Can Kenya’s Leaders Move Past This Year’s Election Drama?

Can Kenya’s Leaders Move Past This Year’s Election Drama?
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta waves to his supporters as he arrives for his inauguration ceremony, Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 28, 2017 (AP photo by Sayyid Abdul Azim).

Editor’s Note: Every Friday, WPR Associate Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.

After months of tension and fears of widespread violence, Kenya’s political leadership this week took steps that seemed designed to end the year on a more conciliatory note.

In late November, President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term, following a rerun presidential vote that was boycotted by his main opposition rival, Raila Odinga. In the days that followed, Odinga’s political coalition broadcast plans to hold an alternative ceremony inaugurating Odinga as the “people’s president.” On Sunday, however, the opposition said those plans would be postponed, citing “consultations and engagement with a wide range of national and international interlocuters.” The U.S. Embassy was among the voices opposed to the ceremony, which was scheduled to take place Tuesday.

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