Kenya's Violent Backlash
Kenya's Presidential Election, 2007
Mwai Kibaki (incumbent) vs. Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga, son of a politician and leader of the Luo ethnic group, was in for a rude surprise on Dec. 30. While the up-and-coming Odinga had been ahead in the polls going into Kenya's presidential vote, when the results were announced three days later Kibaki was named the victor — and was sworn in just an hour later. Odinga declared the election rigged, sparking a post-election crisis. In the violence that followed, more than 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands more fled the country. After two months, the feuding politicians made an unlikely pact to share power. They signed an agreement under which Kibaki would remain president while Odinga took up a prime minister position. The wounds have not been as quick to heal; the following December, an editor at Nairobi's East African Standard said, "It will take decades, perhaps two or three generations, to sort out what happened last year."