"What is happening in Kenya is not—I repeat not an ethnic conflict.", Donald Payne
Yes, those were the words Congressman Donald Payne used in his opening statement in an hearing by the Sub-Committee on Africa and Global Health. Donald Payne supported his thesis by claiming that he had visited the Jamhuri Park camp and met internally displaced people from different ethnic groups. How I wish he had visited the killing fields of Rift Valley!
Payne tore into the US Department of State for its statement that exposed ethnic cleansing in Kenya. US envoy Jendayi Frazer said what was happening in Kenya "was clear ethnic cleansing." The Department of State refused to withdraw the statement in its daily brief to the press.
The term ethnic cleansing is defined as "The systematic elimination of an ethnic group or groups from a region or society, as by deportation, forced emigration, or genocide."
That is exactly what happened in Kenya. It all started with the slaughter of and burning to death of Kenyans who are from the Kikuyu and Kisii ethnic groups. Entire villages were destroyed and resident forcifully evicted from areas where the Kalenjin and Luos were the majority. Evidence that this happened is detailed in several entries I have made in this blog - http://kenyangenocide.blogspot.com/
Former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan visited the Rift Valley in Kenya and reported that what he saw as the violence "may have been triggered by the electoral result, but it has evolved into something else where there is gross and systematic abuse of the rights of citizens."
"It is essential the facts be established and those responsible be held to account.... Let us not kid ourselves and think that this is an electoral problem. It is much broader and much deeper... We have to tackle the fundamental issues that underlie what we are witnessing today. If we do not do that, three, five years from now we may be back at this," Dr. Annan said.
Somebody should tell Payne that the Kalenjin militia has followed Kikuyu and Kisii refugees into Uganda and attempted to poison food in a refugee camp. This in my opinon is a quest to annihilate people from target ethnic groups. The Kalenjin militia burned people taking shelter in a church. They tossed little children who had escaped back into the fire. These are not actions of people who are protesting an election as Payne is implying.
The militia attacked a university in Kenya and demanded that students from target ethnic groups be handed to them for slaughter. This is a clear indication of ethnic cleansing.
It is in the public domain that Raila Odinga is using the services of American spin doctor Dick Morris (Watch video of Dick Morris addressing the press). Lobying congressmen in Washington is part of Raila's deal with Dick. It should not surprise us that Payne may have received a visit from Dick Morris and was given a script to sanitize those behind the genocide in Kenya using the US House of Representatives.
Donald Payne ignored many facts that point to ethnic cleansing in Kenya.
In an interview with the BBC, (click to listen) Jackson Kibor -a prominante Kalenjin leader- said, "We will not sit down and see one tribe lead Kenya. We will fight. This is a war. We will start a war. One tribe cannot lead 41 tribes. This is a war. Now we are fighting for power."
In response to a question if they Kalenjins would let the Kikuyu come back to their land Kibor said, "No we will not let them come back again because they are thieves. We will never let them come back. Kikuyus should be on their own. We will divide Kenya." (Click for verbertim)
If such a statement was made by somebody in the US while racial wars are taking place, the person could be charged with with hate crimes. It is a shame that congressman Payne is supporting such statements and actions.
Human Rights Watch released a report indicating that the opposition was behind ethnic cleansing in Kenya. "We have evidence that ODM politicians and local leaders actively fomented some post-election violence, and the authorities should investigate and make sure it stops now," The report said.
Raila Odinga can afford the services of lobyist Dick Morris to sanitize his name. This is a service that Kenyans who have been evicted from their homes and have had their children killed cannot afford. Residents of District 10 in New Jersey (Essex County, Hudson County and Union County) should contact Donald Payne and give him facts on the case.
Kenyan Americans in the state of New Jersey should say no to the impunity and special interests that Payne is serving. Payne should remember that a majority of Kenyan Americans in the US reside in his district. Payne cannot -without shame- deny that the slaughter of his constituents' families in Kenya.
Please contact Donald Payne
Click on link to email Payne: http://www.house.gov/payne/IMA/issue.htm
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Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Kibor: We will divide Kenya
At last Jackson Kibor arraigned for incitement despite protests to realease his led by Raila Odinga and ODM. In a report titled Kenya in Crisis, the International Crisis Group said "A powerful tribal elder was heard making statements that would have seen him prosecuted in many countries. Jackson Kibor, a prominent Nandi elder and politician in Eldoret, was unapologetic over the violence and said to the BBC that the Kalenjin have a right to kill Kikuyus. He described the violence in the Rift Valley as “a war” and said Kikuyus will never be allowed back. This chilling message from the traditional elders is widely shared by most ordinary Kalenjin."
ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga (centre) with party members
Dr Oburu Odinga (Raila's Brother) (left) and Mr Jackson Kibor at Pentagon House yesterday.
Kibor, who was released from police custody recently, congratulated Raila on signing
Kibor, who was released from police custody recently, congratulated Raila on signing
the peace deal. Picture by Dominic Odhiambo
The Standard, March 2, 2008
(Update: The article has since been deleted from The Standards' Website)
(Update: The article has since been deleted from The Standards' Website)
In the last few days ODM leadership has openly called for the issolation of the kikuyu community into their own country. Najib Balala promised to reduce the Kikuyu to Lesotho a sentiment that was reaffirmed by a statement by ODM MPs read by Ababu Namwamba saying that the Kikuyu should be isolated into their own country. Definately a lot of violence has to be used to round up the Kikuyu and send them to the Lesotho that ODM is building for the Kikuyus. And that is where Jackson Kibor and is army come in.
In an interview with the BBC, Jackson Kibor said, "Kikuyus should be on their own. We will divide Kenya."
Anthony Kimani with his baby saved from the burning church
The following is part of the interview. You can also listen to it by clicking here.
Note: Some people have called the interview a fabrication by me. Their doubts are understandable considering the fact that Kibor's words are outrageous. It is unbelievable that in this time and age somebody can still judge and call for the exetermination of another citizen based on the citizen's ethnic identity. Those disputing the fact that the interview was done by the BBC should note that the link comes from the bbc.co.uk domain owned by the BBC. You can access the page that contains the link to the audio by using google. Copy/paste this phrase that is in bold: site:bbc.co.uk "Eldoret from where Pascale Harter" End of phrase.
I prepared the transcript below from the audio.
Interviewer: Why target your neighbor? They didn’t rig the election.
Kibor: People have to fight the Kikuyu because Kibaki is a Kikuyu. People felt that all the Kikuyus were supporters of Kibaki so they have to fight them so that Kibaki can feel the pinch. We are 42 tribes. The other tribes are supporting ODM. The Kikuyu are the only ones supporting Kibaki. How can one tribe defeat others. That was the Kikuyu plan.
Interviewer: So targeting the Kikuyu, holding them responsible for the actions of Mwai Kibaki and his PNU Party is a political strategy for you? So when was that decided?
Kibor: It was nobody’s plan to beat the Kikuyus… no … it was a reaction. People just reacted and thy chased the Kikuyu.
Interviewer: What about now? What is the plan now? What would you tell the Kalenjin to do now?
Kibor: We will not sit down and see one tribe lead Kenya. We will fight. This is a war. We will start a war. One tribe cannot lead 41 tribes. This is a war. Now we are fighting for power.
Interviewer: Can you live in peace again? Will you as a Kalenjin leader tell your people to accept the Kikuyus coming back to their home and living here again?
Kibor: No we will not let them come back again because they are thieves. We will never let them come back.
Interviewer: Do you want to drive them out of Rift Valley, out of Western Kenya altogether?
Kibor: Correct. Correct. Kikuyus should be on their own. We will divide Kenya
Raila Odinga -a man who claims to be a Pan Africanist and a statesman- cannot see anything wrong with what Kibor said. He wants Kibor to be freed. A man who is promising to unite Kenya should he be PM is acusing the police of being overzelous. And that is why he stormed CID offices to demand Kibor's release.
Kibor's supporters are demanding his release on the grounds that he is an frail old man who doesn't deserve to spend a dail in jail. God has blessed Kibor by giving him 72 years on this earth. Some of Kibor's victims were not luck enough to see their 3rd birthday. Kibor may be a frail old man but his resolve to call for the slaughter of innocent Kenyans was not a frail. Age is supposed to make us wiser but this in not the case with Kibor.
The international community seems to be thinking that Kenya will be at peace once power is shared and ODM is rewarded with seats in the government. Not when the Kalenjin militia follows refugees to neoghboring countries to poison them; not when refugees are tossed into a river and left to down in what reminds us of River Kagera in Rwanda. The hate behind these and many other massacres cannot be erased by a PM seat. The seats that the international community is bargaining for Raila Odinga's ODM will be used to shelter people who have committed crimes against humanity.
In the West people who commit crimes against humanity are labeled terrorists and hunted down to the last man. In Kenya, the West wants us to reward criminals. In the West, staments issued by Osama Bin Laden calling for the slaughter of innocent people are taken as serious. Western governments use sophiciticated equipment to acertain authenticity of the voice. In Kenya, the opposition is calling for anhilation of the Kikuyu but the West is calling it freedom of speech!
Kass FM openly called for the Kalenjin to cut Kikuyus like grass but the station has to be kept operating lets the international comminity accuses the Kenyan government of dictatorship.
Bill Clinton said, “Genocide can occur anywhere. It is not an African phenomenon. We must have global vigilance. And never again must we be shy in the face of the evidence.”
There is evidence of a genocide but the world is shy to face it. It will take the slaughter of 1 million people for world leaders to stand in line waiting to shed their share of crocodile tears.
Friday, February 22, 2008
ODM's anti-Kikuyu campaign gains momentum
A few days ago, Najib Balala threatened that ODM was going to reduce was going to introduce a debate on boundaries and reduce the Kikuyu in to a dually-landlocked country like Lesotho. Today, ODM legislators have said, “If there is any community in Kenya unwilling to co-exist with other Kenyans in a manner that reflects the popular will of Kenyans; then that community is at liberty to exercise the principle of self-determination as is well-enunciated in the U.N. Charter and other international legal instruments.”
The above statements are in line with ODM’s pre-election campaigns that portrayed the Kikuyu tribe as an impediment to equitable distribution of wealth and peace in Kenya. ODM successfully managed to reduce what is a class issue to a tribal issue. Surprisingly, those pushing ethnic discrimination and ethnic cleansing as a way of addressing equitable distribution of wealth are very wealthy.
If you looked at the hotspots of ethnic violence in Kenya, you will notice that it is violence is concentrated in the slums where the poorest of the poor reside. Raila Odinga’s anti-Kikuyu campaign has pitted the members of the Luo community against the Kikyu community. The Lou are accusing the Kikuyu –who are equally poor- of dominating the economy. In this melee, Raila Odinga who is very wealth has found a way to effectively deflect attention of poor Kenyan workers from his wealth.
Those familiar with Kenya will agree with me that we have a few very rich Kenyans –drawn from different tribes and races- and a majority poor Kenyans. The notion that Kikuyus are wealthy while other Kenyans are poor is propaganda meant to justify ethnic cleansing.
Immediately after the 2007 elections, ODM started to spread propaganda that Kibaki managed to be elected by winning one province; Central Province. Offical results show that Kibaki and Kibaki won in 4 provinces each. Kibaki had Central, Eastern, North Eastern and Nairobi while Raila had Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and Coast Provinces. Using ODM's data that puts Kibaki at 44% and Raila at 48%, it is still clear that Kibaki got more than the Kikuyu (22% of the population) vote. ODM's militia has been slaughtering the Kisii -who hail from Nyanza- accusing them of voting for Kibaki.
ODM legislators have doused fuel into the fire by suggesting that there is one community in Kenya (the Kikuyu) unwilling to co-exist with other Kenyans.
The last time I checked, Professor David Habel Odongo (a Luo) was happily living with his Kikuyu wife and running a successful hotel business in Kisumu until some goons from the Luo tribe attacked their business, looted it and razed it to the ground. The Last time I checked, Raila Odinga’s son Fidel Castro Odhiambo Odinga (a Luo) was married to Veronicah Wanjiru Ng’ang’a, a Kikuyu relative of Uhuru Kenyatta. Those are just but a few Luos and Kikuyus who share a bed.
In the slums, Mama Akinyi (a Luo) and Mama Kimani (a Kikuyu) borrowed sugar and salt from one another until Raila Odinga told them that they were enemies.
Raila Odinga is busy pushing the anti-Kikuyu campaign yet ODM has two Kikuyu MPs - Margaret Wanjiru and John Kiarie. There are several Kikuyu MPs elected on other party platforms. No Luo was elected on a PNU ticket (or any other party). Raphael Tuju (a Luo) who had brought a lot of development to his constituency was voted out because of eating with the enemy (the Kikuyu). Despite all that, Raila is calling for the isolation of the Kikuyu tribe into a Lesotho!
Raila Odinga’s case around the globe is being pushed by the Kenya Commission on Human Rights chief Maina Kiai (a Kikuyu). Maina Kiai has testimonies and interviews in major world capitals explaining why special seats should be created from Raila Odinga’s ODM while failing to use the mandate given by Kenyan commoners to push for the interests of Kenyans who have been evicted from their properties because of their tribe. Still Raila Odinga and ODM have the audacity to claim that the Kikuyus are unwilling to co-exist with other Kenyans.
I wonder where the ODM spokesman Tony Gachoka (a Kikuyu) is as his party calls for the extermination of the Kikuyu. I would have expected him –not Lawyer Ababu Namwamba- to issue the statement that called for the extermination of the Kikuyu. Isn’t that what a spokesman is there for?
The war cries that we hear today are no different to the anti-Tutsi propaganda that Rwanda was treated to. ODM’s propaganda that the Kikuyu are an impediment to peace in Kenya are akin to Kangura’s -a Hutu extremist newspaper- article titled “A cockroach cannot give birth to a butterfly.”
Raila Odinga may be made the King of Kenya; his lieutenants may be appointed to the highest seats in the country; but that will not erase the perception that the Kikuyu are the main problem in Kenya. There will always be a reason to chop off a peasant Kikuyu’s head.
ODM’s tribal anti-Kikuyu rhetoric has been taken too far. When the world wakes up, it will be time reach into the garbage can and retrieve Bill Clinton’s speech in Rwanda where he said, “Genocide can occur anywhere. It is not an African phenomenon. We must have global vigilance. And never again must we be shy in the face of the evidence.”
The above statements are in line with ODM’s pre-election campaigns that portrayed the Kikuyu tribe as an impediment to equitable distribution of wealth and peace in Kenya. ODM successfully managed to reduce what is a class issue to a tribal issue. Surprisingly, those pushing ethnic discrimination and ethnic cleansing as a way of addressing equitable distribution of wealth are very wealthy.
If you looked at the hotspots of ethnic violence in Kenya, you will notice that it is violence is concentrated in the slums where the poorest of the poor reside. Raila Odinga’s anti-Kikuyu campaign has pitted the members of the Luo community against the Kikyu community. The Lou are accusing the Kikuyu –who are equally poor- of dominating the economy. In this melee, Raila Odinga who is very wealth has found a way to effectively deflect attention of poor Kenyan workers from his wealth.
Those familiar with Kenya will agree with me that we have a few very rich Kenyans –drawn from different tribes and races- and a majority poor Kenyans. The notion that Kikuyus are wealthy while other Kenyans are poor is propaganda meant to justify ethnic cleansing.
Immediately after the 2007 elections, ODM started to spread propaganda that Kibaki managed to be elected by winning one province; Central Province. Offical results show that Kibaki and Kibaki won in 4 provinces each. Kibaki had Central, Eastern, North Eastern and Nairobi while Raila had Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and Coast Provinces. Using ODM's data that puts Kibaki at 44% and Raila at 48%, it is still clear that Kibaki got more than the Kikuyu (22% of the population) vote. ODM's militia has been slaughtering the Kisii -who hail from Nyanza- accusing them of voting for Kibaki.
ODM legislators have doused fuel into the fire by suggesting that there is one community in Kenya (the Kikuyu) unwilling to co-exist with other Kenyans.
The last time I checked, Professor David Habel Odongo (a Luo) was happily living with his Kikuyu wife and running a successful hotel business in Kisumu until some goons from the Luo tribe attacked their business, looted it and razed it to the ground. The Last time I checked, Raila Odinga’s son Fidel Castro Odhiambo Odinga (a Luo) was married to Veronicah Wanjiru Ng’ang’a, a Kikuyu relative of Uhuru Kenyatta. Those are just but a few Luos and Kikuyus who share a bed.
In the slums, Mama Akinyi (a Luo) and Mama Kimani (a Kikuyu) borrowed sugar and salt from one another until Raila Odinga told them that they were enemies.
Raila Odinga is busy pushing the anti-Kikuyu campaign yet ODM has two Kikuyu MPs - Margaret Wanjiru and John Kiarie. There are several Kikuyu MPs elected on other party platforms. No Luo was elected on a PNU ticket (or any other party). Raphael Tuju (a Luo) who had brought a lot of development to his constituency was voted out because of eating with the enemy (the Kikuyu). Despite all that, Raila is calling for the isolation of the Kikuyu tribe into a Lesotho!
Raila Odinga’s case around the globe is being pushed by the Kenya Commission on Human Rights chief Maina Kiai (a Kikuyu). Maina Kiai has testimonies and interviews in major world capitals explaining why special seats should be created from Raila Odinga’s ODM while failing to use the mandate given by Kenyan commoners to push for the interests of Kenyans who have been evicted from their properties because of their tribe. Still Raila Odinga and ODM have the audacity to claim that the Kikuyus are unwilling to co-exist with other Kenyans.
I wonder where the ODM spokesman Tony Gachoka (a Kikuyu) is as his party calls for the extermination of the Kikuyu. I would have expected him –not Lawyer Ababu Namwamba- to issue the statement that called for the extermination of the Kikuyu. Isn’t that what a spokesman is there for?
The war cries that we hear today are no different to the anti-Tutsi propaganda that Rwanda was treated to. ODM’s propaganda that the Kikuyu are an impediment to peace in Kenya are akin to Kangura’s -a Hutu extremist newspaper- article titled “A cockroach cannot give birth to a butterfly.”
"We began by saying that a cockroach cannot give birth to a butterfly. It is true. A cockroach gives birth to another cockroach...The history of Rwanda shows us clearly that a Tutsi stays always exactly the same, that he has never changed. The malice, the evil are just as we knew them in the history of our country. We are not wrong in saying that a cockroach gives birth to another cockroach. Who could tell the difference between the Inyenzi who attacked in October 1990 and those of the 1960s. They are all linked...their evilness is the same. The unspeakable crimes of the Inyenzi of today...recall those of their elders: killing, pillaging, raping girls and women, etc,"The Tutsi were cockroaches in Rwanda while the Kikuyu are Madoadoa (spots/stains) in Kenya that need to be cleansed. In Rwanda they had Radio Rwanda and Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM); in Kenya we have Kass FM. In the run up to the elections, Kass FM and its listeners (predominantly Kalenjin) called on the people of milk (Kalenjin) to cut the grass that was growing too tall (Kikuyu). The station issued false warnings of impending attacks by “government sponsored” Mungiki. This should remind us of the false warnings that Radio Rwanda issued. In 1992 Radio Rwanda issued several false warnings that the Tutsi were going to attack the Hutu in the area of Bugesera citing information from a Nairobi based human rights group. The false alarm triggered the massacre of Tutsis.
Raila Odinga may be made the King of Kenya; his lieutenants may be appointed to the highest seats in the country; but that will not erase the perception that the Kikuyu are the main problem in Kenya. There will always be a reason to chop off a peasant Kikuyu’s head.
ODM’s tribal anti-Kikuyu rhetoric has been taken too far. When the world wakes up, it will be time reach into the garbage can and retrieve Bill Clinton’s speech in Rwanda where he said, “Genocide can occur anywhere. It is not an African phenomenon. We must have global vigilance. And never again must we be shy in the face of the evidence.”
Thursday, February 21, 2008
President Kibaki should act or resign
The West prides its self for being anti-terrorism yet it is supporting ODM members who have killed hundreds and evicted thousands. They are openly preaching hate as the West negotiates big seats in government for them. The West is giving them kichwa kubwa (a big head).
The President, the police commissioner, the head of NSIS and the AG should resign if they cannot enforce the Kenyan law and provide security to Kenyans. The president has an obligation to protect every Kenyan citizen. Of what good is it to have a president who buries his head in the sand as ODM openly promises to unleashed violence on Kenyan citizens?
Whereas I understand that the president has no powers to introduce charges against suspected criminals, the president still has an obligation to ensure that those charged with the duty are carry out that duty without favor. Our constitution gives the police powers to arrest and act to prevent a crime. Section 26 of our constitution gives the Attorney General powers to introduce charges, take over an criminal case introduced by private parties, and drop any charges introduced by him of private entities.
It is sad to note that not a single soul has been brought to account for the slaughter of innocent citizens even with the availability of photographic evidence. The police force is making no effort –by use of the internet or TV- to identify the identity of people caught on camera slaughtering innocent Kenyans. I even doubt that the police know how many citizens have been slaughtered or roasted. Functions and duties of the state have been taken over by civilians who are collecting evidence of human rights abuse. A good example is Ushahidi.com and kdnc.org, among many blogs compiled by Kenyans who are sick and tired of the impunity.
The National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) was in place years before this genocide. The agency was there was Raila Odinga was inspecting a guard of honor mounted by the Kalenjin militia. The agency’s website boldly claims that it “has a mandate to identify threats against the security of Kenya, collect and analyze intelligence on these threats, and advise the Government accordingly through appropriate intelligence reports.” If indeed this is their solemn duty, then they failed. More that 1,000 Kenyans have been killed in the most brutal manner; thousands are nursing physical and psychological wounds; thousands of houses have been reduced into ashes; and millions of Kenyans live in refugee camps. Above all our country is no longer one of Africa’s power houses; we are now a travesty of a state! All this happened under the “watchful” eye of Maj. Gen. Michael Gichangi and his army of officers who enjoy an annual budget of over Sh4 billion.
It is interesting to note that the NSIS has no clue of what is going on in the country yet journalists predict events before they even happen. Long before Burnt Forest was attacked, I read a report on the Nation (I am trying to trace the link) that thousands of armed raiders were heading to burnt forest. There was a massacre a few hours later. The Telegraph recently published a story with details about a Kalenjin army. One Mr Cheserek told the journalists “We are waiting the results of Mr Annan’s talks, but if they do not go well, we will make sure there is not one Kikuyu left in the Rift Valley.”
Cheserek’s warning is similar to that given
by the ODM-Pentagon’s Najib Balala saying, that they would reduce the Kikuyu into a Lesotho. Raila Odinga also warned that we should expect violence should the Annan team fail to secure him an executive PM post in the Kibaki government. Such warnings only reinforce the report by Human Rights Watch that said that the organization has “evidence that ODM politicians and local leaders actively fomented some post-election violence.” Similar observations were made by the US Department of state that said, the Kenyan case was “clear ethnic cleansing.” Koffi Annan talked of “gross and systematic human rights abuses.”
With all that information available to newspaper readers like me, the NSIS is yet to use its resources to get to the bottom of the massacres.
On his part, Attorney General Amos Wako is operating as if business as usual. Amos Wako was in office during the ethnic cleansing of 1992 and 1997. Amos Wako cannot point to a single case he prosecuted. The 1992 and 1997
killers are the ones doing the killing today and God forbid they will be free to continue their work. Amos Wako has gone missing since the slaughters began. His office is a big joke because it cannot successfully prosecute a village chicken thief. I think his stay in that office is long overdue. He has presided over the worst human rights abuses in post independence Kenya but he has no shame receiving a pay slip at the end of each month.
Since the Attorney General has failed to do his work as mandated by the constitution, the president owes it to the Kenyan people to set up a tribunal of judges to review if or not the AG should resign or be fired. Failure to do this, the president will have failed to use his powers to the benefit of Kenyan citizens.
A president that serves his own
-and his fellow politicians’- interests is of no use to the masses. He should therefore not take their support for granted by negotiating with terrorists. He should not let violence be used as a bargaining chip. The president’s solemn obligation is to listen to the Kenyan masses in IDP camps and not bowing to the interests of the UK or Germany. Those killing Kenyans should not be pacified by being given power. They should be brought to account lest the killing with impunity continues.
The UK cannot share power with Osama bin Laden and institute Osama's version of Sharia Law to guarantee the safety of her citizens. Why should they push William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Najib Balala and others down our throats yet the so-called pentagon has said that it committed to “reducing them (the Kikuyu) to an island like Lesotho?” Why didn’t the civilized world bow to Slobodan Milosevic’s demands?
The President, the police commissioner, the head of NSIS and the AG should resign if they cannot enforce the Kenyan law and provide security to Kenyans. The president has an obligation to protect every Kenyan citizen. Of what good is it to have a president who buries his head in the sand as ODM openly promises to unleashed violence on Kenyan citizens?
Whereas I understand that the president has no powers to introduce charges against suspected criminals, the president still has an obligation to ensure that those charged with the duty are carry out that duty without favor. Our constitution gives the police powers to arrest and act to prevent a crime. Section 26 of our constitution gives the Attorney General powers to introduce charges, take over an criminal case introduced by private parties, and drop any charges introduced by him of private entities.
It is sad to note that not a single soul has been brought to account for the slaughter of innocent citizens even with the availability of photographic evidence. The police force is making no effort –by use of the internet or TV- to identify the identity of people caught on camera slaughtering innocent Kenyans. I even doubt that the police know how many citizens have been slaughtered or roasted. Functions and duties of the state have been taken over by civilians who are collecting evidence of human rights abuse. A good example is Ushahidi.com and kdnc.org, among many blogs compiled by Kenyans who are sick and tired of the impunity.
The National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) was in place years before this genocide. The agency was there was Raila Odinga was inspecting a guard of honor mounted by the Kalenjin militia. The agency’s website boldly claims that it “has a mandate to identify threats against the security of Kenya, collect and analyze intelligence on these threats, and advise the Government accordingly through appropriate intelligence reports.” If indeed this is their solemn duty, then they failed. More that 1,000 Kenyans have been killed in the most brutal manner; thousands are nursing physical and psychological wounds; thousands of houses have been reduced into ashes; and millions of Kenyans live in refugee camps. Above all our country is no longer one of Africa’s power houses; we are now a travesty of a state! All this happened under the “watchful” eye of Maj. Gen. Michael Gichangi and his army of officers who enjoy an annual budget of over Sh4 billion.
It is interesting to note that the NSIS has no clue of what is going on in the country yet journalists predict events before they even happen. Long before Burnt Forest was attacked, I read a report on the Nation (I am trying to trace the link) that thousands of armed raiders were heading to burnt forest. There was a massacre a few hours later. The Telegraph recently published a story with details about a Kalenjin army. One Mr Cheserek told the journalists “We are waiting the results of Mr Annan’s talks, but if they do not go well, we will make sure there is not one Kikuyu left in the Rift Valley.”
Cheserek’s warning is similar to that given
by the ODM-Pentagon’s Najib Balala saying, that they would reduce the Kikuyu into a Lesotho. Raila Odinga also warned that we should expect violence should the Annan team fail to secure him an executive PM post in the Kibaki government. Such warnings only reinforce the report by Human Rights Watch that said that the organization has “evidence that ODM politicians and local leaders actively fomented some post-election violence.” Similar observations were made by the US Department of state that said, the Kenyan case was “clear ethnic cleansing.” Koffi Annan talked of “gross and systematic human rights abuses.”
With all that information available to newspaper readers like me, the NSIS is yet to use its resources to get to the bottom of the massacres.
On his part, Attorney General Amos Wako is operating as if business as usual. Amos Wako was in office during the ethnic cleansing of 1992 and 1997. Amos Wako cannot point to a single case he prosecuted. The 1992 and 1997
killers are the ones doing the killing today and God forbid they will be free to continue their work. Amos Wako has gone missing since the slaughters began. His office is a big joke because it cannot successfully prosecute a village chicken thief. I think his stay in that office is long overdue. He has presided over the worst human rights abuses in post independence Kenya but he has no shame receiving a pay slip at the end of each month.Since the Attorney General has failed to do his work as mandated by the constitution, the president owes it to the Kenyan people to set up a tribunal of judges to review if or not the AG should resign or be fired. Failure to do this, the president will have failed to use his powers to the benefit of Kenyan citizens.
A president that serves his own
-and his fellow politicians’- interests is of no use to the masses. He should therefore not take their support for granted by negotiating with terrorists. He should not let violence be used as a bargaining chip. The president’s solemn obligation is to listen to the Kenyan masses in IDP camps and not bowing to the interests of the UK or Germany. Those killing Kenyans should not be pacified by being given power. They should be brought to account lest the killing with impunity continues.The UK cannot share power with Osama bin Laden and institute Osama's version of Sharia Law to guarantee the safety of her citizens. Why should they push William Ruto, Raila Odinga, Najib Balala and others down our throats yet the so-called pentagon has said that it committed to “reducing them (the Kikuyu) to an island like Lesotho?” Why didn’t the civilized world bow to Slobodan Milosevic’s demands?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Balala: We reduce them to an Island like Lesotho
I was shocked to read Najib Balala's calls for renewed violence against the Kikuyu. Balala’s unfortunate rhetoric comes hours after Raila promised, “The moment it is announced that the talks collapsed, I am sure there will be an eruption countrywide,” he said. “It will be chaos.”
Najib Balala's war rhetoric below shows that voilence against innocent Kenyans reamins their only bargaining chip on the table.
First, Balala talked about his subject wanting to rule so that they could “be able to steal what they have lost in 24 years.” The 24 years he is talking about is what is known as the Nyayo era when Daniel Arap Moi –a kalenjin- ruled Kenya. He cannot be talking about President Kibaki because Kibaki was a vice president in Moi’s government for many years. This leaves us with the Kikuyu community. For the past 5 years, ODM -and Raila Odinga- has been telling Kenyans that the Kikuyus are stealing to “recoup” what thy lost in 24 years. This kind of propaganda was meant to create an environment where Kenyans vote out Kibaki because of anti-Kikuyu sentiments and not because of how he performed during his first term.
The second pointer is Balala’s talk about reducing “them to an Island like Lesotho.” He cannot be talking about PNU because PNU is a party that members can join or leave on their own resolve. It is a party with members across the country represented by elected Members of Parliament. This was a direct attack on the Kikuyu people because they have unchangeable ethnic heritage. One cannot wake up one morning and decide that he is not a Kikuyu. His accent and facial features, will definitely do him in.
Looking at the map above, you can clearly see that Central Province –a region predominantly occupied by the Kikuyu- will be doubly-landlocked just like Lesotho should ODM succeed in balkanizing Kenya.
Najib Balala’s unfortunate comments have been made in the past. William Ole Ntimama (an ODM MP) once said, "I told them that because of their (the Kikuyus’) arrogance, they will be cut down to size as it happened to the Ibos of Nigeria."
The above sentiments have been repeated over and over by politicians and the outcome has always been ethnic cleansing. Some politicians have mastered the art of blaming the Kikuyu of all ills that afflict our country. This is done to rally with supporters around them (the politicians) against a common “enemy”.
The international community is yet to realize that creating powerful seats for politicians, who have openly called for, planned and financed ethnic cleansing in Kenya will not be a permanent solution to the violence. They will continue killing with impunity because their action will always be rewarded with seats in government.
Violence against innocent Kenyans should not be used as a bargaining chip to negotiate power.
Najib Balala's war rhetoric below shows that voilence against innocent Kenyans reamins their only bargaining chip on the table.
“They don’t believe this country has a crisis. They are not in a hurry. They don’t believe it is a powerhouse of Sub-Saharan Africa. They believe they want to rule and be able to steal what they have lost in 24 years,” he (Najib Balala) said.Obviously he was not referring to PNU. PNU was just euphemism for the Kikuyu community. There are two pointers to this.
The Pentagon member added; “We are pressurised by our people, if the negotiations are not working, then we change the terms of reference of the negotiations to discuss boundaries then we reduce them to an Island like Lesotho and that is the language they understand.”
First, Balala talked about his subject wanting to rule so that they could “be able to steal what they have lost in 24 years.” The 24 years he is talking about is what is known as the Nyayo era when Daniel Arap Moi –a kalenjin- ruled Kenya. He cannot be talking about President Kibaki because Kibaki was a vice president in Moi’s government for many years. This leaves us with the Kikuyu community. For the past 5 years, ODM -and Raila Odinga- has been telling Kenyans that the Kikuyus are stealing to “recoup” what thy lost in 24 years. This kind of propaganda was meant to create an environment where Kenyans vote out Kibaki because of anti-Kikuyu sentiments and not because of how he performed during his first term.
The second pointer is Balala’s talk about reducing “them to an Island like Lesotho.” He cannot be talking about PNU because PNU is a party that members can join or leave on their own resolve. It is a party with members across the country represented by elected Members of Parliament. This was a direct attack on the Kikuyu people because they have unchangeable ethnic heritage. One cannot wake up one morning and decide that he is not a Kikuyu. His accent and facial features, will definitely do him in.
Looking at the map above, you can clearly see that Central Province –a region predominantly occupied by the Kikuyu- will be doubly-landlocked just like Lesotho should ODM succeed in balkanizing Kenya.
Najib Balala’s unfortunate comments have been made in the past. William Ole Ntimama (an ODM MP) once said, "I told them that because of their (the Kikuyus’) arrogance, they will be cut down to size as it happened to the Ibos of Nigeria."
The above sentiments have been repeated over and over by politicians and the outcome has always been ethnic cleansing. Some politicians have mastered the art of blaming the Kikuyu of all ills that afflict our country. This is done to rally with supporters around them (the politicians) against a common “enemy”.
The international community is yet to realize that creating powerful seats for politicians, who have openly called for, planned and financed ethnic cleansing in Kenya will not be a permanent solution to the violence. They will continue killing with impunity because their action will always be rewarded with seats in government.
Violence against innocent Kenyans should not be used as a bargaining chip to negotiate power.
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