There has been unrest in Kenya for several days since President Mwai Kibaki, who belongs to the Kikuyu tribe, claimed a re-election victory. The election is contested by opposition leader Raila Odinga, who belongs to the Luos tribe.

From an AP article on the violence in Kenya:

The independent Kenya Human Rights Commission and the International Federation for Human Rights said in a joint statement more than 300 people had been killed nationwide since the Dec. 27 vote. The Norwegian Refugee Council estimated more than 100,000 people have been displaced….The bitter dispute has shattered Kenya’s image as an tourist-friendly oasis of stability in a region that includes war-ravaged Somalia and Sudan. It also has revealed ethnic rivalries under the surface of this regional economic powerhouse…In one of the worst attacks, a mob set fire to a church Tuesday in a town about 185 miles northwest of Nairobi where Kikuyus had taken refuge.

Residents of Kenya are required to carry a national identity card [kipande] that shows their ethnic affiliation. First introduced by colonialists to restrict the movements of native Africans, the kipande continues to cause ethnic tension in Kenya today. There is also political disagreement over the denial of the card to Muslim minorities who have lived in Kenya for generations. (For a detailed history, see “Race, Class and Colonial Legacies in Kenya,” by Onyango Oloo) While the card system is not responsible for the ethnic violence, it has reportedly facilitated it.

The United States continues to roll out our own REAL ID mandatory identity card program. President Bush signed Real ID into law in 2005. It was never debated in Congress. Originally, it was supposed to take effect in May of this year, but it has now been postponed to December 2009. That gives me more time to think of creative things to do with mine, as I enjoy the enhanced freedom and security that comes with it.