So at first glance this story in today's Standard seemed a bit weird. Six months after post-election violence hit Kenya and when a new coalition government is still finding its feet, Kenya's political heavy weights start jockeying for position... The......more
Rob Crilly - African Safari
Recently in elections Category
Kenyan Political Family Refuses Cash Shock
It was difficult to feel optimistic about Kenya's post-crisis power-sharing deal. It seemed a classic case of jobs for the boys in a giant cabinet while the tribal and land tensions that exploded into violence had been left to fester.......more
A Well-Earned Break for Kenyan MPs
Missed this gem yesterday in The Nation. Parliament resumes this afternoon to prepare for the Budget to be read on Thursday. The House took a break three weeks ago after it became apparent that it did not have business to......more
Operation Return Home Unless You Want to be Beaten
A few weeks back the Irish Foreign Minister visited the displaced people in Kenya. He was introduced to the crowds at Kitale's stadium by the District Commissioner. It was a flying visit, but it wasn't difficult to pick up the......more
One Mean Diplomatic Mofo
Move aside you gangsta rappers The matatus of Nairobi are decorated in many and various ways. By far the most spectacular are those with murals of popular figures on the back. Footballers - particularly Stephen Gerrard - and gangsta......more
I Hope It Was Worth It
So, 1500 people died and some 600,000 people were displaced in violence after rigged elections that denied Raila Odinga his chance to become (what his campaign promised would be) the People’s President. He never really specified exactly what the People’s......more
Don't Call It Cattle Rustling
While the love-in between Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga continues, so too does the killing. Another 25 deaths in "cattle rustling" incidents in the Rift Valley this week underlining the fact that a political deal between Kenya's rivals for president......more
When a Spade is a Long-Handled Digging Implement
Reporters Without Borders has reopened the debate on how best to cover the issue of tribe and tribalism during Kenya's election violence. Its verdict on the Kenyan media is bizarrely damning: ...the Kenyan media failed in its duty to report......more
They're Not Getting Around
So I finally got something right. Last week I was panicking because colleagues in Joburg had begun calling me to find out if the gentle scent of teargas was once again wafting around Nairobi. This was a concern because my......more
A New Type of Kenyan Politician
Barack Obama with his Kenyan relatives. Granny Sarah is second from right, front row Barack Obama's twin messages of "hope" and "change" are playing pretty well in the US. They're playing even better in Kenya where his relatives are praying......more
Rob Crilly in Jerusalem
Rob Crilly is a freelance journalist based in Jerusalem writing for The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily Mail. He spent...