Kenya: wilted flowers

Kenya's cut flower industry will not be celebrating on February 14, as it loses out on its usual Valentine's Day boost in flower sales due to continuing violence in the country.

Kenya has been wracked by ethnic clashes since December 30, when Mwai Kibaki was pronounced the winner of the hotly disputed presidential poll and hastily sworn in for a second term an hour later.  Observers called the vote count into question, and a spiral of attacks and retaliation has developed in multi-ethnic communities, often pitting Kibaki's Kikuyu group against the Luo, Kalenjin or other groups associated with opposition politicians.  The violence also stems from longer-standing grievances over land and economic opportunities that have been tied to ethnic identity for political purposes.  The violence has left over 1000 dead, thousands more wounded and over 300,000 displaced.

The economy has not escaped unscathed.  Tourism has been directly hit, and is a significant source of revenue for the country.  Perhaps worse is the effect on local industry, which is hampered by the disruptions to transportation caused by the violence.  Kenya's farms provide about a quarter of Europe's cut flower market, and the period between February and March accounts for about a third of Kenya's annual turnover.  Thus, the effect of the violence will be particularly hard felt there.

Although a mediation effort is underway, chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, political compromise seems some distance off, and the longer the violence continues, the more difficult it will be to contain.