A Day of Disappointment in England, but something a little more serious elsewhere.

Well, England didn't get the 2018 World Cup. I was thinking of writing something before the result of that vote came out, when there was still some tension, but it's a bit late for that now.

Meanwhile, in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) they're waiting on the results of their elections. A friend writes that international TV has been shut off, and the borders shut, after the government claims there was widespread fraud in the North, which has not been under government control for the last 8 years. Apparently international monitors have not found widespread fraud in the North, but it seems clear that the results, which were approved by the Electoral Commission, give the opposition candidate Ouattara a majority, so the president's rep in the commission decided to tear the results up. Not a good sign for democracy, maybe not as bad as the closure of the borders, and the fatal attack on some of Ouattara's supporters yesterday.

Ivoriens, behold Kenya and shudder! An attempt to steal an election there cost over 1,500 lives, and the country pulled back from the brink of much worse. And stealing elections doesn't just cause immediate violence, but helps to create a culture of impunity and corruption which makes the overall governance, and therefore life of the people, much worse. Better to lose an election honestly than win one by deception.

A tale of minor corruption, Kadhi courts and another Mbiti link

Yesterday I had a chat with a lady who was trying to get her late husband's pension, which she has a right to. Apparently everything is OK, apart from the fact that money's not coming. She told me that everything here works with a bribe, but that's not how she does things. She keeps on going back, going up the chain until she gets access to the boss who normally will set things straight. She seemed confident that eventually she'll succeed. Good for her!

Incidentally, different ministries seem to have different reputations. She said the treasury, who she is dealing with, is the worst. But if you have all your papers in order, immigration seems to work well with no money changing hands. Good for them! In most countries immigration services are among the worst, as the clients are not citizens, and don't have votes. But Kenya bucks that trend, for some reason. But then I have been waiting for my car's registration document for over two years now....

Yesterday the high court proclaimed that Kadhi courts are illegal. A diplomat friend described this as 'interesting timing', given that the case was lodged six years ago, and this judgement comes out around 3 months before the referendum on the constitution. And apparently they're illegal even if in the constitution. So at least they're not unconstitutional... (?)

And you'll find a full record of the lecture by John Mbiti by Ben here. It's long, but that's because there was a lot to say.