It is a general election that is being closely watched around the world - one in which the stakes are higher than ever before. On March 4, five years after the worst political crisis in the country's history, Kenyans will vote for MPs, governors, senators and a new president to replace Mwai Kibaki. One of the front runners for the top job is Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president, who is charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the post-election violence of 2007. The other main competitor is Raila Odinga, the country's prime minster, whose defeat in the last election amid charges of rigging, turned tribe against tribe in a shocking explosion of violence that left more than 1,200 dead. Odinga is widely seen to have won the last election but had to settle for the lesser job of prime minister in a coalition government following the disputed vote. In this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, Raila Odinga discusses if Kenya can overcome its divisive ethnic politics and maintain its status as an African powerhouse.
