time you hear the words ‘Kenyans’ and ‘politics’ uttered in the same breath, you might imagine the worst. But then again, every time you see Kenyans acting on politics, you witness the best.

During election day and the ensuing days while waiting for the results, Kenyans proved they have something else - the spirit of hope, resilience, patience, love for their country, and respect for their fellow Kenyans. The only other time the older generation said they witnessed what we went through over the past few days, was during the dawn of independence.

Hail the people of Kenya! by Peter Oduor, DN2 magazine, March 11

The world paused to watch Kenyans troop out to vote on Monday last week, and blogged in awe as the elderly, the youthful, the sickly, and the healthy joined kilometer-long lines to polling stations in a show of regal patriotism never witnessed this side of independence.

If you woke up at 5am on Monday morning to vote, you woke up late. Because, by this time, some of the 33,000-plus polling stations in all the 47 counties had significant queues. Some 14.3 million people registered to vote for this election, and a good number were on their way out. In the villages, cocks crowed to empty homes since, as early as 3am, Kenyans were out plodding their way in the darkness towards their voting centers.

They stayed at the stations, most of which were opened between 6am and 8am, till well past 9pm in some centers, with others going on into the night. In some places, the wind blew cold and misty. In others, it blew hot and dusty. In the end, the day proved long for all.

Civic duty
It may have been a democratic right. It may have been a civic duty. It may have been the courage to view themselves as employers giving a select few the authority, space, and power to represent them and articulate their interests at a higher level. It may have been the knowledge that change starts with them - the individuals - before it goes to the leaders.

It may have been all of the above this time round. Because it was personal; a colorful, heart-warming show of determination and hope.

No single event tells the awe-inspiring story of this election more than the death of 72-year-old Wanjiku Maina, who died while in a queue at a polling station in Murang’a. No single event paints the determination of the electorate better than that of the woman at Muthurwa polling station who gave birth while waiting for her turn at the booth. By the birth of that lovely boy she named Amani, Kenya seems to have been reborn as well.

Erick (23) was at his polling station in Kajiado North by 5am. And while on his way to the station, he sent texts and made phone calls to friends, urging them out of the house to go vote. But Erick is not the only one who called people that morning. He was one in an army of devoted Kenyans who, from Sunday, when the clock struck midnight, pulled out their mobile phones and started sending group texts.

But, why care so much?
The answer lies in our social psychology and how in-group solidarity drives people to join hands in a cause. The need to be part of a social phenomenon, especially where members of one’s society are taking part in, points to why people could have taken their time to call each other up, send texts, and pick each other up to go to polling stations. The comfort lies in knowing that you form part of a larger thing.


What, then, is patriotism? Let us start by what it is not. Patriotism is not about self-righteous flag-waving. It is also not about pompous expression aimed at appealing to people in peripheral reasoning spheres.

Dr Tom Namwamba, a philosophy lecturer at Kenyatta University, says patriotism is intent love for one’s country that negates ethnicity and cuts across all cultures, age, gender, religion, and class boundaries. “Patriotism is about cultivating a sense of collective responsibility and using the self-will of this understanding in an individual to uplift one another as a group,” he says.

Lawyer James Okeyo knows who the real hero of the whole exercise is. “The average Kenyan loves his country too much to put it at risk,” he says. “Left to their own devices, Kenyans can undertake any political exercise in peace.”

The false start by the IEBC in relaying information from the polling centers to the national centers for reception and announcement at Bomas, and the failure of the transmission system, were the ultimate tests on the level of restraint of Kenyans, especially in the wake of simmering rumors and fears of inaccurate results being relayed. But, being the graceful patriots that they are, Kenyans held their own, peacefully managing their expectations, anxieties, and frustrations.

Dr Namwamba, whose ringtone is Kenya's National Anthem, concludes that love for one another as members of the human race and as creatures of God drove the hearts of Kenyans in these past few days. But the greatest of all was the love for their country, and that is what patriotism is all about.

Kenyans vote, a collection of online photos

Kenya's National Anthem

Please pray for Kenya as her citizens go to the polls on Monday, March 4th!

O God of all creation,

Bless this our land and nation.

Justice be our shield and defender,

May we dwell in unity,

Peace and liberty.

Plenty be found within our borders.

Let one and all arise

With hearts both strong and true.

Service be our earnest endeavor,

And our Homeland of Kenya,

Heritage of splendor,

Firm may we stand to defend.

Let all with one accord

In common bond united,

Build this our nation together,

And the glory of Kenya,

The fruit of our labor

Fill every heart with thanksgiving.

Black represents the majority of the people in Kenya. Red represents the blood shed during the struggle for freedom. Green represents Kenya's agriculture and natural resources. White represents unity and peace. The traditional Maasai shield symbolizes the defense of freedom.

Flash back (#8): February 2008 Prayer Letter

Who woulda thunk it?!

I’ve long been aware of Kenyans’ pent-up frustrations that have brewed over the past decades. I’ve known, for instance, that many have harbored prejudice in their own hearts, while at the same time condemning South Africa of apartheid or the unfair treatment of blacks in the United States.

However… I certainly never could have imagined things would deteriorate so quickly to the desperate situation this nation is now facing. The violence continues to mushroom and escalate.

Each and every one of us living in this beautiful country – both native Kenyans as well as expats – listen to the news every day with heavy and broken hearts. Indeed, we’ve all become consumed with the unfolding events. At any social gathering, it’s the topic on everyone’s lips. I’ve always been an avid reader of one of the local newspapers; now I’ve also become a keen listener to BBC and Voice of America radio programming. I wake up wondering and dreading what the latest shocking and alarming news might be.

It’s almost impossible to articulate what we’ve all experienced in the past month. Things seemed to have calmed down for a few days, only to flare up again last Friday. It could appear to be a downward spiral.
Feelings of disbelief and helplessness alternate with anguish and fear, pain and stress. One can’t help but be overwhelmed with grief over the latest distressing reports of flare-ups and fatalities.

Sadness wells up inside. Weariness sets in.

There’s a prevailing sense of tension on the street. Suspicion and distrust lurks within the minds of many.
Depression threatens to overcome the very psyche of this nation.

Generally speaking, though, Kenyans are more hopeful than fearful. There is an ever-present sense of optimism. In fact, this is something that has always intrigued me about Kenyans! In the midst of dire circumstances, there’s always the belief that tomorrow will be a better day.

I find purpose for my own life and presence in Kenya by personalizing Mordecai’s challenging words to Esther. “Who knows? Maybe you are in Kenya for just such a time as this!”

I echo the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, as I minister to those to whom God has called me:

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.”

The following quote (also mildly modified) of Henri Nouwen’s encourages me:

“I am not the healer, I am not the reconciler, and I am not the giver of life. I am a sinful, broken, vulnerable person who needs as much care as anyone I care for. The mystery of ministry is that I have been chosen to make my own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God.”

“I carry a weapon, too. My weapon is not crude, like a machete, a bow and arrows, an axe, a club, a chain, or stones. My weapon is love. In this critical time in Kenya, may the love of Christ shine out from me. May others sense the calmness of the Holy Spirit within me.”

- a word of exhortation last Sunday at church

“Carry on.

It won’t be long before we’re gathered around God’s throne.

To the lonely missionary… this is not the time to let up.

It’s time to lift your head up.

When you sow in tears, you’ll reap in joy.

Don’t stop, carry on.”

– Ray Boltz (in his song, Carry On)

Such horrible happenings as Kenya has just witnessed conjure up a multitude of questions in ones heart and mind. Most of them have no answer.

Interestingly, Oswald Chambers says that all questions in life can be answered with the words of Jesus, “Come to Me”. How true! As we look into the face of Jesus, nothing else matters.

I appreciate your fervent prayers on my behalf as I carry on!

These ongoing atrocities have profoundly affected all of my Kenyan friends in very significant ways. They’ve been traumatized. Please also pray fervently for them.

Flash back to January 2008 (#7): Latest updates on the situation in Kenya

The countdown to Kenya's election has now dwindled to only four days remaining!

All eight presidential aspirants took part in last night's second debate.
This is the first election in Kenya's history to have such debates!

These posters are a little different than yard signs, like we use in the States.

To refresh your memory regarding what happened after Kenya's last election, here is another in my series of re-posting my blogs from January 29, 2008:

- - - -

Kenya Chapter of the International Commission of Jurists rescinded the Jurist of the Year award they had bestowed on Kivuitu (chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya). The Law Society of Kenya struck him from their Roll of Honor and disbarred him.

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan, and the DRC – all dependent on Kenyan transit for fuel and vital supplies – grind to a halt in the early days of chaos in Kenya.

Free flow of goods and services are hampered in many parts of the country. Milk on dairy farms goes to waste. Gas station pumps dry up. Matatus and buses are grounded.

Some inter-tribal marriages disintegrate in midst of post-election catastrophe.

Rape (including gang rape) and sodomy occur among displaced people who have become residents in hastily organized refugee camps throughout the country.

Genocide Watch (Washington DC-based organization) issued a “Genocide Alert” on Kenya, saying, “Ethnic massacres are an indicator that the risk of genocide in Kenya has risen to Stage 6 (of 7).”

January 10 – As the death toll passed 300, Kenya’s internationally renowned writer and social critic, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, called on the United Nations to investigate the “massacres” in the country.

January 11 – Kipkemoi arap Kirui, who blew the whistle (a mere one hour before Kibaki was declared the winner on December 30th) regarding gross negligence in the vote tallying, reveals that he has sought asylum in Europe after his life was threatened. He was involved with the ECK during the election process and said that his “conscience would not allow” him to remain silent.

January 12 – In urban slums and rural areas, after displacing their neighbors, residents claim abandoned houses as their own. “I’m only taking back what belonged to my grandparents.”

January 13 – The East Africa Community (EAC) observer mission issues its verdict that the Kenya general election was flawed and fell short of a free and fair exercise. They state that the vote tallying was grossly mismanaged, thereby critically undermining the credibility of the final stage of the electoral process. They went on to claim that the delay in announcing the results fuelled speculation and fear that the results were being tampered with.

January 14 – New York-based, Human Rights Watch, called on the government to halt the “shoot-to-kill” police policy and to lift its ban on live news coverage.

January 15 – The country’s education sector is facing one of its worst crises ever following the unprecedented exodus of pupils from schools in troubled areas.

January 16 – Much of the town of Kisumu has been destroyed by looters.

January 18 – Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice releases a report titled, Countdown to Deception: 30 Hours that Destroyed Kenya. In it, they claim that the Electoral Commission of Kenya could not have determined the winner of the presidential election from the flawed results received from different constituencies. They detailed numerous anomalies which discredited the election outcome. The report also states that the disputed tallying of the presidential outcome was the main cause of the violent protests sweeping Kenya.

January 21 – The government’s move to close down Nairobi’s Jamhuri Park camp where thousands of displaced people have been living has left a trail of tears and sorrow. Most of the internally displaced people, particularly women and children, say they have nowhere else to go or to start rebuilding their shattered lives. As the announcement to close the camp was relayed to them, panic gripped the camp.

January 22 – Kofi Annan arrives in Kenya. Appointed by the African Union to mediate reconciliation, the former General Secretary of the United Nations will be joined by other members of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities – former South African First Lady Graca Machel and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.

January 23 – International airlines reduce weekly flights to Kenya.

January 24 – It was the handshake that rekindled hope for peace. As millions of Kenyans watched on television, President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga stepped forward yesterday and clasped each other’s hand in a gesture which carried with it the destiny of a battered nation… A collective sigh of relief seemed to sweep across the country in that magic moment – mediator Kofi Annan clapping gently while Kenyans clung to the hope of security after three weeks of bloody protests which brought their nation to the brink of civil war.

January 25 – Human Rights Watch claims ODM officials and elders in Rift Valley province planned and organized ethnic-based violence.

January 26 – Over 50 are killed in a fresh eruption of reprisal violence in Nakuru. Police seem unable to deal with the scale of violent uprisings and put a curfew in effect. The total death count in Kenya since December 30th is now estimated to be around 700.

January 27 – Violence breaks out in Naivasha, with 20 deaths and burned houses. The main highway between Nairobi and Eldoret is closed as unruly young men stop all vehicles, demanding to know the ethnicity of all passengers.

January 28 – Two are killed in Kisumu and chaos continues in Naivasha. Rioters destroy a bridge on the vital highway to Uganda near Eldoret. Traffic in both directions is stopped. Violence also occurs in Kakamega.

January 29 (today) – This morning's news is that the newly-elected member of Parliament from Embakasi (an area of Nairobi, where Bishop and his family live as well as Karo and Jeremiah) was killed last night as he entered the gate to his house. He was from the ODM party. This morning, chaos has erupted in many parts of Nairobi and schools in that area are hurriedly closed.

Flash back to January 2008 (#6): Basic reasons for a month of chaos and violence

One week from today, Kenyans will go to the polls again.

Campaign posters are literally everywhere in Kenya!

Most of you remember what happened after the last election in December 2007. The following post is from my blog, dated January 29, 2007.

1. Inequality and poverty – Kenya is the world’s 10th most unequal country in the world and ranks among the poorest on the globe. 10% of the population controls 43% of the nation’s wealth.

2. Land hunger – Kenya is an agricultural society; unresolved injustices regarding land go back to colonial and pre-independence days. This has caused deep-seated bitterness that is always simmering just below the surface.

3. Ongoing ethnic clashes – Unresolved wounds (that go back many generations) have continued to fester. The decade of the 1990’s saw many flare-ups and eruptions of ethnic clashes. The flawed 2007 presidential election exacerbated these ever-present and underlying tensions.

4. Poisonous politics – Elections are not issues-oriented; for the most part “tribal mathematics” governs the outcome of all elections. Politicians have mastered manipulation techniques.

5. Failure of leadership – Corruption is rife among Kenya’s political leaders. There is no firm commitment to democratic principles, nor is there any evidence of selflessness or statesmanship. Rather the leaders can be seen as solely greedy for power and the spoils that accompany it.

6. Long overdue constitutional reform – Kibaki was elected in 2002 with an overwhelming majority and a sense of euphoria. He was given a mandate to generate a new constitution in his first five-year term; he failed to do that.

7. 2007 presidential election – The fact that it ended virtually in a dead heat, plus the perception that it was rigged and “stolen” were both the final straw.


Additional factors:


1. Most of the participants in the rioting, mayhem, destruction, and murder are idle, unemployed young men who have lost hope. They have nothing to do and nothing to lose.

2. Vernacular FM radio stations enflame feelings of hatred.

3. Hateful text messages make the rounds via cell phones, adding fuel to the fire.

4. Frequent use of repressive and brutal force by the police and military has aggravated volatile situations.

5. Violence is along tribal lines, pitting one ethnic community against another. Then a cycle of revenge reprisals develops.

6. Recent outbreaks in Rift Valley province have appeared to be organized. The ethnic militias were quickly mobilized and seem to function in a pre-determined manner.

“Concentration of authority marks almost all present political systems

which have become unwieldy and top-heavy:

be they capitalistic, socialist, or communist systems.

The individuals count no more,

though as voters they are styled as masters.

They present themselves at periodical elections for casting votes

and then sleep away until the next one.

This is the only political action the individual performs

once in a stipulated period…

The individual has little or no voice

in the shaping of the policy of government.

In a welfare state or a totalitarian regime

the individual is reduced to the position of a dumb,

driven animal in human form.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

For decades, Kenya has been one of the most stable countries in the continent. It was even seen as the “jewel of Africa”. Many Kenyans had the sense that they lived in a paradise of peace, a rare oasis in the midst of warring nations. In fact, the irony is that Kenya is known for brokering peace deals for her warring neighbors. However, it’s now apparent that this sense of peace was false.

At least a quarter of a million people are now internally displaced, having been violently chased from their homes. Many of those homes were destroyed. These people (many of them women and children) now seek shelter in emergency camps at churches, schools, police stations, fairgrounds, etc. Again, there’s another irony to be seen. Kenya has been known for offering sanctuary to her neighboring country’s refugees for many years.

II Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Flash back to January 2008 (#5): Ethnic and Political Violence in Kenya

The election will be held just 11 days from now, on March 4th. The campaigns and subsequent wars-on-words are 'hotting up' (to use British English). Various opinion polls show the race to be too close to call between Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta.

Just as last time, there's been a lot of voter education and encouragement for a 'free and fair election'. This will be the first election under Kenya's new constitution. There are numerous changes (like the addition of senator and governor). Voters will have six ballots to mark.

Pasted on temporary construction wall in Kakamega

Printed in all local newspapers

The latest - and rather surprising - news is that one of the two main contenders for the office of president - Uhuru Kenyatta - has decided not to participate in the second televised debate next Monday.

- - - - - - -

The following is another in my series of 'flash back' blog updates after Kenya's last election in December, 2007. I originally posted this on January 29, 2007:

A compilation of excerpts from articles at BBC.com

It will give you a good overview of some of the history of what's going on in Kenya.

The ethnic and political violence in Kenya has renewed debate about whether multi-party democracy can be successful in an African context where ethnic loyalties are strong. If you ask almost any African this question the answer will be: "Yes, democracy can work... if only our leaders allowed it."

It would be naive in the extreme to discount ethnicity in any African election. The reality of life on the world's poorest continent is that most people live a marginal economic existence and rely enormously, for survival, on those nearest to them.

Rural villagers rely on each other, for example, to bring in the crop, or to share food in difficult times. Urban dwellers often organize themselves to provide common services like schools because their governments are either too poor or too incompetent to deliver.

In these circumstances the people nearest to you - whom you can trust - are first, family, and second, tribe. African politicians know this formula very well and many of them exploit it ruthlessly. "Vote for me," they say, "because I'm from your tribe and you can trust me."

The most dramatic recent illustration of this kind of manipulation was the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Hutus were persuaded by an extremist Hutu power bloc that all Tutsis were their enemies.

There are many other less catastrophic examples. Politics in Nigeria, for example, is a complex chessboard of ethnicity and religion. The presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006 divided the country along ethnic and linguistic lines. And even in a peaceful, democratic country like Ghana, it is clear that ethnic Ashantis, for example, tend to vote one way while ethnic Ewes tend to vote another.

But at the same time there is usually a further explanation - beyond ethnic group - for the way people vote or the way they react to situations like the current crisis in Kenya. That explanation is almost always rooted in money - or a lack of it - and the cynical search for power by politicians. It is no coincidence that the people who usually perpetrate "tribal violence" are unemployed young men.
In Ivory Coast in the late 1990s, for example, the campaign against northerners that was orchestrated by southern politicians - and which eventually led to a full-scale civil war - was spearheaded by youths, who were paid a daily rate for the job.

African intellectuals who concede there is a problem of tribalism on the continent - or, rather, a problem of the deliberate manipulation of tribal sentiment by selfish politicians - stress that there is also a rational solution.

Part of the solution, they say, is economic development. If there is growth in the economy there will be more education and less ignorance about fellow citizens of other tribes - and, of course, fewer unemployed thugs for politicians to "buy" for a few cents a day.
Another part of the solution, they say, is genuine democracy with genuinely independent law courts. People would have no need to rely on their tribe if they could rely on all their ballot papers being counted, and could expect honest judgments from courts.

Here, Africa can point to progress in recent decades. Fifty years ago, almost the entire continent was ruled by foreign colonial powers. Even just 20 years ago, most African countries were run by dictators or military juntas.


What's behind the violence in Kenya?
The immediate trigger has been the disputed election results. But ethnic tension, which has dogged Kenyan politics since independence in 1963, is widely believed to underlie much of the violence. With patronage and corruption still common, many Kenyans believe that if one of their relatives is in power, they will benefit directly, for example through a relative getting a civil service job.

The current tensions can be traced back to the 1990’s, when then President Moi was forced to introduce multi-party politics. Members of Moi's Kalenjin ethnic group (the dominant group in the Rift Valley Province) felt threatened by the move. The region has a history of land disputes. Some of those disputes were originally caused by what was coyly called European "settlement" - which created refugees hungry for land. More recently, Kenyan politicians have practiced more appropriately-named "land grabs" in parts of the country. It is therefore no coincidence that some of the worst violence has been in the Rift Valley area.

Raila, from the Luo community, has a fairly wide support base across ethnic groups and has portrayed himself as challenging Kenya's political establishment. He promised during his campaign to address the extreme income inequalities in the country.

Kibaki depends heavily on the votes of Kikuyus (the largest ethnic group in the country) but also has support from smaller communities.

Under Kibaki’s presidency the economy has been growing steadily, but most Kenyans have not yet felt the benefits of this. In the overcrowded slums around Nairobi, residents have to cope with violent gangs, no sewers (people use plastic bags as toilets and throw them out of the window), and intermittent electricity.

Kenya’s citizens are divided into 42 ethnic groups. The five largest groups make up almost ¾ of the population:

• Kikuyu – 22%
• Luhya – 14%
• Luo – 13%
• Kalenjin – 12%
• Akamba – 11%