Kenya's 2007 Election and Aftermath

Kenya went to the polls on December 27, 2007. The incumbent president was declared the winner. The opposition protested the results. They took to the streets bringing all businesses to a standstill. Violence broke out in major towns in Kenya.

In western Kenya, where the opposition enjoyed much support, there was looting and setting on fire property of their rivals. The opposition supporters came out armed with arrows, bows, and machetes and started killing and torching houses belonging to other tribes they have been living with for over forty years and asking them to leave.

The politicians were unable to sit down and sort out the chaos. The African Union intervened, and they agreed to sit down under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations. Kofi spent a whole month in Kenya and finally succeeded in making the two groups agree to work together in a government of national unity. This cooled the political temperature in the country.

The conflict had displaced people from their homes, families have been separated, and people have been chased away from their workplaces. The conflict has had an effect on social integration in Kenya. With the leaders agreeing to share the government, the Kenyan population is promised peace and stability. The credit goes to Kofi Annan who worked hard to broker the agreement.

The people of Kenya have agreed to honor Kofi by naming all newborn baby boys after him. The wildlife wardens have already named a baby rhino after him.