Somalia war dents Kenya's ranking in failed states index
The Assanand building where a terrorist attack was staged on Moi Avenue, Nairobi in May 28, 2012. PHOTO / JOAN PERERUAN
Violence linked to Kenya's “entanglement” in Somalia is among the reasons cited for the country's poor rating in the 2012 “failed states index” issued on Monday by a US-based think tank.
Kenya is again ranked No. 16 among 177 countries evaluated by the Fund for Peace in an annual survey published by Foreign Policy magazine.
“One of Africa's most developed countries, Kenya sat at No. 34 on the failed states index back in 2006,” the Washington research institute notes.
But instability following the 2007 presidential election caused Kenya to be relegated to the 13th spot in the 2010 index.
Kenya has made progress in state-building in the past two years, the Fund for Peace says, citing the approval of a new constitution and the International Criminal Court's indictment of suspected instigators of the post-election violence.
“Still, Kenya's entanglement in Somalia, where it sent thousands of troops last fall, has resulted in several attacks and kidnappings along the Kenya-Somali border, introducing new pressures in a country still struggling to recover from a half-decade of turbulence,” the analysis adds.
“Kenya also hosts the world's largest refugee camp, teeming with Somali drought victims.”
The Failed States Index measures factors such as demographic pressures, presence of internally displaced persons and refugees, “group grievance,” uneven development and respect for human rights.
Kenya scores worst in the “factionalised elites” category and best on the economic growth criterion.
The five states ranked worst on the index are all in Africa. Somalia takes the No 1 spot for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe.
Uganda holds the 20th place in this year's index, while Tanzania, at No 66, is given one of the best ratings in Africa. South Africa and Ghana are the most positively rated in all of Africa.
Finland is said to be the least failed state. The United States is assigned the 159th spot, one grade better than the United Kingdom's.
