Kibera awaits the Supreme Court's Verdict on the election petition

Today is the day that the Supreme court will announce its final verdict on the election petition that seeks to bar Uhuru Kenyatta from being declared the fourth president of Kenya. I am in an office in Kibera Olympic and I can smell the tension right from where I am sited.  My colleagues have updated me that there is relative calm in the villages in Kibera. However, Calmness should never be mistaken for peace” as put by a Kibera resident in Kianda.

Women and men are seen conversing in low tones on the streets while businessmen hope to serve a few more customers before closing once the announcements start. A few youth sit around the stages on Kibera drive and the General Service Unit heavily armed with guns and tear gas make rounds within Kibera. Those who do not have television sets have gathered in hotels and bars not wanting to be left out when the announcement is made. There is human traffic and businesses are open in Kibera but business is not as usual.

The elections in 2007 were marred by violence which was triggered by ethnic based interests. Lives were lost, people were maimed, displaced and properties destroyed. Consequently, Kenyans undertook the general elections this year with a lot of fear and caution. As a result of lessons learnt and many peaceful initiatives, the elections were carried out peacefully with Kenyans waiting for the results albeit longer than expected. Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the President elect by the IEBC chairman Isaac Hassan. This was followed by allegations that the voter identification kit and tallying exercise were flawed. Raila Odinga who was second to Uhuru Kenyatta according to the official results, filed a petition at the supreme court pointing out errors in tallying of the votes. The verdict of the court would have significant bearing on Kenya considering the fragile peace that it is currently experiencing.

And so here we are, waiting for the Supreme Court to announce its verdict on the matter any time now. It’s actually raining. Am thinking maybe that will deter some rogue youth from taking out to the street in case the decision does not favour them. I know of many men and women who have taken a vow to do all they can o maintain peace in Kibera. But then again there are people that are hell bent to cause trouble, loot peoples businesses for the heck of it even if the ruling meets their expectation. The action Inter ethnic youth dialogue and peaceful reconciliation project youth ambassadors have been on the ground since morning looking out for any warning signs of impending violence in Kibera. We shall further update you tomorrow on the status of the fragile peace we are currently protecting. Hopefully, the verdict will have been announced. Wish Kibera and Kenya the very best of luck.

Written by Caroline Chencha

This project has been funded by the European Union.