Kenya Begins Moving Forward Following Post-Election Crisis

As I write this, an uneasy peace has followed the sometimes violent civil unrest that erupted in Kenya around the national elections in December. On April 13, it was announced that President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga had negotiated a deal to name Kenya’s new cabinet.  While it is too soon to know how effective the new government will be, the events of the last few months are sure to have had a detrimental impact on Kenya’s economic progress, at least in the short term.

I followed the events in Kenya with alarm and dismay.  I have friends in Kenya from having spent 3 months there in 2002 working on the polio eradication campaign.  I also had the pleasure of meeting Florence Nyamu, the GTL coordinator in Kenya, her wonderful daughter, Nancy, and most of the GTL scholarship recipients during the board visit last May.   As the crisis in Kenya unfolded, I could hardly imagine how they felt as their country seemed to whirl out of control, or the distress of seeing the progress they had achieved put at risk by the civil unrest.  

Through it all, GTL’s main concern was for the safety of the GTL scholarship recipients and we were in frequent communication with Florence in Nairobi.  Florence was able to monitor the situation and assure us that the girls were safe and able to continue their studies without interruption.  

The road to economic and political development is rarely smooth or easy.  I hope that the people of Kenya and the whole region can once again focus their attention to addressing their immediate needs and planning for a prosperous future.  GTL remains committed to providing girls in East Africa with the education they need to be active and knowledgeable participants in this process for their communities and their countries.