Nekessa Opoti:
What began as peaceful protests in St. Paul, Minnesota today ended in the arrests of close to 150 people.

Many of the protesters were anti-war activists. Some had been preparing for at least a year to protest the Republican National Convention (RNC). Others just showed up today. At least 10,000 people, from Minnesota and the rest of the US, showed up on the streets of downtown St. Paul.

Read more here.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has announced his increasing frustration at the inability of the two sides in Kenya's crisis talks to come to a mutually agreeable compromise. The New York Times reports Annan saying,

"After four hours of intense negotiations this morning, the negotiating team made almost no progress toward reaching an agreement on governance, despite the fact that they were given the entire weekend to consult on their positions.......I had to conclude that they were not capable of resolving the outstanding issues."

Aides close to Annan said he was running out of patience and that he was unlikely to stay long in Kenya.

Read more here.

I am accused of unconsidered optimism from time to time. Today, I am relieved about the possibility of peace across the country. With a huge side order of disgust, I allow myself some relief in this handshake that two old friends could have made weeks ago and saved a thousand lives; but which they found inconvenient; until now.

Who are You? Who am I?
This threadbare security blanket has been exposed.
We live on the knife-edge of denial.

Read more from JC Mureithi here.

The Kenyan government and key opposition leaders, ODM, have reached a breakthrough.
According to news reports, former UN Secretray General Kofi Annan will be holding a press conference shortly to highlight the specifics of the "breakthrough" in peace talks between the government and ODM.

Check here for updates as they come in from Nairobi.

Speaking yesterday before a Congressional Hearing in the US, the head of Kenya's statutory human rights body asked the US congress to exhort the International Republican Institute to release the results of an exit poll taken after Kenya's December 27th General Election. Exit polls are by practice one of the fall-back options when an election is found to be difficult to call on account of the irregularities in its process. This is especially so where the pollster is an independent organisation whose credibility will stand up to scrutiny, and whose findings will be respected by both sides. So it is that Maina Kiai's statement bears looking into, even as he joins the great list of Kenyans discredited in the public eye this last month. He, for sure, is not one of the independent institutions.

Read more from Stephen Wanyama here.

The Central Bank of Kenya governor has put out the following press release on the recent unrest and its effect on the economy and our prospects for resuscitation.

Read more here.

Last week, I treaded where angels dread. I talked about what I believe has plunged our beloved country into chaos.

I received overwhelming response. Readers concurred that we have swept the ugly truth under the carpet for too long. That is why we are consumed by passions we cannot control. I also stirred the hornet's nest, so the barbs came fast and furious.

Read more from Nancy Mburu here.

I was working late in the library yesterday when I got an email from an aquaintance I hadn't seen in almost 7 months. He was concerned about my welfare, wondering if my family was OK following the coup in Kenya.

I was stunned; had there been a coup in Kenya in the one week that I had decided to focus on my school work? Thankfully, his concern was misguided – French newspapers had mistakenly reported that the political instability was some kind of political coup. He felt that I was in denial: what else short of a coup would drag so many notables into this previously quiet, at least in the international scene, country? Surely the level of political upheaval in the country matches the scale of the intervention?

Read more from Nanjala here.

Last week, I suggested that Kenyans would not lose their country to thugs and criminals. I nearly changed my mind this last weekend and with good reason. But even after all this, I still think we shall and must save our country.

Last Friday when having a drink with some friends at a local pub in Nairobi West, I was aghast at the discussion taking place. And this was going on among some Kikuyu friends. They were tired of the mayhem and murder of Kikuyus by gangs of marauding Kalenjin warriors.

Read more from Kamale T here.

The government has deployed the military in areas of the Rift Valley in an attempt to control violence that took on a new high at the end of last week. [updates]

Read updates here.

A few weeks ago as the country fell apart around us, and in a moment of untempered and cursing anger I wrote an article, which I then proceeded to submit for publishing on these pages.

A few days went by, and still I did not see it published. So I wrote one of the editors and asked about my submission."Your article was very well written, it was brilliant in fact. Unfortunately, with the current situation in Kenya we have decided not to publish it.", was the reply I received.

Read more here.

I was to Kenya twice last year. The first visit was in June - I hadn't been there for a while and was returning with the intention of registering as a voter. One of the first things I noticed, returning to the country of my birth was that the country was more polarised along ethnic lines than ever before.

It must be said that both sides were going at it, the one side blaming the other for the hogging of public wealth and resources, and the other alleging subversion, sloth and a hate campaign inspired by the other. Since I've had some experience of (and written against) anti-black racism, I had absolutely no desire to even remotely cooperate with either side. I decided not to vote, and so didn't register.

Read more Daniel Waweru here.

The way Kenyan citizens are living out and working through their country's crisis offers insight into how boundaries of ethnicity, clan and class can be overcome, writes the anthropologist Angelique Haugerud.

Read more here.

Fifty-seven Kenyan athletes, including Moses Kiptanui and Ezekiel Kemboiwas have allegedly been accused by the police of funding acts of violence in the Rift Valley.

Read more here.

Last evening, I was informed that my colleagues for the firm I work with that our UK office had dressed down last Friday for Charity, and that the benefitting charity was the Kenya Red Cross Society.

This is a regular custom at their office every Friday, althought most of the beneficiary charities are UK-based. On the odd occasion, I have managed to get donations for African calamities such as the suffering in Sierra Leone or the famine in Mali some time back. The rule for the dress-down is simple, you donate £2 and get as a result to wear jeans and sneakers to work. They raised a sum of £200 which I topped up with my small donation of £50. The cheque will be handed to the Kenya Red Cross tomorrow.

Read more from Kamale T here.

The time has come, in my view, for Kenyans to stop and take stock. Many of us are angry at some of the accusations and counter-accusations that are flowing back and forth in our country, in our media, and in many other fora. But the time has come for us to stop and take stock.

An analogy comes to mind. Imagine two men charged with carrying a precious glass case containing a valuable crown across a large valley. They have no cars, no bicycles; the only way they can get from point A to point B is to hoist the rather heavy glass case, mounted on two sticks, onto their shoulders. About half way there, the two men enter into an argument and the first man shoots his compatriot in the knee. The man at the back is equally angry and somehow manages to shoot his friend in the knee as well. Both of them are lying on the floor, writhing in pain but still strong enough to trade accusations and counter accusations. They fail to notice one thing. The case is broken and the crown is lost.

Read more from Nanjala Nyabola here.

A Montreal professor arrived in Nairobi recently. He came here two weeks after the well-publicized chaos began, and it was interesting to hear him relate the impression outsiders have of Kenya as a country where burning buildings, mass riots, and dead bodies have become the norm.
Once you’re on the ground, he said, the picture that emerges is a calmer one, “where a number of local disasters are embedded in a matrix of peace.”

Read more from Arno Kopecky here.

The extensive commentary on Kenya's troubles has tended to blame ancient tribal rivalry, cynical political calculation, or a combination of the two; with the corrupted electoral process seen as providing the unintended catalyst - or worse, the deliberate instigator that awakens latent tribal hostility. British imperialism has also received its expected share of criticism, for inventing the now-indigenous Kenyan practice of divide and rule (see Caroline Elkins, "What's Tearing Kenya Apart? History, for One Thing ", Washington Post, 6 January 2008).

Read more from John Lonsdale here.

Kenya has seen a string of inefficient and kleptocratic (self-enriching) rulers, and recent weeks have seen a disputed election and tragic ethnic violence.

Kenya is far from alone. The politics of fear, division and violence are a too common feature of African politics (as well as the West's not so distant past). How is it that weak, inefficient, and sometimes criminal rulers stay in place in a democratic society? Why can they enrich themselves and stay in power? What path charts a way out?

Read more from Dr Blattman here. You can also read more from his blog, Chris Blattman here.

Currently, in these times of great duress, we have two options of making ourselves heard in Kenya: a) business as usual, scurrying around with our heads low to piece together whatever pieces we might still have at hand (and this does not really count as ‘being heard'), and b) mass action, rallies in the streets chanting some(one's) political slogan. But whose voice is being heard? and how is the message interpreted?

Read more from David Obura here.

Click here to read a press statement from the Kenya Tourism Board on the state of the country's tourism industry and the security situation for visitors to the country.

Kenya tourism officials are working diligently to ensure the safety and security
of visitors to the country. In order to keep the traveling public up-to-date on
the situation on ground in Kenya, we are sending out continual updates on the
current state of affairs within the country with regard to the tourism
infrastructure.

If you read the newspapers, magazines or anything on the internet, listen to the radio, watch television, or take note of the chatter in the markets, at fireplaces in remote villages across the land, weddings or funerals one thing does come out clearly. Kenyans across the country are horrified by the wave of extremism death and destruction that has visited their country. There is no point in blaming one person, or the last government, or the one before for our present state. The seeds that led to this uproar predate these governments and go back 50, 70 even 100 years. Essentially, the root causes of this violence are not as significant as what this violence points at, the fact that Kenyans finally feel that they have the first roots of what it takes to be a representative democracy- to try their hand at majority rule, not the will of the few.

Read more from David Obura here.

Live blogging here.

Also members of parliament are sworn in.

While some of us grieve lost ones, and while thousands of Kenyans grapple with the reality of losing all their earthly possessions, it's time to reflect on how the violence escalated to these, previously unimaginable levels.

In my view the violenc and its drivers can be divided into several categories.

The spontaneous expression of outrage at the perceived flawed election.

Daniel Rubia has more here.

A few days ago, I had a discussion with a friend who works for a Kenyan media house. As I was not in whole-hearted agreement with his view that one side of the political divide was culpable for our present state, I was left in no doubt that I was a traitor to my own.

What is demanded it seems is ethnic, not, political persuasion. And there's the rub. How do we even begin to bridge the ethnic divide, because it does exist, how do you reach out to the other side when doing so may well lead to alienation from your own ethnic community? This is thr true tragedy of our polarised society, and a situation that I have found is not unique to myself.

Read more from Lucas Mboya.

The Kenyan media industry gave to the 2007 General elections intense, unparalleled, often partisan, coverage. This coverage has been blamed for the chaos that has engulfed the country after the final result announcement.

But this is not a black and white issue, and the media is not wholly to blame.

Read more from Toni Kamau here.

On the Presidency
We do not believe that Mwai Kibaki is the legitimate president of Kenya but he is the legal president of Kenya.

On ethnicity--Hamisi's article features a slur against the Agikuyu, claiming that they do not want to compromise, that Mwai Kibaki would be disgracing himself if he compromised.

On the speedy, stealthy inaugurationThere was a real air of uncertainty surrounding the country at the time with riots and violence in the western city of Kisumu.

A combined article by Vitalis Oyudo and Stephen Wainaina. Read more here.

Kenya is in deep crisis. It is sitting on the precipice of a fully-fledged ethnic-based violent rupture. As death, mayhem, and possible genocide unravel, Kenyan politicians and leaders seem dangerously unwilling or unable to show genuine and effective leadership in ending the ethnic strife pitting their supporters.

In refusing to seek an immediate end to the ethnic strife, perhaps each side hopes to somehow gain the upper hand in the resolution of the post-election crisis. This is both dangerous and unacceptable. It is needlessly stoking tension and violence as innocent Kenyans get killed by overzealous supporters of each camp. Both the Kibaki and Raila camp must act immediately to end the madness. Everything else must come after that.

Read more here.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Written by:

Prof. James Gathii is the Governor George E. Pataki Professor of International Commercial Law Albany Law SchoolProf.

Dismas A. Masolo is the Justus Bier Professor of Humanities and Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KentuckyProf.

Joel Ngugi is an Assistant Professor of Law, University of Washington, Seattle

Ms. Atieno Caroline Odhiambo is a Human Rights Lawyer in Seattle

Dr. Kiarie Mwaura is a Visiting Fellow, Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School and Lecturer in Law, Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Prof. Sylvia Kang’ara is an Assistant Professor of Law, University of Washington, Seattle

I consider myself a patriot, one true and pure in my love and devotion to Kenya. To understand how I got here, you would have to know my life story. Too long to be told here, but one that must be heard to understand my journey. I will not attempt to make you understand me, I fear it may be an impossible task. Besides, I may only have your attention for the next few minutes. Instead I will tell you about the two days that I came to realize just what being Kenyan is about.

Read more from Doris Sadera.

Much has been said about the recently concluded presidential election that Raila Odinga lost but which still gave his party sufficient constituency wins to control parliament.

There is a feeling of resignation, shock and being cheated at the electoral loss and this is fully understandable. Those of us old enough will recall the 1992 election where everyone thought they would beat the KANU candidate Daniel Arap Moi but he still came out triumphant. Opposition leaders screamed that Moi had rigged the elections and even FORD Asili's Kenneth Matiba went the extra mile to file a petition in court, one which ultimately failed on a technicality.

Read more from Kamale T here.

The world's eyes are on Kenya as we usher in the New Year, perched on the edge of an abyss, an abyss beyond which we could plunge into darkness and death.

With the riots and mayhem of the last few days there is for all of us a sense of loss and little to celebrate considering the cloud of fear hanging over the country. Many of our brothers and sisters are in mourning for those lives we have lost. Our disagreements are threatening to erode many of the important strides we have made.

Read the rest of kenyaImagine's editorial here.

The recent violence and subsequent suspension of live television has given rise to several rumors across the nation.

Here are reports from credible media sources.

Updated as it happens!! Get your news here, and a chance to discuss with other Kenyans the process and status of the elections.

Read here.

It has been said that this election and the campaign period preceding it have been far more violent and turbulent than the 2002 election. Still, Kenyans have conducted themselves in a manner that is much to be admired, even if some of their leaders have showed the most poor form.

Read more from Vitalis Oyudo.

At a press conference held early this morning ODM leaders, William Ruto, Joseph Nyagah and Tony Gachoka expressed their concern on the delay of votes.

UPDATED EVERY FIVE MINUTES-- live blogging of the ECK press conference.

More updates..... .

Published here is a scroll of all the parliamentary results. It has become clear that there are anomalies in the previosuly published reports here. We hope that in going through this list readers can verify and correct to what has been announced by the ECK and the mainstream media.

The results of the election are quickly coming in and reports from around the country indicate very high turnouts. However, it still not clear to me exactly what inspired voters around the country.

High turnouts are a traditional indicator that voters are passionate, that they are not apathetic, that they are involved and want to take charge of their destiny. I want to join with people around the country in their pride about this election, especially in the results on the parliamentary seats. I want to say we are a democratic people, that we have set an example for other third world countries, that all that is left is ensuring accountability, but was there any design to yesterday's vote, or were factors like tribe, manipulation and euphoria more important than an analysis of the candidates?

Read more from Amir Ibrahim here.

The election results are still streaming in and Raila has taken what appears to be an unassailable lead though there are still those hopeful that there are another 3 or so million votes to be counted and these could turn the tables.

But that is not what I want to write about. As most readers will recall, following the 2002 elections, there was this continuous talk of how much the Agikuyu and President Kibaki owed Raila for his triumph over Uhuru Kenyatta. This was repeated so many times it was taken as the truth, and forms part of the casus belli that led to the fallout between the two politicians and their followers.

Read more from Kamale T.

The Day After: Friday, 28th December, 2007
I have a racking headache this morning. Yesterday was a tough, nay, gruelling day. Yeah, and so much so. It was Election Day; the most competitive, much anticipated issue-based election since independence. I was among the last people at the polling station having stood in the hot sun for almost half a day. Read more here.

Election Updates
Have you any news on the elections? Please share it here. It needn't be anything untoward or alarming, although news of that will be very much appreciated also. Even news on the turnout, any delays in opening and so on is welcome. Are there enough observers about? Are there long queues? Do the Commission's officials look like they will cope with the hard work? Read here as Kenyans give their election experience.

Sources, sources
This post here has links to different websites that have updated data on the election.

Parliamentary votes, winners and losers
This election has some big losers. Who are they? Read more here.

Why I did not vote
I decided to boycott this year's elections. All the candidates running for both parliament and the president's office have been promising the world to the electorate when they know very well that they will not be able deliver nor will they make an effort to do so once assuming public office. Kibaki was the only one silent about the constitutional review and it's adaptation. Read more here.

Picha za Kura
Here are snapshots from polling stations in Kenya.

You could cut the tension in Nairobi with a knife, everyone seems to have taken sides and even those who have not, are fully aware that this is a high stakes affair with a sense of doom written all over it.

The air is rife with rumours, most of them about an attempt by the government to rig the election. Other topics of fervent discussion include allegations that the government will not hand over to the ODM should it be beaten on Thursday.

Read more from Maina Gichangi.

Kenyans have never been very good at predicting election outcomes. In 1992, one Kenneth Matiba was widely expected to beat President Moi at the elections. The buzz about his campaign was like nothing the country had ever seen.

The amount of money he spent on the election was without parallel in our history. He also had the crowds, massive ones and these all over the country. Unlike the other opposition parties which were largely ethnic in their makeup, he had backers in all the provinces and was riding on a wave of euphoria that was truly gigantic. With charisma in buckets, he infected his supporters with such an enthusiasm they struck a real terror in the establishment's heart.

More here from Vitalis Oyudo on the impact of opinion polls on the Kenyan electorate.

A month before the elections, opinion polls keep showing a stubborn 3-4% of Kenyans that have refused to side with one side over the other. It is not hard to see why.

Read more from a Kenyan voter- Annette Keino.

The Catholics Bushops Conference has elected to issue in the midst of the increasing bigotry, intra-religious turf wars and tribal & religious hate-mongering, a refreshing breathe of tolerance, soberness and secularism.

Read and discuss what the Catholic Bishops of Kenya had to say here.

On 27th December 2007, Kenyans go to the polls to elect a new President. New in this case means recently elected rather than elected for the first time. Yet, according to recent opinion polls, it could very well be that the word new may refer to both definitions.

There are two front runners for the post of President. The incumbent Mwai Kibaki is running on a party named the Party of National Unity whilst the main challenger Raila Odinga is running on a party known as the Orange Democratic Movement.

Read more here.

The National Muslim Leaders Forum has released what it says is the MoU entered into with Raila Odinga. It says the intention and objective of signing the MoU was to safeguard the interests and welfare of a section of the Kenyan Muslims that has undergone atrocities over the last 44 years.

Read more from Tony Gathungu here.