The statement that Mr Kibaki was 're-elected' and that Mr Odinga was unsuccessful is politically naïve (see Science for development needs stable base in 2008). Nobody knows whether Mr Kibaki was re-elected, not even the chair of Kenya's electoral commission. That is what the whole issue is about and why the international community is now putting pressure on the two opponents to find a way out.

Yes, science and technology are necessary for wealth creation but by no means sufficient for human development. Science and economic policies that are not grounded in values of justice and fairness are likely to produce more of what we now see in Kenya and Pakistan.