Three big stories coming from Kenya:
Kenyan officials have denied any connection between their country and Somalia’s radical Islamist group al-Shabab. I suppose this was the inevitable spin from Nairobi, so I am not surprised. But it seems to me that the more prudent response would be something along the lines of “we are alarmed by these rumors, we realize the potential that al-Shabab presents for destabilizing the region, and we will do everything we can domestically and with our friends in the region to prevent this organization from gaining a foothold.”
Meanwhile The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor has announced that starting in May he plans to conduct most of his investigations into the violence that convulsed the country after Kenya’s 2007 election. He expects to finish the this year with trials to commence in 2012. The timetable seems both unrealistic and yet the delay seems to almost guarantee that any of the most prominent figures who fomented violence will have long since covered their tracks.
On the good news front, Kenya dominated this year’s individual and team World Cross Country Championships on both the men’s and women’s sides.
