Another ODM MP, David Kimutai Too, was killed yesterday in Eldoret. Some claim that he was killed in a "crime of passion" as the result of a "love triangle gone wrong". Others, including Odinga, insist that this was a political assassination with the goal of tipping the power balance in parliament. Whatever the motivation, the result was fresh violence in Eldoret. Meanwhile, unrest continued in Kisumu, Nakuru, Naivasha, and other Western towns. In Nairobi, the mediation team has agreed on establishing peace in seven days. Wonderful words, but how exactly do they plan on accomplishing peace in a week? So far most of the discussions seem to have concentrated on how the mediation will be conducted, with few concrete plans of action. Kibaki isn't even in the country right now; he's in Addis Ababa for an African Union Heads of State meeting. The fact that the AU allowed Kibaki to represent Kenya is somewhat troubling. Are they simply letting him in as an interim representative, or accepting him as the President of Kenya? If the latter is the case, they've succeeded in undercutting the mediation process entirely, which I find very odd.

Ban Ki-moon is expected to arrive in Nairobi shortly to join in the negotiations. I'm not sure how well-received his presence will be; most of the people I've spoken to seem to like the fact that Annan is leading the mediation team, keeping "African problems within Africa". But anything that helps speed negociations is probably a positive development. I do wonder, even if some political agreement is reached, how can the root causes of the violence be addressed so that this kind of crisis does not occur in Kenya again? While a free and fair democracy is crucial, this isn't just about vote rigging, nor just about "tribalism". And as this is a complex problem, it will likely take years to address, and years for the country to recover from the trauma of civil unrest. Democracy is not enough, and even peace is not enough. Kenya needs change from within.

When I was in Canada watching the political situation in Kenya fall apart, in denial about the extent and severity of the violence, I thought that if I just managed to return to Kenya, that somehow the situation wouldn't seem so dire. Now that I'm here, I feel as frustrated and as helpless as ever, perhaps even more so now that I am able to see some of the destruction firsthand. Though I'm no longer as worried about my loved ones here, I know that those who care about me back home are feeling the same anxiety that I did before I came. It's not a good feeling to know that I'm causing stress to others. And like so many of those who live here and love this country, all I can do now is shake my head, watch out for myself and my friends and wonder when this will end.

While I'm not feeling particularly optimistic about Kenya's future today, at least in the short term, Nairobi's resilience gives me a tiny bit of hope for the possibility of rebuilding elsewhere. It was only a few weeks ago that the city centre was the site of demonstrations, police brutality and shootings. Photos from that time were eerily post-apocalyptic, showing deserted shops and streets completely empty save for a few police officers. Now it's more or less back to business as usual. On the other hand, Nairobi is a cosmopolitain city with a large middle class, which allows its residents to bounce back more easily, and some areas such as Kibera are still sites of violence and instability. Small towns that have been the sites of large-scale looting and burning may not find recovery so easy.