Koert Lindijer has been a correspondent in Africa for the Dutch newspaper NRC since 1983. He is the author of four books on African affairs.
When policemen become rioters. This picture in the Kenyan Standard of the 20th of November shows it all.
On that day the Supreme court declined two petitions to nullify the 26th of October repeat elections, won by sitting president Uhuru Kenyatta with 98 percent of the vote. The opposition under Raila Odinga refused to participate.
The electoral scene is most likely now going to switch from the court room to the streets: Jubilations in the case of Kenyatta’s supporters, demo’s in opposition areas.
Violence got dirtier this weekend. First, several people died when Odinga was welcomed at the airport by his supporters. His supporters that day also allegedly attacked cars owned by Kikuyu’s, seen as supporters of Kenyatta. As a revenge, presumably members of the Mungigi Kikuyu sect attacked Luo supporters of Odinga in a slum Saturday night.
With this rapid deterioration violence may get out of hand. And going by these pictures, the policy seems not to be neutral anymore.
