I can't believe that there is nothing on here about what's happening in Kenya.

[Hecate]

I am so surprised.

here

here

here

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here

"I hate the way that the reporting gives the impression that the whole of Kenya lives like that, in the shanty towns with the dirt floors and the bare feet."

Oh absolutely - they do it all over Africa - reports ALWAYS look like the entire continent is living in abject poverty, when in fact there are sections that are doing well.

And of course the media only like to report the "bad" side of countries on the African continent - how often do you hear of the success story that is Botswana, or even Somaliland.

It didn't.

It suits the media to talk of tribal this that and the other instead of talking about the rather more complex situation. Fits the barefoot little savages picture they want us to have.

I have to confess though - I've turned over the news when articles about Kenya have been on, and avoided clicking on the links to the stories - it's just too close to home, the political violence, for me to watch.

i have been worried sick over all this. i have a friend who moved out to Kenya a year ago.
her family have not been able to contact her for days and are obviously beside themselves with worry.

i have actually been stunned by how little its been covered by the media given the mass coverage things like Briteny Spears shaving her head gets

x posts, that was reply to Oldiemum.

I know they do QoQ, it really infuriates me. The media gave no time to the elections until this happened, now they're in there, pointing the cameras and goading people.

elizabetth - it's more political. It is slowly being exploited now though.

Most of the people living in the slums came from far away looking for work, Nairobi is expensive and they end up living far from home, in poverty. It just so happens that Kikuyus originally come from around Nairobi (although we're everywhere!) and Luo (for example) come from the western part of Kenya so some of them come to Nairobi to find work and in doing so, a good number often end up in the slums, (well, create the slums really).

Previous governments have not done much to help people out of poverty, either in the shanty towns or in some areas of rural Kenya, they've just been forgotten and frustration has built over time.

However, it is very unlikely that this guy in opposition (Raila Odinga) looked at kikuyus in the way the media wants to present it. Although he is a Luo, his son married a kikuyu girl only the other day and he was there, proud as punch, so tribalism isn't his issue.

Anyway, there are over 40 tribes and people just don't generally divide themselves that way.

Odinga was going round to the poorer sections promising them the world and getting them all fired up, he never expected to lose and the people he had made all those promises to didn't expect him to lose either. He was running a really dirty campaign.

He also started accusing the government of using the war against terror to target the muslims in Kenya and he went to them and promised them the world too!!

so you have one guy who is trying to divide people and create anger and dissatisfaction in order to win votes and one who wants to move the country forward as a whole.

He was going for support by promising the world. he had even promised to introduce a welfare system, which obviously the country cannot currently afford.

All those people were all fired up and expecting to be given so much when this guy wins (and he convinced them he would, the race was neck and neck all the way) and then the votes came in and there was practically nothing in it - a few hundred thousand votes, but he lost - well, the outcome is still disputed, but it was announced that he lost - and they saw all their hopes dashed and they flipped. Not because of their tribe, but because of their poverty and the fact that they'd had this stuff dangled in front of them and then, in their minds, snatched away. they couldn't accept it.

my nephews wife is kenyan and now lives in Germany but her parents live in a quite small village not too far away from where the rioting is going on.We were all concerned for their safety here but have now been told the are safe but have been put on restricted movement.I dont know all the details of the cause of it all but i know my niece in law is distraught every time she sees the news.They too are part of the Kikuyus.

I care, Hecate, in fact I came on here to see if anyone had started a thread yesterday.

I thought about starting one but could not for the life of me think of what to write.

could anyone tell me if its usual not to be able to get through on the telephone ,i tried for an hour and a half tonight ,then gave up because they would of been going to bed ,Its not to a house phone as they dont have one ,but they do have a mobile.

Perhaps the networks are busy with so many people trying to phone relatives.

It often takes ages to get through on the phone even in normal times. Try a text it works for me every time at the moment.

yes i have sent texts but last night i missed a call from them and as i said i tried to return the call this evening,Although i didnt start a thread about the siuation i have been talking on the thread i use regularly about the family members in kenya for the last two days.Im afraid i dont know enough about the situation to really be able to discuss it sensibly.I feel so sorry for the whole country that this is happening.I will try and phone again tomorrow,maybe a bit earlier.

they live in a village called Uthiru,does anyone know of it ?

I am thinking about it but am busy informing myself before commenting as I know sweet FA about it.
Desperate times ahead and happening

Yes. It's in the outskirts of Nairobi and near a place called Kikuyu, funily enough! Dh hasn't heard any problems in that area, certainly family members we've spoken to haven't mentioned that area.

Dh says it's far away from the Mathare slums.

i dont know anything about it really other than what they told me when they were here in september .I know they have no roads ,only dirt tracks.But again i dont know if this is usual there.They are trying to persuade dh and i to go and visit but this was before all the trouble flared up.How do you think they will resolve this ? Do you think irreparable damage will of been done to the country.there are pics of them on my profile which i put this afternoon to show the other thread.They are all lovely kind, people.

lets hope tomorrow brings better news for the country,goodnight.

Dirt tracks? Maybe leading up to their actual house, but the area is on the outskirts of Nairobi - a HUGE city and well tarmacked. Maybe around the village itself, but roads in and out and through are likely to be fine, according to dh.

How will it be resolved? Hard to tell, tbh. I hope it will be peaceful negotiations, not sending in the army. I hope they will rerun the election when it is calm enough, but probably they won't.

Irreparable damage? No. It will take time and effort but things will be ok. Lessons will be learned and we will move forward from this. And people will work to try to make sure there is not a repeat.

I am watching Newsnight - much more balanced reporting, IMO...

Perhaps not so much dirt tracks as uneven and broken down tarmac with a few potholes thrown in

Hecate - do email me stephensonkuk at yahoo dot co dot uk with the school's details.

did you not get my CAT?

will email you.

sorry am being dim, have just checked and seen it Lets hope tomorrow is calmer.

Apparently not. I just had word from my sil in email. She says

"many bad things are happening and we are unable to move around especially we cannot go to the City Centre. We had left C (neice) with mum over Christmas and we are unable to go and pick her and we can only encourage her through the phone. It is something we
have never experienced and we all pray that the conflict will be solved soon. R (another sil) and her daughter have had to come and stay with us as she lives near the very bad fighting area."

oh dear,how frightening for everyone involved.Hope your family will soon be back together.I am going to try and phone again a bit later in the day.

I care, but I don't feel I understand enough about this situation to say anything. Despite having several close friends from Kenya, and having spent much time there.

I am watching the news constantly and praying that things improve.