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Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: News
Amidst tribal chaos in Kenya, Wharton students bring hope for future
Global Consulting Practicum promotes sustainable rural enterprise with jobs, schools and water pumps
Jody Pollock
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Amidst a hotly disputed election and the deadly violence that followed in its wake, five Wharton MBA students and a professor spent two weeks in Kenya this winter break.
The group is working through the Global Consulting Practicum, a Wharton course in which students consult for international firms. They signed on to help The Leakey Collection, a beaded jewelry and home décor company designed to cultivate rural enterprise among the Maasai tribe in east Kenya.
But the team never anticipated their trip would coincide with one of the most violent months in Kenya's history.
On Dec. 27, President Mwai Kibaki, the incumbent candidate, won re-election. Immediately afterwards, accusations surfaced that the vote count had been fraudulent and that Kibaki had stolen the win from his opponent, Raila Odinga. Riots broke out across Kenya and continue to wreak havoc on the population.
Nothing foretold there would be such an extreme reaction to the elections.
When the GCP team landed in Nairobi on election day, there were no State Department travel warnings in place, said GCP Assistant Director Lisa Linn de Barona.
Furthermore, Kenya has long been known as one of the "more peaceful, more democratic countries in Africa," said Wharton MBA student Kathy Park, a GCP team member.
After landing in Nairobi, the team found the city calm. They made the move to Watamu, a seaside city south of Nairobi, without further incident.
Then, the results of the elections were delayed, said Wharton MBA student Sushant Mukherjee, "and people started getting restive."
The dubious election exacerbated the ethnic tensions between two major tribes, the Kikuyu, to which Kibaki belongs, and the Luo, to which Odinga belongs. The Maasai people occupy a neutral ground between them, but they are still caught in the crossfire.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Ginkgo
posted 1/29/08 @ 7:40 AM EST
It is a very good thing that those students are doing. I am glad that they were able to get back safely. I hope they continue to help that tribe out. Also I hope that things in that area settle down and become more peaceful. (Continued…)
Alum
posted 1/29/08 @ 9:03 AM EST
While I would agree that Kenya has been one of the more stable countries in Africa, I don't think its true that there was no state department travel warning prior to this group's trip. (Continued…)
Gadfly
posted 1/29/08 @ 12:52 PM EST
Aren't 'amidst' and 'amongst' not actually real words on this side of the pond?
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