Whatever the ruling, we must protect, preserve the country

There is an eerie sense of unease that is hanging over the Supreme Court’s ruling on the second presidential petition today. The death and destruction from the violence that engulfed Nairobi when police officers confronted NASA supporters on Friday is cause for fear.

Obviously, the police mishandled a bad situation, leading to five deaths (going by police reports or 13 from accounts from family and mortuary reports as we report elsewhere). The clampdown that was mounted on supporters of NASA leader Raila Odinga has only further embittered huge sections of the population that feel excluded and unappreciated. And today’s ruling, if mishandled, could exacerbate the tense situation.