In the past two weeks, Kenya has given the impression that it has returned to years gone by, when every demonstration and street clash could turn into a drama, with deaths and injuries, and there was a perception that the country could plunge into the chaos that accompanied the now famous 2007 elections. In fact, it is a time when we are seeing street protests all over the world: from Israel to France to Latin America, economic problems amplified by the Russians' war on Ukraine and climate change are convincing more citizens to speak out against their nations' symbols of power. The same thing is happening in Kenya, except that it is not civil society, labor unions or free citizens who are protesting, but it is the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, with his allies, who are stirring up the crowds and leveraging the dissatisfaction of the poor people and the insubordination of the desperate slum dwellers to try to get something from the president. The protest over the caravan may well be legitimate, but in this case no international observer or expert in African affairs can think that the new head of state is to blame. Kenya has deep and at the same time modern reasons for its growth and sinkings, social inequalities and great potential that attract investors, talented young people in new technologies, and the many unemployed who see crime as their only resource.
In all of this, there are the political demonstrations, with Odinga and his allies not accepting the election defeat last August and still demanding justice for the alleged fraud.
The situation, images of clashes, the usual burning tires, stone throwing and police in riot gear, has made it onto the pages of websites and newspapers even though fortunately "it was not a massacre." Three deaths, two students and a policeman, and some devastation, including raids on an estate of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and an assault on company linked to Odinga himself.
Enough, however, was enough to worry some of our readers, who asked whether Kenya is safe for a vacation to beach destinations, a safari or even a business trip to Nairobi at this time. Easter, the tail end of the hot season in the country, is just around the corner and in this video I answer you in detail.
(VIDEO IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE)