Editorial

EDITORIAL

Protests flop, violence isolated, tourism ok

It remains a difficult situation for the Kenyan people

20-07-2023 by Freddie del Curatolo

We certainly hope that yesterday's was the last of the days of protest against the government and the caravan, organized by the opposition and especially by its old leader (at 78 years of age, one can even call him that) Raila Odinga. There is hope, not only because a confrontation between the two factions has been called for from many quarters (not only by the ambassadors present in Nairobi, but more or less by all commercial actors, human rights associations, and people of sense in the country) but because even if the chaos has always been circumscribed, in addition to going up in smoke each time $21 million, according to Treasury estimates, it risks creating the perception that Kenya is becoming an unstable country, when in fact it is destitution that is pressing and above all it is greedy politicians who are appealing to the most restless and desperate among the population. The economic situation is very bad right now, but the faults do not lie (only) with the new government, which should rightly be monitored and even prodded if appropriate by an opposition that should bring constructive criticism and work as much as possible in synergy, waiting for its turn that will be decided by the people anyway, because we are in a democracy.
Yesterday there were more clashes, with deliberate assaults on public and private property, even in areas where the police were not manning or threatening anyone. Instead, in other cities, especially in Odinga's strongholds, there was violence to which law enforcement responded by shooting, resulting in full hospitals and much anger. It was a flop protest, with no rallies or processions, no solutions, just a chance for those who don't even work other days to make some noise. 
During the day of protests, Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua summoned journalists, to shed light on some issues, which we feel it is fair to point out, obviously keeping in mind that it is the opinion of those in government.
"Since the government took office ten months ago, President William Ruto has engaged with the international community and succeeded in promoting Kenya as an attractive destination for trade and investment. The net effect of this has led to a number of new opportunities that are having a positive impact on our economy," Mutua began, "Last week, Kenya hosted more than ten heads of state and government to discuss the new frontiers of the promising African Free Trade Area. Just this morning, the President met with the top U.S. trade advisor and trade policy spokesman. Kenya is open for business, as a government, we continue to position our country as a preferred destination for trade, investment and tourism. However, these efforts have been hampered by economic saboteurs masquerading as protests against the cost of living."
Mutua explained that Kenya's economy is being "victimized" by the protests, as a result of which the process of stabilizing the economy, creating new jobs and opportunities for young people is being seriously undermined.
"This will only happen in a safe and stable environment free of propaganda and political opportunism," Mutua continued, criticizing the Geneva-based human rights office, which passed on to the media data he said was inflated regarding clashes between protesters and police.
"That statement was not only inaccurate but also misleading and appeared to have been written in support of a propaganda campaign by people opposed to the democratic will of the people," he said, "We protested to the spokesman about his baseless statement. We will engage through the appropriate channels to ensure that the international community is not sucked into conspiracies aimed at destabilizing our nation."
It is worth mentioning that tourist destinations, from seaside to savannah, have not been touched by the protests, despite having some of them, such as Kilifi County with Malindi and Watamu, a majority in its administration of opposition politicians. Here common sense has prevailed and often it is the workers themselves, many of them employed in the tourism sector, who isolate the provocateurs.
Right to express dissent and above all to point out a difficult situation that weighs on the lunch of so many people, wrong to fall into the trap of planned protests only for claims of one or another political class. And we Italians, looking back on our recent history, are well versed in these things.

TAGS: protestemanifestazioneopposizionecarovita

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