Showing posts with label Mwai Kibaki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mwai Kibaki. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Sham ICC prosecutions may lead to a bigger problem

As the ICC prosecutor continues his investigations into the Kenyan Genocide, he should be aware that he has the power to plunge Kenya back into violence or end impunity. Only a true quest for justice guided by at most good faith will help put a dent on impunity and avert violence.

In the past few weeks, politicians have embarked on taking Kenyans as human shields to frustrate their impending prosecution. Individuals that have a hint that ICC may be coming after them have started to rope in their ethnic kin setting a stage for the next big explosion. In Rift Valley, politicians are making an argument that the Kalenjin politicians were only minor players in the planning of the violence and heaping the blame on ODM leader Raila Odinga (and his Luo ethnic group).

To vindicate himself, Raila Odinga has totally removed himself from the violence and delinked it from the elections leaving the Kalenjin leaders holding the can. He has presented the Luo tribe as victims of carefully planned ethnic cleansing carried out by Kenyan and Ugandan security officers. He has blamed the same forces for the sacking and burning of Kisumu. Raila claims that he called for mass action and not mass killings.

In Central Province, Kikuyu leaders are talking about attempts to victimize the Kikuyu tribe for its role in self defense. They have accused the UN and ICC of demonizing the Kikuyu tribe resulting into double victimization.

In the media, facts on the violence are being altered and public opinion is consciously being reshaped. The effect on this effort is very clear in Ocampo’s pre-trial presentation at the ICC. Ocampo ignored very crucial facts in the case in what looks like an attempt to shelter President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga from any prosecution. Through out the investigations, Ocampo has regarded the President and the PM as his partners and not suspects when it is clear that the two politicians were the reason we had bloodshed in Kenya.

Ocampo should withdraw the cases if his plan is for a semblance of justice. He will only be handing a keg of gunpowder to the masters of impunity and asking them to blow Kenya into smithereens.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Donald Payne: There is no ethinic cleansing in Kenya

"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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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.
“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.

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.”
Obviously he was not referring to PNU. PNU was just euphemism for the Kikuyu community. There are two pointers to this.
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.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Campaign based on ethnicity

The Raila Odinga campaign was heavily dependant on portraying President Mwai Kibaki as a kikuyu president and rallying other tribes to “rebel” against the Kikuyu president. It took 5 years of carefully planning and executing the plan to the letter.

In Nov. 2007, I came across a document that was said to be an ODM Strategy Paper that was circulating on the internet. At first is looked like propaganda until I started analyzing the content in respect to current affairs. Raila Odinga and his team followed the script to the letter. It is impossible that their game coincided with the paper by mere chance.

Excerpts

RECOMMENDED ACTION PLAN

II Kikuyu Alienation

Owing to this strategy’s success during the 2005 referendum, it is the party’s position it should be utilized once more for the General Election. There is an overwhelming feeling among non-Gema communities that the Kikuyu are selfish bigots dedicated to tribal hegemony who will never share the spoils of government with other communities. Underpinning this strategy is the blessing that the ODM campaign has able regional pointmen in Mudavadi, Ruto, Balala and Ntimama who can efficiently galvanize their respective communities around the anti-kikuyu initiative. Concurrently, every effort must be made to undermine Kalonzo in order to prevent him from emerging as an alternative for anti-Kikuyu sentiment. In regard, particular caution should be placed in regions such as RVP where Kalonzo has the potential of attracting some of our votes. Anti-Kikuyuism must be reinforced with promises of jobs and economic gain to key players from every community supporting this initiative.

Download: The ODM Strategy Paper (PDF)
Schedule of events


StrategyRationaleHow to activateWhen activateAction by:
The anti-Kikuyu crusade1. This is an important wedge issue. It will help galvanize the rest of the country against a common enemy and set the overall tone of our campaign.
  1. Mass media (allusion to predominance of Kikuyus in public service and business).
  2. Public rallies
  3. Leafletes
  4. Vital e-mail and SMS
Throughout the campaign period, heightened activities three weeks before the elections All members R.O to lead the execution of this strategy.
Uhuru Kenyatta as Kibaki’s choice in 2012
  1. Accentuate the anti Kikuyu sentiments
  2. Cause unease within PNU ranks.
  3. Attract the Luhya vote by eliminating the belief that there will be a Luhya successor.
  4. Communicate the intention to retain power within a select group of prominent political families (Kenyatta, Moi, Kibaki)
  1. Speculative newspaper articles/op-eds
  2. Public pronouncements at campaign rallies
  3. Blogs/web forums
  4. Leaflets, with special focus on Western Kenya and RVP
Immediately, with heightened media activities end of November
Kipkoech Tanui & Okech Kendo R.O
MajimboMajimbo presents the promise to the electorate that they will retain their resources at the exclusion of foreigners particularly the Kikuyu, Akamba and the Indians. It is particularly important for galvanizing the Coastal vote.

  1. Public rallies in RVP, Western and Coast
  2. OP-Ed columns in the mainstream media
  3. TV/FM radio call-in shows
  4. Public workshops with high profile personalities such as Ghai.
Immediate, heightened activities in Decemeber.Ruto to lead the campaign.
Rigging
  1. Prepare the ground for rejection of unfavorable results.
  2. Increase interests in monitoring activities to ensure no rigging happens.
  3. Deflect attention from ourselves should opportunities be available to manipulate voter turnout in our green areas.
  1. Press conferences
  2. Op-Ed columns
  3. TV/FM radio call-in shows
  4. Petitions to embassies and ODM-friendly NGOs
  5. Public Rallies
Oct/Nov/DecAll
Ethnic Tension/Violence as a Last ResortTo discourage voter participation in hostile areas.
  1. Continue pro-Majimbo utterances
  2. Use ODM agents on the ground to engineer ethnic tension in target areas
  3. Support Kapondi’s forces in Mt. Elgon
  4. Leaflets targeting Kikuyu, Kisii etc
Mid-DecBrig Alexanda Sitienei




The seeds of genocide were planted during the campaigns. What we see today are the fruits of hate.

How the Media executed the plans above:


The General Election will be fought on altar of tribalism

By Barrack Muluka
September 30, 2006

...You must be wondering what will determine our voting in next year’s elections? It is only one thing, ethnicity — or if you want, you can say tribe and tribalism.

Land title deeds, free primary school education, economic growth, the fight against corruption, and all those other things we read about in newspapers and got on radio will not matter. Only what the Government has made us feel about tribes and tribalism will count.

Federalism could bridge current development gaps
By Barrack Muluka
The Standard, Saturday July 29, 2006

But the story of Central Province is the real enigma in Kenya’s political economy.

When it comes to taxation, Central Province is – as I indicated in last week’s column – third from the bottom, just managing to stay ahead of Eastern and North Eastern Provinces.
She contributes just about a third of what Nyanza contributes to KRA. Setting Nairobi apart, more taxes are collected from Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and Coast Provinces in that order. Yet economic, social and demographic indices tell a different story altogether.

Eventually only about three per cent of Government revenue trickles down to development of any sort. Now if this paltry three per cent must go to the already privileged parts of the country, then the rest are condemned to eternal poverty.


Devolution can cure skewed distribution of nation’s wealth
By Barrack Muluka
The Standard, Saturday July 22, 2006

Why would Nyandarua District get Shillings 956 million for road construction, while the bulk of Luo Nyanza districts get less than ten million shillings each?

Why should Nyeri get Sh785 million, while Moyale, Kisii Central, Nakuru, Trans Nzoia and Bomet get much less.

ODM claims Kibaki, Uhuru signed pact on succession
By Sunday Standard Team

Sunday December 2, 2007

ODM Presidential candidate, Mr Raila Odinga and his running mate, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, have alleged that President Kibaki signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with former President Moi, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Kamlesh Pattni for the 2012 succession.

Kibaki speaks to the head, Raila to the nation’s heart
Published on October 12, 2007
By Kipkoech Tanui

"In his speech at an ODM congress at Kasarani stadium last month, Odinga spoke, to loud applause, about the danger of ‘economic apartheid’ as bad as that in the old South Africa, only this time with one black group dominating the others. This is code for Kikuyu domination of commerce, farming and the professions."