A march to keep Kenya intact

As post-election conflicts in Kenya lessen, a crowd of nearly 200 quietly marched downtown Chicago on Sunday in an effort to bring attention to the violence in their homeland.

"There's a huge humanitarian crisis developing," said Mukila Maitha, head of United Kenyans of Chicago, a social networking and economic development group. "We need to sustain pressure until both sides of the political conflict come to the table."

The group was mostly made up of expatriates now living in the Chicago area, which is home to about 5,000 native Kenyans, Maitha said. Many still have family and business investments in the once-stable democracy.

Violence erupted after the Dec. 27 presidential election when the incumbent was declared the victor despite widespread allegations of voter fraud and substantiated improprieties.

More than 300 people were killed, thousands of homes and businesses destroyed, and more than 100,000 people displaced, according to media reports from Kenya. Both sides swapped accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Many at Sunday's peace rally in Chicago called for the sides to meet and work out a deal that will put an end to the violence.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, blamed Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki for the upheaval at a prayer vigil before the march.

"Kenya is facing the inevitable consequences of a power brand," Davis said. "The greatest share of the violence has fallen on the poorest Kenyans."

Alie Kabba, president of Chicago's United African Organization, said pressure has to be placed on Kenyan leadership to resolve the conflict for the betterment of the entire continent.

"Keeping Kenya together is key to Africa," he said. "We just had elections in Sierra Leone and there was no news about it because it went very well. We have to keep being optimistic."

While the bloodshed in Kenya has been blamed on tribal conflicts that have risen to the surface in the wake of the election drama, Kenyans say that's an oversimplified explanation.

"Ethnic divisions are not as great as are being reported," Maitha said. "There are disaffected citizens, but much of the violence is people taking advantage of this crisis. There are definitely criminal gangs who are using this as an excuse to incite."

Kenya has been a reliable ally of the West in recent years, welcoming many American and European businesses, developing a booming tourist trade and sheltering refugees of other war-torn African nations.

Maitha said his organization would be reaching out to American businesses with ties to Kenya to help call for peace. He said corporations like Citibank, Microsoft and Caterpillar have significant investments in Kenya.