Election Update

Several hours have passed since my last post. Since then, watched over by numerous armed security forces, Kibaki was declared the winner of the Kenyan election. The response from Raila Odinga was swift – he demanded a recount saying that the results were flawed.

It is only 7:00 p.m. here – an hour or so since the results were announced – and already a small suggestion of the population’s response can be seen from our kitchen window. We aren’t sure where this fire originated but based on its distance from us, we suspect that it might be on or near Ngong Road (about 1-1.5 kms away).

In what may be the quickest turnaround ever, Kibaki has already been sworn into office which, according to news reports, is hoped will quell the protests that have already sparked throughout the city. While Hubby and I are safe, I only hope that tensions will die down soon.

Hubby Post Script

OK, I don’t normally contribute to this blog, but in the wake of the Kenyan election feel compelled to do so. My main purpose: to give a well-deserved shout out to Al-Jazeera for their excellent, timely, and frequent coverage of the events of the past four days. Their consistent and live coverage is in stark contrast to that of CNN, which to put it mildly, was appalling. Indeed, as the election results were unfolding this Sunday afternoon, CNN’s esteemed “Inside Africa” was not broadcasting live perspectives of the Kenyan election, but instead were showing Richard Quest recounting getting hit in the nuts by a renegade chimp (I am not making this up – go here - this is to be put on their website soon).