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<font face="Arial"><b><big>Kenya ranked among least peaceful states</big></b><br>
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<div id="articlemeta"><font face="Arial">Posted Tuesday, June
16 2009 at 00:00<br>
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<p><font face="Arial">A new global
survey has ranked Kenya among the top 40 countries that are least
peaceful, a move that looks set to erode the country’s standing as an
investment destination. </font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">The survey by the Institute
for Economics and Peace, an Australian non-profit research firm,
indicated that Kenya was this year ranked 113 among 144 countries that
were surveyed.</font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">The report could drive away potential
investors returning to Kenya after last year’s post-election chaos
which shut down most businesses in key towns across the country. The
same survey ranked Kenya 91 in 2007 and 119 in 2008.</font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">This
comes at a time when a number of initiatives including the launch of
Brand Kenya, a state corporation charged with building the country’s
image, have been put in place to woo investors.</font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">But the new report by the Australian economists
could water down
these efforts. </font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">Diamond
rich Botswana has been ranked as the most peaceful country in Africa
followed by Malawi which scored highly after carrying out a peaceful
presidential election recently.<br>
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<p><font face="Arial"><strong>Most serene</strong><br>
According to the global survey
New Zealand is the most peaceful country in the world. Other countries
that are said to be peaceful in Africa include Gabon, Ghana,
Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. </font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">The report which
ranks Kenya the lowest amongst the traditional three East African
states uses 23 indicators to determine the existence or absence of
peace, key among them being hostility to foreigners or private
property, political instability, respect for human rights, military
capability, potential for terrorist attacks and perceptions of
criminality in society and relations with neighbouring states. </font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">But
a local organization Peace and Development Network dismissed the
parameters as inadequate to judge a country’s levels of peace.</font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">“The
parameters to use when judging a country’s level of peace should
include the existence of mechanisms for resolving conflicts within a
state, because every country has its own internal conflicts, ” said
Philip Onguje, the programme officer in charge of human security at
Peace and Development Network. </font></p>
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<p><font face="Arial">Kenya is at a
crossroads following post-election violence early last year in which
more than 1,000 people were killed with several others displaced from
their property. </font></p>
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