There's nothing like a third world election.
Trucks with blaring speakers going down the street, complete with running commentary coming from the front seat and a male dancer or two on the back of the truck alongside the speakers.
It's quite a sight.
But at a deeper level, elections reveal a lot about a country. Its recent history, its political maturity, the problems that most need to be solved, the trust or mistrust that the different candidates inspire. It's been interesting to watch both at the local and national level.
The two leading contenders are Kibaki, the sitting president and Raila Odinga. Kibaki is likable but plodding, methodical bureaucratic and not particularly inspiring. Raila is inspiring but often for the wrong reasons pitting poor against rich and doing everything he can to frighten away any kind of investment or capital. Calling all stock traders drug dealers is not exactly Reagonomics.
The other more disturbing tendency is tribalism. Kibaki's tribe is by far the most westernized and prosperous. This has led to resentment and more than a little racism among the other tribes. In a continent with limited resources, taking care of your own is a matter of survival. The downside is that it has often led to violence. Raila is promising decentralization which unfortunately could highlight the tribal tensions as each group fights for greater autonomy and control of their own region. Fortunately, this will require a change in the constitution which is a lengthy process.
The Bush administration is supporting the wrong people, in my opinion, snubbing Kibaki for normalizing relations with Libya and trying to work with the Muslim population which accounts for about 30% of the country. Politics, man. If it doesn't work at home, try it somewhere else.