Rejoicing in Democracy

Instant Replay congratulate's Kenya's peaceful transition of power as Daniel arap Moi, who has ruled autocratically for 24 years, stepped down as required by the 1991 constitution and handed over power to a fairly elected successor of another party, Mwai Kibaki. Moi did a good job at keeping Kenya stable, but failed to realize the country's potential for economic growth. Many Kenyans remain desperately poor despite the country's image as one of Africa's stronger, stabler nations.

Kibaki has promised a lot, and he won't be able to deliver it all. Hopefully, however, he'll crack down on corruption and attract strong foreign investment, which could yield substantive long-term results. It's not an easy situation: HIV infects almost a tenth of Kenyans, and about half of Kenyans live on $1 a day or less.

Oh, and the transition wasn't entirely peaceful, as the Washington Post reports. A grim-looking Moi stepped down after he read a short speech that was drowned out by Kenyans pelting the stage with mud and singing, "All is possible without Moi," and "Go Away."