Hello everybody!
A long time I know, just not much happening in my life.

I wish you all a very happy 2008!

Just some short remarks about the elections in Kenya.
We were watching it on TVT, TV Tanzania. They were life when the counting took place. They count all the districts and then read every result with judges, audience and tv present. At one point, when the results of yet another district were read, a big commotion started, it wasn't quite clear what happened. When things settled again one man stood up and said to the man who was reading: this man here has a copy of the results of the district you just read and they are different. The answer was simple: I am sorry but I cannot do anything about that now. Then people started shouting again and a lot of movement amongst the audience. Police cleared the room, it wasn't clear what next.
To my surprise however not two hours later Kibaki was reelected and already sworn in. They had continued the counting whithout public and without TV, only Kenian national Tv was present.

To me it quite clear that it was not an honest election. And that the oposition has won. If you are in power and you win an election there is no reason to cheat, not even for one vote, is there?

I heard something quite shocking on Sky News today. Emma Hurd was reporting. Odinga (the opositions candidate) had called for a mass demonstration, a peaceful one. They showed how people were gathering to assemble at the place of the demonstation. And they showed how all those people were stopped by the police with teargas, water canons and gunshots. Nobody reached the place of the meeting. Then Emma Hurd commented this was "a humiliating defeat for Odinga". I guess Sky News shows were their support lies!

My friend Alice is locked in her house in Mombasa with her family. They are afraid to go out. Their food is nearly finished. Most shops are closed too or else out of stock. But they are still safe luckily.