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.
Showing posts with label William Ruto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William Ruto. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Kenyan Genocide Perpetrators
| ALLEGED PERPETRATOR | BACKGROUND | ALLEGATION/S | SUPPORTING INFORMATION ON THE ALLEGATIONS |
| The late Hon. Lorna Laboso | M.P, Sotik Constituency | Planning and incitement to violence | On the thrid week of January 2008, she attended a purpoted peace meeting at Manaret Society, and incited the local community after which a vicious attack against the Kisii was instead intesified. together with Frankline Bett, they talked to and incited about 700 youths at Sotik Tea Estate and immediately they left, the youths began to burn houses belonging to the Kisiis. |
| Hon. Franklin Bett | M.P, Bureti Constituency | Planning, incitement, and financing the violence | During a public meeting in Kiptororo in Kuresoi in December 2007, he reportedly urged the Kalenjins to fight Kikuyu until they leave Molo area. Before the elections, he and other prominent politicians attended a meeting in the interior Ndoinet forest. After the said meeting, the group that attended attacked and destroyed properties belonging to the non-Kalenjins. It is believed that they incited the locals to attack non-Kalenjins. He brought young men (boys) in groups of more than 300 from Bomet who worked with Luo locals to attack the Kikuyu. Together with the late Kipkalia Kones and the late Kimtai Too they financed the Kalenjin youth who attacked the Kikuyu and Kisii in Kericho. He organized youths to attack the Kikuyu and Kisiis in Kericho. He gave them transportation, fuel and food and held meetings at Kericho Tea Hotel and other places. He told supporters that "all the investors in Kericho and in the estates will be either Kalenjins or Indians." This statement is said to have given the youths motivation to attack all other tribes especially the Kisiis and Kikuyus. He is said to have been explaining to the people who attended a meeting in Kipkatet that no one can take what belongs to the Kalenjins, especially land. In a meeting held in Chopkiobet in Bomet, he is quoted to have said that he "will beat up Kikuyus till they leave Molo. Together with the late Kipkalia Kones and the late David Too, they organized and facilitated the youths to be transported from Transmara and Bomet in Lorries through Silibwet and go to chase Kikuyus from Kuresoi. He intimidated people at the Kericho Police Station and told them that those that give information to the investigators on the post election violence will be lynched. Eye Witnesses have reported that on the 30th of December 2007 at around 10.00 am, at the Caltex Petrol Station in Kericho town, he gave unspecified amount of money to some Kalenjin and Luo men who immediately after the said payment started stoning anf burning kiosks perceived to be owned by Kikuyus but were in actual fact owned by the Kipsigis and Kisii people. |
| The late Hon. David Kimutai Too | MP, Ainamoi Constituency | Planning, incitement, and financing the violence | On the 23rd November 2007 went to Stagemart in Kericho and addressed a crowd asking residents to remove all stains/spots (Madoadoa) from the region. In January 2008 he asked that all the stains/spots (Madoadoa) be removed from the region. Together with Kipkalia Kones and Frankline Bett they financed the Kalenjin youths who attacked the Kikuyu and Kisii in Kericho. |
| The Late Hon. Kipkalia Kones | Former MP, Bomet Constituency and Minister | Planning, incitement, and finacing the violence. | In January 2008 while addression youths he is reported to have tolf the youths: "When we tell you to block, make sure you block the roads, and when we tell you to remove, make sure you remove them." Kalenjin raiders were hosted at his residence in Sirikwa from where they launched attacks against the Kikuyu and Kisii. Together with Frankline Bett and the late Kimutain Too they financed the Kalenjin youths who attacked Kisiis in Kericho. |
| Hon. William Ruto | MP, Eldoret North Constituency, Minister | Planning, incitement, and financing the violence | In August 2007 he held a meeting with the other senior ODM leaders in Kipkelion near Kericho including Sotik MP the late Lorna Labodo, the late Kipkalia K. Kones (Bomet), Kiprono L. J. Magerer (Kipkelion), and Franklin Bett (Bureti) where the leaders resolved to carry out mass evictions of non-Kalenjins from 'their' Rift Valley areas, particularlly the Kikuyu and Abagusii. During the oppening ceremony for the Seventh Day Adventist Church in a place called Mailing, he is alleged to have said that they would uproot the "sangari", 'shake off the soil,' 'gather it together' and 'burn it', in reference to 'outside' communities. He is alleged to have addressed the public at Bisabil shopping center in Turbo near Burnt Forest and incited the local Kalenjin and Luhya communities against the Kikuyu. At a meeting on 22/12/2007 at his home in Sugoi he said that his headache was Mr. Jonathan Bii, his opponent, who supported Kikuyu on the land issue and directed that they should be attacked if they dared campaign in the areas. |
| Hon. Boaz Kaino | MP, Marakwet West Constituency | Inciting violence | At a meeting he said that he would remove Kikuyu and Kisii from the area after the elections. |
| Hon. Dr. Sally Kosgey | MP, Aldai Constituency and Cabinet Minister | Planning, incitement, and financing the violence | With Hon. Henry Kosgey, they attended meetings to aorganise violence. They are alleged also to have funded violence. |
| Hon. Fred Kapondi | MP, Mt. Elgon Constituency | inciting violence | He attended and addressed a rally at Ziwa where violence was planned. Alleged to have said that Luhyas should be expelled from Trans Nzoia. |
| Hon. Henry Kosgey | MP, Tinderet constituency and Cabinet Minister | Planning, incitement, and financing the violence | He held several meetings with the Nandi Hills area councillors and other opinion leaders at Septon Guest House within Septon Eastate. The meeting, it is believed, was for planning and organization of violence. |
For the full list download this PDF
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
No reconciliation possible without release of protesters
Story by RAILA ODINGA
Publication Date: 6/3/2008
FEW ITEMS OF POLITICAL discourse in post-crisis Kenya have been as misunderstood, and as deliberately distorted, as the issue of protesting youths who have been incarcerated for five months now in Rift Valley, Nairobi and western Kenya.
A number of leaders of various hues are demanding that there be no impunity with regard to the terrible violence that swept our nation after the disputed presidential election results were announced at the end of December.
Astoundingly, these anti-impunity leaders are referring only to youths whose only “crime” was staging lawful protests in their anger over the ECK’s criminal conduct of the elections.
These leaders have never once talked of there being no impunity for the security forces responsible for more than half of the killings.
Equally astoundingly, the only police officer charged is the one in Kisumu, whose wanton killing of two youths was captured on television cameras.
POLICE CULPABILITY IS CLEARLY indicated since most killings resulted from gunshot wounds, as pointed out by the highly respected Independent Medico-Legal Unit (Imlu).
And let us also remember that the police actions, initiated at the highest level of its command, were done at the behest of the State, which then was under the control of a contending political party in the election.
The vast majority of youths who are in custody killed or raped no one. They were defending
democracy and electoral justice in the only manner available to them: demonstrations which enjoy the protection of our Constitution.
The protests turned bloody primarily because of a grossly disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by security agents, who had been given orders to shoot to kill.
Yes, there were killings, rapes and violent robbery by enraged citizens. Such individuals must face the law, but surely a Police Force which was responsible for many of the deaths cannot be trusted to be the investigator and prosecutor for these crimes. The police are trying to cover up their own killings by laying the blame on the innocents.
It is because of the serious doubts over the impartiality of the police and our judicial system that the National Accord established a commission, now headed by Mr Justice Philip Waki, to look into the entire spectrum of violence that swept the nation.
Surely, trying to rush through police investigations violates the Accord and also gives them the opportunity to fix the evidence. The police themselves will be actually in the dock in front of the Waki Commission.
Indeed, there are clear instances whereby youths have been or are facing trumped-up charges of robbery with violence, which is a non-bailable offence, in order to punish them.
And in instances where bail is applicable, it is set at such an exorbitant amount that the youths are unable to go home to their families.
In addition, thousands of the arrested protesters have still not been charged, which is a violation of the rule of law, since charges need to be brought within two weeks of arrest, at most. These demonstrations took place nationwide, but the police used maximum force in the Rift Valley, western Kenya and selected parts of Nairobi in order to portray the violence as coming from specific ethnic groups.
Indeed, this use of brutal force was pre-planned by stationing large police contingents in these areas, as it was known that protests would erupt when the fraudulent election results were announced.
These police officers who killed innocent Kenyans in Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley and the Coast looked the other way as ODM supporters were hacked to death or burnt in their homes in Naivasha, Nakuru, Nairobi and Central Province.
WE IN ODM HAVE DEMANDED THE truth in the election dispute and justice for all Kenyans who were killed, attacked or affected in whatever manner by neighbours or the police, which acted as an armed wing of PNU.
The only logical way to proceed is to let the Waki Commission on post-election violence proceed with its work without interference by the police. Otherwise this Commission is entirely redundant, and its work will be only for the history books.
The national reconciliation, as well as the headway we urgently need to make in our common coalition programmes, cannot take place when there is so much legitimate anger over these wrongly incarcerated youths.
The Right Honourable Raila Odinga is Kenya’s Prime Minister.
Publication Date: 6/3/2008
FEW ITEMS OF POLITICAL discourse in post-crisis Kenya have been as misunderstood, and as deliberately distorted, as the issue of protesting youths who have been incarcerated for five months now in Rift Valley, Nairobi and western Kenya.
A number of leaders of various hues are demanding that there be no impunity with regard to the terrible violence that swept our nation after the disputed presidential election results were announced at the end of December.
Astoundingly, these anti-impunity leaders are referring only to youths whose only “crime” was staging lawful protests in their anger over the ECK’s criminal conduct of the elections.
These leaders have never once talked of there being no impunity for the security forces responsible for more than half of the killings.
Equally astoundingly, the only police officer charged is the one in Kisumu, whose wanton killing of two youths was captured on television cameras.
POLICE CULPABILITY IS CLEARLY indicated since most killings resulted from gunshot wounds, as pointed out by the highly respected Independent Medico-Legal Unit (Imlu).
And let us also remember that the police actions, initiated at the highest level of its command, were done at the behest of the State, which then was under the control of a contending political party in the election.
The vast majority of youths who are in custody killed or raped no one. They were defending
democracy and electoral justice in the only manner available to them: demonstrations which enjoy the protection of our Constitution.The protests turned bloody primarily because of a grossly disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by security agents, who had been given orders to shoot to kill.
Yes, there were killings, rapes and violent robbery by enraged citizens. Such individuals must face the law, but surely a Police Force which was responsible for many of the deaths cannot be trusted to be the investigator and prosecutor for these crimes. The police are trying to cover up their own killings by laying the blame on the innocents.
It is because of the serious doubts over the impartiality of the police and our judicial system that the National Accord established a commission, now headed by Mr Justice Philip Waki, to look into the entire spectrum of violence that swept the nation.Surely, trying to rush through police investigations violates the Accord and also gives them the opportunity to fix the evidence. The police themselves will be actually in the dock in front of the Waki Commission.
Indeed, there are clear instances whereby youths have been or are facing trumped-up charges of robbery with violence, which is a non-bailable offence, in order to punish them.And in instances where bail is applicable, it is set at such an exorbitant amount that the youths are unable to go home to their families.
In addition, thousands of the arrested protesters have still not been charged, which is a violation of the rule of law, since charges need to be brought within two weeks of arrest, at most. These demonstrations took place nationwide, but the police used maximum force in the Rift Valley, western Kenya and selected parts of Nairobi in order to portray the violence as coming from specific ethnic groups.
Indeed, this use of brutal force was pre-planned by stationing large police contingents in these areas, as it was known that protests would erupt when the fraudulent election results were announced.
These police officers who killed innocent Kenyans in Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley and the Coast looked the other way as ODM supporters were hacked to death or burnt in their homes in Naivasha, Nakuru, Nairobi and Central Province.
WE IN ODM HAVE DEMANDED THE truth in the election dispute and justice for all Kenyans who were killed, attacked or affected in whatever manner by neighbours or the police, which acted as an armed wing of PNU.
The only logical way to proceed is to let the Waki Commission on post-election violence proceed with its work without interference by the police. Otherwise this Commission is entirely redundant, and its work will be only for the history books.
The national reconciliation, as well as the headway we urgently need to make in our common coalition programmes, cannot take place when there is so much legitimate anger over these wrongly incarcerated youths.
The Right Honourable Raila Odinga is Kenya’s Prime Minister.
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
Washington Office
2209 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone (202) 225-3436 Fax (202) 225-4160
Newark District Office
50 Walnut Street, Room 1016
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Phone (973) 645-3213 Fax (973) 645-5902
Jersey City District Office
253 Dr. Martin L. King Boulevard
Jersey City, New Jersey 07305
Phone (201) 369-0392 Fax (201) 369-0395
Elizabeth District Office
333 North Broad Street
Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208
Phone (908) 629-0222 Fax (908) 629-0221
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
Washington Office
2209 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone (202) 225-3436 Fax (202) 225-4160
Newark District Office
50 Walnut Street, Room 1016
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Phone (973) 645-3213 Fax (973) 645-5902
Jersey City District Office
253 Dr. Martin L. King Boulevard
Jersey City, New Jersey 07305
Phone (201) 369-0392 Fax (201) 369-0395
Elizabeth District Office
333 North Broad Street
Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208
Phone (908) 629-0222 Fax (908) 629-0221
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.”
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.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Why William Ruto and Raila Odinga are scared
Finaly the truth is catching up with William Ruto, Raila Odinga and company. The Human Rights Watch has accused the groups saying, "We have evidence that ODM politicians and local leaders actively fomented some post-election violence."
The above sentiments were echoed by US special envoy to Kenya Jendayi Frazer who said that the violence she saw during a visit earlier this month to Kenya's western region, where the fighting has pitted Kalenjin people against Kikuyu, "was clear ethnic cleansing."
"The aim originally was not to kill, it was to cleanse, it was to push them out of the region," she said. "It is clear ethnic cleansing in the Rift Valley," she said.
While campaigning in Eldoret, Raila Odinga -nicknamed Arap Mibei by the Kalenjins- was quoted saying, "Hatutaki madoadoa" (we don't want spots). Madoadoa is a derogatory term used in Rift Valley to describe members of the Kikuyu and Kisii who own land in the Rift Valley.This term was repeated over and over in the Rift Valley as ODM campaigned to create a solid Kalenjin voting block.
Raila Odinga never expected to spark a genocide from his campaign based on tribal hate. To him this was to be ethnic gerrymandering to force the Madoadoa out hence denying Mwai Kibaki the 25% vote as required in Kenya's election laws. Interestingly, William Ruto and other Kalenjin supremacists were also banking on Raila's campaign strategy to cleanse the Rift Valley of members of other ethnic communities.
You can see -in this video- why Raila Odinga was shaken as he tried to disassociate himself from the killings in Rift Valley.
The Tribal Math in Kenyan politics is yet to get a substitute. In this video clip (shot in 2002), Raila explained to Kenyans in Texas how he had masterminded the ethnic politics that were paying out. He repeated the same sentiments in Kisii as reported by the Standard.
"Given that Moi had chosen a Kikuyu (Uhuru) as his successor, the only option was to give him a Kikuyu competitor. I’m happy the game plan worked," Raila said.
The tribal math as described above by Raila is what was served to Kenyans for 5 years after Raila and Kibaki fell apart over Premiership promised to Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga and Dick Morris crafted a strategy to pit the rest of Kenya against the Kikuyus. Raila Odinga and his supporters blamed all ills in Kenya on the Kikuyu community. Raila even accused the Kikuyu community of economic apartheid.
Even after practicing ethnic politics, Raila Odinga has the audacity to quote Dr. Martin Luther King in this video.
Creating tribal rifts and exploiting those rifts to brew violence have been strategies Raila Odinga has used to stay relevant in politics. In 2001, former president Daniel Arap Moi and Raila Odinga -who was serving as Minister for Energy and the Kanu Secretary General- played polpulist politics in Kibera that resulted in violence. They asked residents not to pay rent. As a result, dozens of people were killed and others displaced. This was a plot to change the voting demographics in Kibera by pitting minority Nubian landlords in the slums against the majority Luo tenants. Luo rioters also targeted tenants from other communities.
Some tenants in told the Nation,
In what has become typical of Raila Odinga, he came out and blamed some unnamed Members of Parliament of causing chaos in Kibera.
"Some MPs are out to create animosity among Kibera residents. They have no business in Lang'ata," he said.
Somebody has to bring this maddness to an end. Raila Odinga and others should be told that they cannot order the slaughter of innocent citizens and use their suffering to negotiate for power. "Impunity cannot be allowed to stand."
The above sentiments were echoed by US special envoy to Kenya Jendayi Frazer who said that the violence she saw during a visit earlier this month to Kenya's western region, where the fighting has pitted Kalenjin people against Kikuyu, "was clear ethnic cleansing."
"The aim originally was not to kill, it was to cleanse, it was to push them out of the region," she said. "It is clear ethnic cleansing in the Rift Valley," she said.
While campaigning in Eldoret, Raila Odinga -nicknamed Arap Mibei by the Kalenjins- was quoted saying, "Hatutaki madoadoa" (we don't want spots). Madoadoa is a derogatory term used in Rift Valley to describe members of the Kikuyu and Kisii who own land in the Rift Valley.This term was repeated over and over in the Rift Valley as ODM campaigned to create a solid Kalenjin voting block.
At 1:38 Raila Odinga says Hatutaki Madoadoa
Raila Odinga never expected to spark a genocide from his campaign based on tribal hate. To him this was to be ethnic gerrymandering to force the Madoadoa out hence denying Mwai Kibaki the 25% vote as required in Kenya's election laws. Interestingly, William Ruto and other Kalenjin supremacists were also banking on Raila's campaign strategy to cleanse the Rift Valley of members of other ethnic communities.
You can see -in this video- why Raila Odinga was shaken as he tried to disassociate himself from the killings in Rift Valley.
The Tribal Math in Kenyan politics is yet to get a substitute. In this video clip (shot in 2002), Raila explained to Kenyans in Texas how he had masterminded the ethnic politics that were paying out. He repeated the same sentiments in Kisii as reported by the Standard.
The tribal math as described above by Raila is what was served to Kenyans for 5 years after Raila and Kibaki fell apart over Premiership promised to Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga and Dick Morris crafted a strategy to pit the rest of Kenya against the Kikuyus. Raila Odinga and his supporters blamed all ills in Kenya on the Kikuyu community. Raila even accused the Kikuyu community of economic apartheid.
Even after practicing ethnic politics, Raila Odinga has the audacity to quote Dr. Martin Luther King in this video.
Creating tribal rifts and exploiting those rifts to brew violence have been strategies Raila Odinga has used to stay relevant in politics. In 2001, former president Daniel Arap Moi and Raila Odinga -who was serving as Minister for Energy and the Kanu Secretary General- played polpulist politics in Kibera that resulted in violence. They asked residents not to pay rent. As a result, dozens of people were killed and others displaced. This was a plot to change the voting demographics in Kibera by pitting minority Nubian landlords in the slums against the majority Luo tenants. Luo rioters also targeted tenants from other communities.
Some tenants in told the Nation,
Ms Mutiso added: "Moi ametuuza. Kwa nini alianzisha moto halafu anatoroka?
(Moi has sold us. Why did he light the fire and then leave us?)"
Ms Shumi Ismael, aged 23, who has two children. broke down as she accused Mr Raila Odinga, the National Development Party leader, of fuelling the violence.
"I now have nowhere to go, while politicians who incited their tribesmen not to pay rent sleep comfortably with their wives and children," she said.
Here are pictures by the Nation.
In what has become typical of Raila Odinga, he came out and blamed some unnamed Members of Parliament of causing chaos in Kibera.
"Some MPs are out to create animosity among Kibera residents. They have no business in Lang'ata," he said.
Somebody has to bring this maddness to an end. Raila Odinga and others should be told that they cannot order the slaughter of innocent citizens and use their suffering to negotiate for power. "Impunity cannot be allowed to stand."
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Impunity cannot be allowed to stand
My greatest fear is that the people involved in the mass murder that Kenya
What is shocking is that those who masterminded the ethnic cleansing have morphed into what we now call ‘eminent leaders’. What has not changed is their lust for blood. The same ‘eminent leaders’ are back to what they know best; remove the madoadoa (spots; a term that is widely used in RV to identify people who bought land in the region). They have succeeded to do so. Today, over 300,000 Kenyans no longer occupy their houses. Their farms in Rift Valley are now littered with corpses. We have conveniently justified this as ‘post-election violence’. We have justified these atrocities as a ‘valid’ way of protesting the election outcome!
Human Rights Watch recently released a statement saying that the opposition planned the ethnic cleansing. Koffi Annan has called this ethnic cleansing a "gross and systematic" form of human rights abuses.
Kenya Nairobi
Akuwumi Report on tribal clashes (pdf)
Raila Odinga inspecting a guard of honor mounted by a militia in Nakuru. Is this militia responsible for the murders in Rift Valley?
(Photo by the Daily Nation, Kenya)
(Photo by the Daily Nation, Kenya)
What is shocking is that those who masterminded the ethnic cleansing have morphed into what we now call ‘eminent leaders’. What has not changed is their lust for blood. The same ‘eminent leaders’ are back to what they know best; remove the madoadoa (spots; a term that is widely used in RV to identify people who bought land in the region). They have succeeded to do so. Today, over 300,000 Kenyans no longer occupy their houses. Their farms in Rift Valley are now littered with corpses. We have conveniently justified this as ‘post-election violence’. We have justified these atrocities as a ‘valid’ way of protesting the election outcome!
Human Rights Watch recently released a statement saying that the opposition planned the ethnic cleansing. Koffi Annan has called this ethnic cleansing a "gross and systematic" form of human rights abuses.
"Let us not kid ourselves and think that this is an electoral problem. It is much broader and much deeper," Koffi Anan added.
The world has opted to ignore Human Rights Watch and Koffi Annan and instead focused of negotiating for the inclusion of the opposition in the government. Will this stop the ethnic cleansing? I bet not.
One thing that Raila Odinga and his supporters must remember is that you cannot ride on the ethnic hate dragon and tame it when you vanquish your political enemy. The outcome of such a mission has unpredictable results and will always spiral out of the control of those thinking the hold the reigns. In the end, neither Raila nor Kibaki will be able to govern what we currently call Kenya.
Akuwumi Report on tribal clashes (pdf)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Raila Odinga defends the Eldoret Massacre
In an interview on the BBC's Hardtalk, Raila Odinga said, "the father … the catholic father who is in charge has given an explanation and the explanation is that these people who were attacking people from another community were being chased and when they were being chased they went to take refuge in a church and the pursuers then pursued them to the church … they did not know that in the church were children which were being kept there as refugees so in the process of cause they set the church on fire…"
Similar reports as above have been filed by several media houses. Contrary to what Raila said, the murderers knew that there were women and children in the church. I am sure they heard cries of little children as the fires raged.
"As she climbed through the window, the attackers were on the other side - they grabbed her baby and threw it back in. The child died in the inferno," said a BBC correspondent
Raila goes on to say that his is not a defense of the massacre but his statement is doing just that. His statement that, "they (the Kalenjin militia) did not know that in the church were children which were being kept there as refugees so in the process of cause they set the church on fire" shows how hard Raila is working to take blame from the militia and allocate it to the victims.
Raila Odinga did not offer us the name of the 'CATHOLIC FATHER' who gave him that story. The facts are that the massacre was executed in an Assemblies of God church and there was not catholic father in charge of the church. Raila's lies show how far he can go to fabricate a story to justify the massacre of innocent women, children and disabled citizens who were taking refuge in the church.
The murderers who spoke to the press said,
"The men and women had babies and small children, but they carried pangas to defend themselves. Is someone with a panga innocent? It is not our custom to kill women and children. We told them to come out of the church, but they locked the door and refused to come out. So we burned them."
A third youth spoke. "They were not worshipping in the church. They were hiding. That makes it a cave not a church. Let Kibaki send a plane for the Kikuyus. They can go ... or they will be killed."
Several more men confirmed that youths from this village had helped carry out the attack.
Source: The Guardian, Jan 2, 2008Similar reports as above have been filed by several media houses. Contrary to what Raila said, the murderers knew that there were women and children in the church. I am sure they heard cries of little children as the fires raged.
"As she climbed through the window, the attackers were on the other side - they grabbed her baby and threw it back in. The child died in the inferno," said a BBC correspondent
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
All in the name of democracy
The justification that the tribal cleansing in Kenya has been given is, those carrying out the killings are defending democracy against a president who ‘stole’ an election. The opposition’s targets are members of tribes that were thought to have given President Mwai Kibaki a significant vote.
We have heard the above statement several times until we now believe that anybody who did not vote for Raila Odinga is guilty of some crime.
ODM Scandinavia released a statement in which they said, “ODM Scandinavia believes that the millions of poor and deprived Kikuyus who supported Kibaki are victims of ‘ethnic brainwashing’ by home guards using them as pawns in a political chess game.”
What ODM Scandinavia is trying to do is suggest that Kibaki received votes only people affiliated to the Kikuyu tribe. This is a line that has been used to justify the killing of Kikuyus. I wonder what ODM Scandinavia makes of the near 100% vote that Raila received from the Luo Nyanza.
Assuming that it is justified to kill the Kikuyus because they voted overwhelmingly for Kibaki; what justification is there to kill people from the Kisii community? A close look at the voting patterns in Kisii reveals that voters in the region were very generous to Raila Odinga. The region elected MPs from diverse parties including ODM.
I was not shocked reading William Ruto’s justification for the tribal cleansing.
A number of victims have pointed fingers at William Ruto accusing him of promoting and funding the genocide. His links to the genocide go back to the time when he was a leader in the “Youth for Kanu 92”. The group was accused of raising funds to cause violence.
Late last year Ruto supplied gumboots and spotlights to his supporters in the Sondu area. Leaders who accompanied him accused “foreigners” of buying all land making the natives landless. Ruto’s tour to the region was immediately followed by the eviction and killing of members of the Kisii tribe. (Nation, October 30, 2007)
Leaders in ODM claiming to be proponents of democracy are yet to come out and defend the right of Kenyans to vote as they wish. Instead they are using fear and making Kenyans who did not vote for Raila Odinga blame themselves for exercising their democratic right.
Today in parliament, ODM leaders tried to force ODM members of parliament to display their ballots before casting them. The sole purpose of doing this was to intimidate and scare MPs into electing Raila Odinga’s choice for speaker.
Murder and death threats should not be used as tools to protect democracy.
“This is not a tribal war”, a man scavenging through the rubble hastens to explain.
“This is a fight for democracy. We believe Kibaki rigged the elections and Raila Odinga is the true president.”
When asked why, then, people turned against their neighbours, who were not in any way involved in the rigging, he says: “But they voted for Kibaki! They condoned the rigging!”
New Vision, Kampala, Jan 9, 2008
We have heard the above statement several times until we now believe that anybody who did not vote for Raila Odinga is guilty of some crime.
ODM Scandinavia released a statement in which they said, “ODM Scandinavia believes that the millions of poor and deprived Kikuyus who supported Kibaki are victims of ‘ethnic brainwashing’ by home guards using them as pawns in a political chess game.”
What ODM Scandinavia is trying to do is suggest that Kibaki received votes only people affiliated to the Kikuyu tribe. This is a line that has been used to justify the killing of Kikuyus. I wonder what ODM Scandinavia makes of the near 100% vote that Raila received from the Luo Nyanza.
Assuming that it is justified to kill the Kikuyus because they voted overwhelmingly for Kibaki; what justification is there to kill people from the Kisii community? A close look at the voting patterns in Kisii reveals that voters in the region were very generous to Raila Odinga. The region elected MPs from diverse parties including ODM.
I was not shocked reading William Ruto’s justification for the tribal cleansing.
‘William Ruto is a senior adviser to Odinga, the opposition candidate. He is a Kalenjin who represents Eldoret North. He says that many of Kenya's ethnic groups have been angry that the country's wealth is believed to have been put in the hands of only a few.
Ruto and his fellow leaders with the Orange Democratic Movement have repeatedly called for their followers to be calm. Yet he has been singled out by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights as a leader who should be prosecuted for allegedly promulgating hate speech prior to the election. He vehemently denies the claim.’
Voice of America, Jan 14, 2008
A number of victims have pointed fingers at William Ruto accusing him of promoting and funding the genocide. His links to the genocide go back to the time when he was a leader in the “Youth for Kanu 92”. The group was accused of raising funds to cause violence.
Late last year Ruto supplied gumboots and spotlights to his supporters in the Sondu area. Leaders who accompanied him accused “foreigners” of buying all land making the natives landless. Ruto’s tour to the region was immediately followed by the eviction and killing of members of the Kisii tribe. (Nation, October 30, 2007)
Leaders in ODM claiming to be proponents of democracy are yet to come out and defend the right of Kenyans to vote as they wish. Instead they are using fear and making Kenyans who did not vote for Raila Odinga blame themselves for exercising their democratic right.
Today in parliament, ODM leaders tried to force ODM members of parliament to display their ballots before casting them. The sole purpose of doing this was to intimidate and scare MPs into electing Raila Odinga’s choice for speaker.
Murder and death threats should not be used as tools to protect democracy.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The Eldoret Massacre
If you are Raila Odinga, the Eldoret Massacre is part of the expected results of a football match. If you are Ida Odinga, you will stand besides your husband as he uses violence as a bargaining chip. If you are Fidel Castro Odinga, you will cheer on your dad's fans seeking to burn Kenya to the ground. But if you are a Kenyan you will not see anything funny in this:
That is how cheap the life has become in Kenya. It is just a game so sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy watching children tossed into the fire.
Those are words of a brave Raila Odinga supporter. Cold and unmoved by what they did. That was the demeanor in Rwanda. Human life had been rendered worthless.
Leaders of the Orange Democratic Movement are yet to come out and condemn the Eldoret Massacre from the bottom of their hearts. The Vocal MP for Eldoret North William Ruto is missing from the national scene and has not dared to restrain his supporters. The victims of the Kenyan Genocide are instead being blamed for their situation.
The official line from ODM has been, "Nobody wants to spill blood, but democracy has no shortcut."
In short, we have been forced to spill the blood of innocent Kenyans because there is a dictator in power.
Democracy -as per my aunderstanding- is when citizens make a choice without having to pay with their lives. There have been several reports saying that the Kikuyu, Kisii, Kamba, Embu, Meru and Kamba have been targeted because they "never voted for" Raila Odinga. I wonder what kind of democracy they are talking about.
I wonder what democracy they are talking about when they are urging their supporters not to respect the right to own property in any part of the country.
I wonder what democracy they are taling about when freedom of movement is not a right but a privilage dished out only to those tribes that are seen to be in support of Raila Odinga.
Raila Odinga: This kind of violence can be caused by anything. I give you and an example of a football match. You have also cases of Man U in UK fight against fans of Chelsea he he he ho ho or Asenal he he or so on.
Intervewer: But burning of churches and mass murder have more in common with the specter of Rwanda than they do a football matches.
http://www.channel4.com/player/v2/player.jsp?showId=10680
That is how cheap the life has become in Kenya. It is just a game so sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy watching children tossed into the fire.
"The men and women had babies and small children, but they carried pangas to
defend themselves. Is someone with a panga innocent? It is not our custom to
kill women and children. We told them to come out of the church, but they
locked the door and refused to come out. So we burned them."
The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2234305,00.html
Those are words of a brave Raila Odinga supporter. Cold and unmoved by what they did. That was the demeanor in Rwanda. Human life had been rendered worthless.
Leaders of the Orange Democratic Movement are yet to come out and condemn the Eldoret Massacre from the bottom of their hearts. The Vocal MP for Eldoret North William Ruto is missing from the national scene and has not dared to restrain his supporters. The victims of the Kenyan Genocide are instead being blamed for their situation.
The official line from ODM has been, "Nobody wants to spill blood, but democracy has no shortcut."
In short, we have been forced to spill the blood of innocent Kenyans because there is a dictator in power.
Democracy -as per my aunderstanding- is when citizens make a choice without having to pay with their lives. There have been several reports saying that the Kikuyu, Kisii, Kamba, Embu, Meru and Kamba have been targeted because they "never voted for" Raila Odinga. I wonder what kind of democracy they are talking about.
I wonder what democracy they are talking about when they are urging their supporters not to respect the right to own property in any part of the country.
I wonder what democracy they are taling about when freedom of movement is not a right but a privilage dished out only to those tribes that are seen to be in support of Raila Odinga.
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
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."
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
| Strategy | Rationale | How to activate | When activate | Action by: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The anti-Kikuyu crusade | 1. 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. |
| 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 |
|
| Immediately, with heightened media activities end of November | Kipkoech Tanui & Okech Kendo R.O |
| Majimbo | Majimbo 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. |
| Immediate, heightened activities in Decemeber. | Ruto to lead the campaign. |
| Rigging |
|
| Oct/Nov/Dec | All |
| Ethnic Tension/Violence as a Last Resort | To discourage voter participation in hostile areas. |
| Mid-Dec | Brig 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."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Rift Valley is for Kalenjins?
Everybody is talking about the elections as people are losing their heads (literally) in Rift Valley. In recent times we have seen attacks that reminds us about the Rwanda genocide.
We had the Eldoret Massacre where women and children -mainly from the Kikuyu community- who were taking refuge in a church were burned to ashes by Raila Odinga supporters from the Kalenjin community. That was unprecedented in the history of Kenya.
We had the siege of Baraton University by the Kalenjin militia that demanded the ejection of Kikuyu, Kisii, Meru, Kamba and Embu students and faculty so that they could be slaughtered.
At the Kaptein tea estate, 40 workers from the Kisii community were killed by Kalenjin raiders. Today there is news that Kisiis have left the Chebown tea estate in fear of being exterminated. I have received a number of emails from people who are reporting missing relatives. (I am compiling a list of the dead and missing that I will post here shortly.)
Kass FM (a radio station that broadcasts in the Kalenjin languages) has been on the fore in creating the notion that Rift Valley is a homeland for the Kalenjins. Other tribes were portrayed as foreigners.
Late last year, Kass FM organized an open Marathon in conjunction with Safaricom (a government venture with Vodafone) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The station imposed a rule that only Kalenjins would win prizes in the race. This proved controversial since government funds were to be used in the race. This was the first time in independent Kenyan that that ethnicity was officially used to segregate athletes.
It took the intervention of the Athletics Kenya (AK) chairman Isaiah Kiplagat and some top Kenyan athletes for Kass FM to drop this discriminative rule.
AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat told the Sunday Nation in Eldoret that he had directed the organisers to allow all those who registered to run "and be given full prize irrespective of whether the winner is a Kalenjin or not." He said it was unfortunate for the organisers to sideline other communities by only allowing Kalenjins to race, a move that he said, had made one of the sponsors to pull out.
The Nation (Nairobi), 9 December 2007
Kenyan should come together and protect their right to own property in any part of the country without fear of being annihilated. We should come together to protect our freedom of movement. Kenya belongs to all of us. Every single inch of it.
We had the Eldoret Massacre where women and children -mainly from the Kikuyu community- who were taking refuge in a church were burned to ashes by Raila Odinga supporters from the Kalenjin community. That was unprecedented in the history of Kenya.
We had the siege of Baraton University by the Kalenjin militia that demanded the ejection of Kikuyu, Kisii, Meru, Kamba and Embu students and faculty so that they could be slaughtered.
At the Kaptein tea estate, 40 workers from the Kisii community were killed by Kalenjin raiders. Today there is news that Kisiis have left the Chebown tea estate in fear of being exterminated. I have received a number of emails from people who are reporting missing relatives. (I am compiling a list of the dead and missing that I will post here shortly.)
Kass FM (a radio station that broadcasts in the Kalenjin languages) has been on the fore in creating the notion that Rift Valley is a homeland for the Kalenjins. Other tribes were portrayed as foreigners.
Late last year, Kass FM organized an open Marathon in conjunction with Safaricom (a government venture with Vodafone) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The station imposed a rule that only Kalenjins would win prizes in the race. This proved controversial since government funds were to be used in the race. This was the first time in independent Kenyan that that ethnicity was officially used to segregate athletes.
It took the intervention of the Athletics Kenya (AK) chairman Isaiah Kiplagat and some top Kenyan athletes for Kass FM to drop this discriminative rule.
AK chairman Isaiah Kiplagat told the Sunday Nation in Eldoret that he had directed the organisers to allow all those who registered to run "and be given full prize irrespective of whether the winner is a Kalenjin or not." He said it was unfortunate for the organisers to sideline other communities by only allowing Kalenjins to race, a move that he said, had made one of the sponsors to pull out.
The Nation (Nairobi), 9 December 2007
Kenyan should come together and protect their right to own property in any part of the country without fear of being annihilated. We should come together to protect our freedom of movement. Kenya belongs to all of us. Every single inch of it.
Friday, January 4, 2008
This is not a genocide?
I have spoken to a number of Kenyans who think this is not a genocide. They say that this is just political violence that is as a result of Kibaki stealing the election. Others say that a genocide can only be committed by a government and not the opposition. These sentiments have been echoed by some international media houses.
We heard the same sentiments expressed in the Rwanda genocide. The press found excuses to explain the slaughter. In April 1994, schools in Kenya were closed for the April. I remember reading that the Hutu extremists attacking Tutsi's because a Hutu president had been killed in a plane crash. The savage reaction by the Hutus was seen as a justified way of showing anger. The international community watched and hoped that everything would calm in a few days. They were wrong.
Months leading to the genocide, hate media had dehuminized the Tutsi refering them as cockroaches. In 1993, Kangura -a Hutu extremist newspaper- published an 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 newspaper said.
In Kenya were have been treated to such rhetoric by our newspapers, FM radios and blogs. In political meetings were were told of the kikuyu conspiracy to dominate Kenyans for the next 100 years. The Raila Odinga campaign for presidency built its case on creating anti-Kikuyu sentiments. It then offered Raila Odinga as teh person to end kikuyu domination.
Those who watched Hotel Rwanda may remember scenes where Hutus visit hospitals, refugee camps and even the Hotel Rwanda its self and demand the ejection of all "cockroaches". I was motivated to pen this rant after reading these chilling accounts on the BBC:
'They looted all the shops that belong to Kikuyus and Kisiis. Then they broke into the rented off-campus houses of students and then a crowd of about 1,000 people surged to the university gate and shouted that they wanted to storm the university.
They demanded that all Kikuyus, Kambas, Meru, and Kisii people leave the university within two hours. That was the only way to save the university from being stormed.
They said they would stay at the gate until their demands were met. Three armed policemen arrived and spent time negotiating with the crowd. Finally the police advised us to evacuate the named ethnic groups.
We put those faculty and students, numbering about 250, into three university vehicles and they were taken to Kapsabet Police station under police escort. They are still there.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7171443.stm
In Another report filed by LA Times gave an account of one Gabriel Okelo who has become the foster child of the genocide.
"It is the first time I ever killed," said Okelo, who is about 20. "I never imagined it would come to this. It was not a planned thing at all.
"I was angry. When you are angry, it's easy."
"It's Kenya versus Kikuyus. We are slaughtering them and we will keep slaughtering them. It will go on and on and on in all parts of the country. It will be war. Religious leaders have been preaching peace. Peace, peace! But there's no justice," he said.
Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2008
If you still don't see this as a systematic elimination of some Kenyan tribes you need to check yourself into the nearest mental facility!
We heard the same sentiments expressed in the Rwanda genocide. The press found excuses to explain the slaughter. In April 1994, schools in Kenya were closed for the April. I remember reading that the Hutu extremists attacking Tutsi's because a Hutu president had been killed in a plane crash. The savage reaction by the Hutus was seen as a justified way of showing anger. The international community watched and hoped that everything would calm in a few days. They were wrong.
Months leading to the genocide, hate media had dehuminized the Tutsi refering them as cockroaches. In 1993, Kangura -a Hutu extremist newspaper- published an 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 newspaper said.
In Kenya were have been treated to such rhetoric by our newspapers, FM radios and blogs. In political meetings were were told of the kikuyu conspiracy to dominate Kenyans for the next 100 years. The Raila Odinga campaign for presidency built its case on creating anti-Kikuyu sentiments. It then offered Raila Odinga as teh person to end kikuyu domination.
Those who watched Hotel Rwanda may remember scenes where Hutus visit hospitals, refugee camps and even the Hotel Rwanda its self and demand the ejection of all "cockroaches". I was motivated to pen this rant after reading these chilling accounts on the BBC:
'They looted all the shops that belong to Kikuyus and Kisiis. Then they broke into the rented off-campus houses of students and then a crowd of about 1,000 people surged to the university gate and shouted that they wanted to storm the university.
They demanded that all Kikuyus, Kambas, Meru, and Kisii people leave the university within two hours. That was the only way to save the university from being stormed.
They said they would stay at the gate until their demands were met. Three armed policemen arrived and spent time negotiating with the crowd. Finally the police advised us to evacuate the named ethnic groups.
We put those faculty and students, numbering about 250, into three university vehicles and they were taken to Kapsabet Police station under police escort. They are still there.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/7171443.stm
In Another report filed by LA Times gave an account of one Gabriel Okelo who has become the foster child of the genocide.
"It is the first time I ever killed," said Okelo, who is about 20. "I never imagined it would come to this. It was not a planned thing at all.
"I was angry. When you are angry, it's easy."
"It's Kenya versus Kikuyus. We are slaughtering them and we will keep slaughtering them. It will go on and on and on in all parts of the country. It will be war. Religious leaders have been preaching peace. Peace, peace! But there's no justice," he said.
Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2008
If you still don't see this as a systematic elimination of some Kenyan tribes you need to check yourself into the nearest mental facility!
Maina Kiai where are you????
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights chair Maina Kiai is missing in action. The vocal human rights activist has always been handy in advocating for the interests of politicians as if only political interests qualify as human rights.
The Eldoret Massacre was the single most deadly event in the ongoing genocide. Women and children who had taken shelter in a church were burnt to ashes in broad daylight. The killers blocked all exits before setting the church on fire.
After a long silence about the genocide that is going on, Maina Kiai came out to defend rights of Raila Odinga's supporters to hold a protest. Newspaper reports covering the Raila protests quoted some Raila supporters confessing of slaughtering Kikuyus. The protestors promised to continue the killings until Raila Odinga is installed as president.
“Whereas we understand that the police commissioner may be concerned about the state of security in the country to issue such orders, such decrees not only contravene the law, but only serve to aggravate the situation further,” said the commission’s chairman Maina Kiai in a statement sent to newsrooms last evening.
Daily Nation, Jan 02, 2008 22:41 PM (EAT)
http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?pcat=NEWS&cat=TOP&sid=1194
Maina Kiai's selective interpretation of human rights is like spitting and the face of the victims. Didn't Maina Kiai and his organization find the lives of innocent Kenyans worth a two sentence statement?
Maina Kiai is paid by the Kenyan citizens to advocate for the rights of the down trodden. He has opted to protect the interests of politicians instead because it pays handsomely. It boosts your ego when you mingle with the high and the mighty.
Silence from the KNCHR is an endorsement of the genocide.
UPDATE 1:
After a long slilence, Maina Kiai has found his voice again. His voice coincided with the ODM SMS that has been circulating saying that Mungiki has been activated by the Government.
I am still looking for Maina Kiai's statements on the Eldoret Massacre, The burning of Burnt Forest, The Kaptein Massacre, The Mass Exodus in Rift Valley, The Siege of Baraton University, ....................................
The facts are there for the world to see. The perpetuators of the Genocide can hire the best publicists in the world; they can buy all the Human Rights organisations but they cannot burry the facts in water. The corpses of the children, women and men massacred in Rift Valley are rotting. No amount of perfume can mask stench. Even the killers are pleading that their victims corpses be removed. They can't the stench of their own mess!
This is not about a rigged election. It is about killing certain ethnic groups in RV to deny them their right to own property in the province.
UPDATE 2:
At last Maina Kiai visits Eldoret to shed crocodile tears. A man who has given the 'rigged' election as justification to the killings in RV expected a warm welcome but he received boos.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ozjdDSejbbw
Maina Kiai and his KNCHR were missing when the rights of the common citizen were being violated. He was missing when Kalenjin Militia drowned 30 Kenyan refugees in River Kapkaren. Now he shows up to fake empathy?
Let Maina Kiai enjoy his 30 pieces of silver in peace without trying to mock the victims of the criminals that he is representing.
The Eldoret Massacre was the single most deadly event in the ongoing genocide. Women and children who had taken shelter in a church were burnt to ashes in broad daylight. The killers blocked all exits before setting the church on fire.
After a long silence about the genocide that is going on, Maina Kiai came out to defend rights of Raila Odinga's supporters to hold a protest. Newspaper reports covering the Raila protests quoted some Raila supporters confessing of slaughtering Kikuyus. The protestors promised to continue the killings until Raila Odinga is installed as president.
“Whereas we understand that the police commissioner may be concerned about the state of security in the country to issue such orders, such decrees not only contravene the law, but only serve to aggravate the situation further,” said the commission’s chairman Maina Kiai in a statement sent to newsrooms last evening.
Daily Nation, Jan 02, 2008 22:41 PM (EAT)
http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?pcat=NEWS&cat=TOP&sid=1194
Maina Kiai's selective interpretation of human rights is like spitting and the face of the victims. Didn't Maina Kiai and his organization find the lives of innocent Kenyans worth a two sentence statement?
Maina Kiai is paid by the Kenyan citizens to advocate for the rights of the down trodden. He has opted to protect the interests of politicians instead because it pays handsomely. It boosts your ego when you mingle with the high and the mighty.
Silence from the KNCHR is an endorsement of the genocide.
---------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 1:
After a long slilence, Maina Kiai has found his voice again. His voice coincided with the ODM SMS that has been circulating saying that Mungiki has been activated by the Government.
Maina Kiai, head of the government-funded National Commission on Human Rights, said the Mungiki, an ethnic Kikuyu gang notorious for beheading its victims, had returned.
"They are coming out again and being used by the state. We have firm evidence of that, some of their people came to us," he said.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL09697986.html
I am still looking for Maina Kiai's statements on the Eldoret Massacre, The burning of Burnt Forest, The Kaptein Massacre, The Mass Exodus in Rift Valley, The Siege of Baraton University, ....................................
The facts are there for the world to see. The perpetuators of the Genocide can hire the best publicists in the world; they can buy all the Human Rights organisations but they cannot burry the facts in water. The corpses of the children, women and men massacred in Rift Valley are rotting. No amount of perfume can mask stench. Even the killers are pleading that their victims corpses be removed. They can't the stench of their own mess!
This is not about a rigged election. It is about killing certain ethnic groups in RV to deny them their right to own property in the province.
----------------------------------------------
UPDATE 2:
At last Maina Kiai visits Eldoret to shed crocodile tears. A man who has given the 'rigged' election as justification to the killings in RV expected a warm welcome but he received boos.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ozjdDSejbbw
Maina Kiai and his KNCHR were missing when the rights of the common citizen were being violated. He was missing when Kalenjin Militia drowned 30 Kenyan refugees in River Kapkaren. Now he shows up to fake empathy?
Let Maina Kiai enjoy his 30 pieces of silver in peace without trying to mock the victims of the criminals that he is representing.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The truth about the Kenyan Genocide
The international press and the international community are pre-occupied with the results of the recently concluded elections in Kenya while genocide goes on unabated. Innocent children are hacked to death yet everybody is talking about the election results! It is sad to note that we are quick to give justification of the killings while ignoring the historical events that have put us in this predicament.
The opposition is accusing President Mwai Kibaki's party of rigging the election by inflating the results. On the other hand the president's party is accusing the opposition of locking out its (the ruling party's) agents from its strongholds then allowing multiple voting by compromising election officials. A close look at the election results shows that there was an unrealistically high turnout of voters in Eastern Province and Central Province where the president is rated favorably. There was also a very high turnout of voters in opposition strongholds in Rift Valley and Nyanza Provinces. This makes it difficult to tell who the real winner is in that poll that was said to be too close to call in pre-election surveys.
So how did the results lead to violence?
Even before the elections were held, there was propaganda circulating in Kenya pitting the Kikuyu tribe against the rest of Kenyans. Lists of Kikuyu government employees were circulated to create the notion that only Kikuyus were occupying top jobs. Those lists contained names of people from the Embu and Meru communities that live in the area around Mt. Kenya.
Kikuyu, Meru (composed of Meru, Mbeere, Tharaka) and Embu make up 24%, 6% and 3% of the Kenyan population respectively. People from these tribes are lumped together as GEMA and make up over 30% of the Kenyan population. One would expect a people who make up 30% of the population to have a noticeable presence in the job market and in the economy.
As a response to the propaganda, Government spokesman Dr. Mutua issued a 2000-name list of government appointees, that showed a balanced job distribution among tribes and districts. If anything, Kikuyus had a lower proportion than their ratio of the population. By then, the damage had been done , and the perception of Gema domination in government jobs stuck.
Then we propaganda saying that Central Province contributed the least in taxes yet it was allocated the most amount of money for development. This was first revealed in an op-ed by Barrack Muluka (The Standard, Saturday July 29, 2006 and Saturday July 22, 2006)http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143956003http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143955681&date=22/7/2006
Kenya is a unitary state that is mainly funded by income tax and sales tax. From what I understand the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) doesn't keep tally on what each province contributes. Such a figure will be hard to come by because businesses are registered in Nairobi and remit their income tax to KRA in Nairobi no matter what part of the country the companies are doing business. Also a significant number of people working in Nairobi City live in Central
province. This means that if we were to look at income tax collected from Nairobi, it will also include residents of Central Province.
Those talking about distribution of wealth present the case as though the distribution should be between tribes. The reality on the ground is that Kenya has a few rich people (made of elites from all tribes) and a majority of poor people. The elites pushing the tribal agenda deflect the issue of equitable distribution of wealth from being a class issue and make it a tribal issue.
A majority of Kenyans living in the slums is made up of people form the Kikuyu tribe. The area around Mt. Kenya where the so-called Gema tribes come from is densely populated forcing it inhabitants to seek land and jobs outside their ancestral lands. Today, the Kikuyu and the Kisii ( another bantu tribe from a densely populated region in Nyanza Province) can be found in all part of Kenya. A majority of Kenyan immigrants in the USA and the UK can trace their lineage to the Kikuyu and Kisii tribes.
In Kenya where tribes are supposed to own regions, migration creates a lot of tension. A Kikuyu doing business in Kisumu is not viewed as just another Kenyan who is working hard to earn his bread but as an alien coming in to dominate the local people
. This tension mixed with politics has in the past resulted in tribal cleansing.
Just before the elections were held, members of the Kikuyu and Kisii communities were evicted from Ziwa Market in Eldoret by the Kalenjins who are the major ethinic group in Eldoret. These peoples were accused of dominating the business sector.
Politicians who seek to control their tribes have used ethic identity (an equivalent of ultra-nationalism as in Germany and Russia). These politicians promise their tribesmen that they will establish Majimbo (Federalism) as a way to ensure that the Kikuyu and other "aliens" don't "dominate" over them. To a significant population of Kenyans (mainly in Coast Province and Rift Valley) Majimbo means that Kenyans will go back to their ancestral land and leave behind their property.
The right to own property in any part of Kenya by any Kenyan citizen is a farce. A significant number of Kenyans believe that tribes own regions and those seeking to invest in those regions are temporary visitors who can be ejected at any time. Ejection and murder of "aliens" has happened in the recent past and is always seen as a justified way of dealing with competition.
The following quote points this out:
"They said although ODM pentagon member William Ruto urged residents to observe peace when he visited the area, a politician from the area met youths and held a meeting at Maemba running into midnight, where he supplied them with torches and gumboots.
The politician is reported to have said that those who had bought land in the area had rendered the indigenous people landless and consequently homeless."
http://allafrica.com/stories/200710292039.html
Just before the election, Hilary Ngw'eno -a Samia ( Luhya sub-tribe) veteran journalist- wrote a series of "historical" articles in the Daily Nation on the role of the Gema (Kikuyu) mafia in the late President Kenyatta administration. It is now apparent that Ngw'eno was pushing the Kikuyu vs. non-Kikuyu Kenyans agenda even further. His articles were supposed to remind Kenyans of the "evil" Kikuyus and their conspiracy to control Kenya. President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga's father parted ways politically because Oginga Odinga was pro-communism while Kenyatta was pro-capitalism. People who want to rouse ethnic animosity often leave this fact out and argue that Kikuyus pushed Luos out of the Kenyatta government.
Another fact being falsely peddled by the media is that Kikuyus have been in power since independence. The truth is that these last five years of Kibak's presidency are the first time a Kikuyu has been in power in the last thirty years. Before then President Moi, a Kalenjin, was in power for 24 years, where he ruled with a dictatorial iron fist before the worldwide push for multi-party democracy helped push him out of power. Indeed, there was only one previous Kikuyu president, Jomo Kenyatta, who reigned for only 14 years after independence.
Yet another lie that was peddled to the other non-Kikuyu tribes by Raila,and subsequently picked up by the press, is that Kikuyus hate Luos and will never let Luo into power. This is not true. The articles by Ng'weno clearly recalled that in the pre and post independence days,Raila's father , Jaramogi Odinga, had a countrywide following that included Kikuyus.
ODM and Raila Odinga's role in the current ethnic cleansing
The background above is what has brought us up to this situation. Raila Odinga exploited the above sentiments to gain support of xenophobic opinion leaders from Rift Valley and Coast provinces. Raila Odinga has never been for Majimbo but he changed his stand a few weeks to election to get the support of William Ruto (hails from the Kalenjin group of tribes), Najib Balala (Coast Province), and William Ole Ntimama (led the 1992 and 1997 ethnic cleansing).
The election results are just an excuse used to execute a preconceived genocide. It is a shame then when Raila Odinga justifies acts of genocide by claiming that those engaging in the crimes are "peacefully" protesting against a rigged election. He has asked the president to step down if he wants the killings stop.
Today I read a chilling report on the Los Angeles Times on the systematic genocide going on in Kenya. Even more chilling was the video of a man being slashed to death. It reminded me of Rwanda and not Kenya -a country where we once lived in peace, love and unity. The newspater quotes a Raila supporter saying:
"We are slaughtering them and we will keep on slaughtering them," said one young protester, Gabriel Okelo, who got up at six and walked nine miles from the outskirts of the city to march in support of Odinga.
As the political violence worsens, tribal fighting and tit-for-tat killings have been going on in Nairobi's slums and in other towns.
Okelo said he killed two people with a machete for the first time Wednesday because "When you are angry, it's easy. If they refuse our president, Raila Odinga to address the rally, it will happen again. We shall slaughter the Kikuyus. It will go on and on and on, in all parts of the country."
By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 7:19 AM PST, January 3, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kenya4jan04,0,4416543.story?coll=la-home-world
When the violence started the media made an initial mistake of not correctly identifying the perpetrators. The people who were shot in Kisumu (Odinga's home and stronghold) were shot by security forces because they were engaging in looting.The media missed the fact that before the looting, these ODM/Luo activists had first killed Kikuyu businessmen resident in the city. The more affluent Asians had already left before the elections or by air as soon as tensions started.
It is only with the church massacre in Eldoret that the media has realised that it is defenseless Kikuyus who are being killed by Luos and Kalenjins supporting Raila Odinga. It is also worth noting that the violence in the big towns is restricted to the slum areas. These are the people who had been promised heaven by Raila,who had also demonised Kibaki as the reason these poor people were stuck in poverty. Political analysts had easily pointed that he was promising more than he could deliver, but he did so selfishly to get their votes.
The following quote from Reuters doesn't show a people who are protesting the election results but a people who are out to commit genocide.
"As black smoke billowed overhead, one crowd waved machetes and yelled "Death to Kikuyus". Young boys swigged looted beer.
"We have just started. We will loot all Kikuyu shops and kill them on sight," said Richard Ondigi, 23, a driver.
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN934960.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/01/wkenya301.xml
There are many reports like these.
In an action reminiscent of the Rwanda, Kalenjin Raiders who are supporting Raila Odinga and the local MP William Ruto (promised to be Prime Minister- a post that currently does not exist in the constitution) torched a church killing more than 50 Kenyans mainly from the Kikuyu tribe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/world/africa/02kenya.html?hp
Raila is yet to talk about the Eldoret massacre. He has denied a instigating a genocide saying, "The security forces are shooting people on sight. It is Kibaki that should be blamed."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2233890,00.html
The opposition is accusing President Mwai Kibaki's party of rigging the election by inflating the results. On the other hand the president's party is accusing the opposition of locking out its (the ruling party's) agents from its strongholds then allowing multiple voting by compromising election officials. A close look at the election results shows that there was an unrealistically high turnout of voters in Eastern Province and Central Province where the president is rated favorably. There was also a very high turnout of voters in opposition strongholds in Rift Valley and Nyanza Provinces. This makes it difficult to tell who the real winner is in that poll that was said to be too close to call in pre-election surveys.
So how did the results lead to violence?
Even before the elections were held, there was propaganda circulating in Kenya pitting the Kikuyu tribe against the rest of Kenyans. Lists of Kikuyu government employees were circulated to create the notion that only Kikuyus were occupying top jobs. Those lists contained names of people from the Embu and Meru communities that live in the area around Mt. Kenya.
Kikuyu, Meru (composed of Meru, Mbeere, Tharaka) and Embu make up 24%, 6% and 3% of the Kenyan population respectively. People from these tribes are lumped together as GEMA and make up over 30% of the Kenyan population. One would expect a people who make up 30% of the population to have a noticeable presence in the job market and in the economy.
As a response to the propaganda, Government spokesman Dr. Mutua issued a 2000-name list of government appointees, that showed a balanced job distribution among tribes and districts. If anything, Kikuyus had a lower proportion than their ratio of the population. By then, the damage had been done , and the perception of Gema domination in government jobs stuck.
Then we propaganda saying that Central Province contributed the least in taxes yet it was allocated the most amount of money for development. This was first revealed in an op-ed by Barrack Muluka (The Standard, Saturday July 29, 2006 and Saturday July 22, 2006)http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143956003http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143955681&date=22/7/2006
Kenya is a unitary state that is mainly funded by income tax and sales tax. From what I understand the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) doesn't keep tally on what each province contributes. Such a figure will be hard to come by because businesses are registered in Nairobi and remit their income tax to KRA in Nairobi no matter what part of the country the companies are doing business. Also a significant number of people working in Nairobi City live in Central
province. This means that if we were to look at income tax collected from Nairobi, it will also include residents of Central Province.Those talking about distribution of wealth present the case as though the distribution should be between tribes. The reality on the ground is that Kenya has a few rich people (made of elites from all tribes) and a majority of poor people. The elites pushing the tribal agenda deflect the issue of equitable distribution of wealth from being a class issue and make it a tribal issue.
A majority of Kenyans living in the slums is made up of people form the Kikuyu tribe. The area around Mt. Kenya where the so-called Gema tribes come from is densely populated forcing it inhabitants to seek land and jobs outside their ancestral lands. Today, the Kikuyu and the Kisii ( another bantu tribe from a densely populated region in Nyanza Province) can be found in all part of Kenya. A majority of Kenyan immigrants in the USA and the UK can trace their lineage to the Kikuyu and Kisii tribes.In Kenya where tribes are supposed to own regions, migration creates a lot of tension. A Kikuyu doing business in Kisumu is not viewed as just another Kenyan who is working hard to earn his bread but as an alien coming in to dominate the local people
. This tension mixed with politics has in the past resulted in tribal cleansing.Just before the elections were held, members of the Kikuyu and Kisii communities were evicted from Ziwa Market in Eldoret by the Kalenjins who are the major ethinic group in Eldoret. These peoples were accused of dominating the business sector.
Politicians who seek to control their tribes have used ethic identity (an equivalent of ultra-nationalism as in Germany and Russia). These politicians promise their tribesmen that they will establish Majimbo (Federalism) as a way to ensure that the Kikuyu and other "aliens" don't "dominate" over them. To a significant population of Kenyans (mainly in Coast Province and Rift Valley) Majimbo means that Kenyans will go back to their ancestral land and leave behind their property.
The right to own property in any part of Kenya by any Kenyan citizen is a farce. A significant number of Kenyans believe that tribes own regions and those seeking to invest in those regions are temporary visitors who can be ejected at any time. Ejection and murder of "aliens" has happened in the recent past and is always seen as a justified way of dealing with competition.
The following quote points this out:
"They said although ODM pentagon member William Ruto urged residents to observe peace when he visited the area, a politician from the area met youths and held a meeting at Maemba running into midnight, where he supplied them with torches and gumboots.
The politician is reported to have said that those who had bought land in the area had rendered the indigenous people landless and consequently homeless."
http://allafrica.com/stories/200710292039.html
Just before the election, Hilary Ngw'eno -a Samia ( Luhya sub-tribe) veteran journalist- wrote a series of "historical" articles in the Daily Nation on the role of the Gema (Kikuyu) mafia in the late President Kenyatta administration. It is now apparent that Ngw'eno was pushing the Kikuyu vs. non-Kikuyu Kenyans agenda even further. His articles were supposed to remind Kenyans of the "evil" Kikuyus and their conspiracy to control Kenya. President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga's father parted ways politically because Oginga Odinga was pro-communism while Kenyatta was pro-capitalism. People who want to rouse ethnic animosity often leave this fact out and argue that Kikuyus pushed Luos out of the Kenyatta government.
Another fact being falsely peddled by the media is that Kikuyus have been in power since independence. The truth is that these last five years of Kibak's presidency are the first time a Kikuyu has been in power in the last thirty years. Before then President Moi, a Kalenjin, was in power for 24 years, where he ruled with a dictatorial iron fist before the worldwide push for multi-party democracy helped push him out of power. Indeed, there was only one previous Kikuyu president, Jomo Kenyatta, who reigned for only 14 years after independence.
Yet another lie that was peddled to the other non-Kikuyu tribes by Raila,and subsequently picked up by the press, is that Kikuyus hate Luos and will never let Luo into power. This is not true. The articles by Ng'weno clearly recalled that in the pre and post independence days,Raila's father , Jaramogi Odinga, had a countrywide following that included Kikuyus.
ODM and Raila Odinga's role in the current ethnic cleansing
The background above is what has brought us up to this situation. Raila Odinga exploited the above sentiments to gain support of xenophobic opinion leaders from Rift Valley and Coast provinces. Raila Odinga has never been for Majimbo but he changed his stand a few weeks to election to get the support of William Ruto (hails from the Kalenjin group of tribes), Najib Balala (Coast Province), and William Ole Ntimama (led the 1992 and 1997 ethnic cleansing).
The election results are just an excuse used to execute a preconceived genocide. It is a shame then when Raila Odinga justifies acts of genocide by claiming that those engaging in the crimes are "peacefully" protesting against a rigged election. He has asked the president to step down if he wants the killings stop.
Today I read a chilling report on the Los Angeles Times on the systematic genocide going on in Kenya. Even more chilling was the video of a man being slashed to death. It reminded me of Rwanda and not Kenya -a country where we once lived in peace, love and unity. The newspater quotes a Raila supporter saying:
"We are slaughtering them and we will keep on slaughtering them," said one young protester, Gabriel Okelo, who got up at six and walked nine miles from the outskirts of the city to march in support of Odinga.
As the political violence worsens, tribal fighting and tit-for-tat killings have been going on in Nairobi's slums and in other towns.
Okelo said he killed two people with a machete for the first time Wednesday because "When you are angry, it's easy. If they refuse our president, Raila Odinga to address the rally, it will happen again. We shall slaughter the Kikuyus. It will go on and on and on, in all parts of the country."
By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 7:19 AM PST, January 3, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kenya4jan04,0,4416543.story?coll=la-home-world
When the violence started the media made an initial mistake of not correctly identifying the perpetrators. The people who were shot in Kisumu (Odinga's home and stronghold) were shot by security forces because they were engaging in looting.The media missed the fact that before the looting, these ODM/Luo activists had first killed Kikuyu businessmen resident in the city. The more affluent Asians had already left before the elections or by air as soon as tensions started.
It is only with the church massacre in Eldoret that the media has realised that it is defenseless Kikuyus who are being killed by Luos and Kalenjins supporting Raila Odinga. It is also worth noting that the violence in the big towns is restricted to the slum areas. These are the people who had been promised heaven by Raila,who had also demonised Kibaki as the reason these poor people were stuck in poverty. Political analysts had easily pointed that he was promising more than he could deliver, but he did so selfishly to get their votes.
The following quote from Reuters doesn't show a people who are protesting the election results but a people who are out to commit genocide.
"As black smoke billowed overhead, one crowd waved machetes and yelled "Death to Kikuyus". Young boys swigged looted beer.
"We have just started. We will loot all Kikuyu shops and kill them on sight," said Richard Ondigi, 23, a driver.
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN934960.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/01/wkenya301.xml
There are many reports like these.
In an action reminiscent of the Rwanda, Kalenjin Raiders who are supporting Raila Odinga and the local MP William Ruto (promised to be Prime Minister- a post that currently does not exist in the constitution) torched a church killing more than 50 Kenyans mainly from the Kikuyu tribe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/world/africa/02kenya.html?hp
Raila is yet to talk about the Eldoret massacre. He has denied a instigating a genocide saying, "The security forces are shooting people on sight. It is Kibaki that should be blamed."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2233890,00.html
The propaganda on Raila Odinga's website seeking to create chaos within the army. Similar rumors were circulated within the armed forces. (click to enlarge)
Until yesterday, the Raila campaign website carried rumors that the Army and Police chiefs had quit. This information has been on the site for more than 3 days. The site had also carried rumors that the Electoral Commission chief had been killed. All this was meant to rally Raila Odinga's supporters and create anarchy. (I can provide saved HTML web pages).
In light of the military precision that the raids in Rift Valley were carried out, one can't help but wonder why the government had taken no action when Raila Odinga's photo inspecting a guard of honor , albeit un-armed, in Nakuru a few months ago. Inspection of guards of honor has traditionaly been the preserve of the disciplined forces not civilians.These are possibly the dogs of war that were let lose in Rift Valley.(Photo was carried by the Daily Nation)
Raila Odinga, William Ruto and Najib Balala have the power to order their supporters to stop the genocide but they are not ready to. They think that the killings will earn them political capital but that is not going to be the case.
The international community needs to look carefully at the historical data that led us to this.
We should not excuse those committing the genocide by simply pointing out at the election results. In Kenya we have a saying that loosely translates: "the raging river that you see was once made up of streams."
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