Post by adongo12345 on Dec 6, 2006 0:03:31 GMT 3
By Adongo Ogony
The Kibaki team is closing the year 2006 with a bang. Whatever they are smoking at State House, is working pretty well for them, assuming they are on a steady dose for self-destruction. We started the year with the collapse of the Kibaki constitutional project.
By this time last year Kibaki had crawled his way back to Moi for help. Now we close the year with a huge threat to our electoral democratic process and a frighteningly shrinking democratic space.
Once again President Kibaki is comfortably sitting on the laps of his mentor, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi. This is the same man Kenyans threw out of office and shouted at unceremoniously the day Kibaki was sworn into office when he promised to usher a new era for Kenya. Of course the “Total Man”, Nicholas Biwott, once described by Tabitha Sei as the “Total Mess” is offering close support to the present government to kill opposition parties.
I think it was Charles Njonjo who once said that he never worries about his enemies because he knows them, he said he is often more concerned about his friends. If I were Kibaki I would take a good hard look at my new found friends. Somebody like Biwott is radioactive. Talk about the plutonium 210 of Kenyan politics. Here you have it in its live form. Deadly is not even the word you are looking for. Try lethal.
All Kibaki’s games wouldn’t bother me one bit. I know what to expect from Kibaki. This is the man who assured us, ending one party rule, was going to be like cutting a mugumo tree with a razor blade. He was wrong then and I can say, without the risk of contradiction, that his attempt now to corrupt our electoral process with cheeky games and to buy re-election with government goodies is going to fall flat in its face. What I am worried about is the price the nation may have to pay as Kibaki plays these terrible games with Ali and Michuki as his errand boys.
Throwing teargas at elected M.P’s including the leader of the Official Opposition who was not breaking any law is something Kenyans look at with horror and shock. This kind of government thuggery, first experienced during the raid on KTN and Standard Building will never enhance the standing of the Kibaki government in the eyes of ordinary Kenyans.
What is really worrying many Kenyans is the fact that this level of blatant in your face state violence against elected officials dates back to the colonial era. That is when the wakoloni used open state aggression against our leaders and nationalists. Even Kenyatta and Moi tried to be a little subtler. The idea of chasing someone like Kalonzo Muysoka, a national leader and cornering him to administer doses of tear gas on him is almost an attempted murder.
We have one cop dead from the irresponsible raid the government staged today to brutalize the opposition, gathered peacefully to protest the illegal hand over of the Kanu party to the new Moi/Kibaki boys, Biwott and company. Lobbying teargas at a peaceful crowd to terrorize opposition leaders does not make the government look tough like they think. It makes them look stupid and reckless, not just with the lives of their intended victims but also with the lives of their goons in uniform. We pay those guys to keep the peace not to terrorize wananchi. These cops should be chasing thugs and thieves messing up with the security of Kenyans instead of running around Parliament Building and Uhuru Park chasing harmless politicians.
The government is on a tight legislative schedule. They need every help they can get to get their legislative agenda through within the next few months. Considering that parliament will be on recess till March next year that means the government has something like three months from March to June/July next year to get key legislative pieces passed. The constitutional amendment bills which were supposed to have been passed by now, have not even been published because the Kibaki folks are scared shitless. They have come up with the rather flawed political parties bill to dangle as a carrot to M.P’s when they come with their constitutional amendment bills. But it is getting late and the Paul Muite team has already sprung their minimum reforms bill, which could be headed for debate in parliament.
Instead of building bridges to get some of those bills passed, roguish characters within the Kibaki cabinet, namely Martha Karua and John Michuki are insulting anybody they can find around, using the government machinery and even the police to terrorize the opposition. For what? To get Biwott and a handful of Moi supporters to work with them. This may be fine with Kibaki but the risks are dangerous. This is the second time in a month that the police have raided peaceful rallies, sprayed people with teargas and generally caused mayhem. At some point Kenyans are going to say a big NO to this increasing level of state terrorism. And then what? There is only so much crap Kenyans can take from state agents breaking the law and abusing their rights. Kenyans have stood up to state brutality before, what makes Kibaki and his people think they wouldn’t do so now? Like they say be careful what you ask for. It might come your way.
From the look of things we are headed for the General Elections, probably by mid of next year once the legislative agenda of the government collapses in parliament. God help us if the present environment is not addressed and things brought back to normal, which in Kenya means the politicians will restrict themselves to abusing each other without bringing the police to cause mischief and violence.
The government is toying with the opposition to see how far they can intimidate them. It is a dangerous game and I am hoping at the next cabinet meeting at least one cabinet minister will talk to Kibaki and his colleagues to help them get off the slippery slope. What I see is a trend of government people thinking they have the monopoly of force. May be they do, but for goodness sakes don’t push the population off the edge. It is bad for everybody.
Now we have a rally planned for this weekend in Nairobi. This rally was announced a long time ago together with other rallies already held in Malindi and Mombasa. For all intents and purposes we expect the rally to be peaceful but we need to rethink a couple of things.
First the ODM should mobilize the full might of their supporters to come for the rally. The time for jokes is over. Get the masses onto the streets to let Kibaki and his goons understand that nobody is going to roll back the democratic gains the nation has made.
Be careful about imposters and planted troublemakers and purge them using an organized marshal system without endangering their lives. Avoid any unnecessary confrontations with the police and any destruction of property.
At this point my sense is that given the government stupidity displayed in the last two rallies attacking completely harmless people and considering the lose of life for the poor policeman who fell off the lorry, the government may be desperate to cause some fracas to portray the opposition as violent out of control. Don’t give them that satisfaction.
Third I think the opposition should reach out to the cops particularly the family of the officer who died and offer their condolences and support.
Be firm with the cops. They have no business lobbying tear gas at people doing nothing wrong. They should know they will be held accountable one way or the other.
And one last thing, where the heck is the myriad of human rights groups and faith groups who used to condemn state violence during Moi? Did they all join the Kibaki government? Now that Moi is back with Kibaki can they come back and support victims of state terrorism or is that too much to ask? Just checking.
The writer is a human rights activist
The Kibaki team is closing the year 2006 with a bang. Whatever they are smoking at State House, is working pretty well for them, assuming they are on a steady dose for self-destruction. We started the year with the collapse of the Kibaki constitutional project.
By this time last year Kibaki had crawled his way back to Moi for help. Now we close the year with a huge threat to our electoral democratic process and a frighteningly shrinking democratic space.
Once again President Kibaki is comfortably sitting on the laps of his mentor, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi. This is the same man Kenyans threw out of office and shouted at unceremoniously the day Kibaki was sworn into office when he promised to usher a new era for Kenya. Of course the “Total Man”, Nicholas Biwott, once described by Tabitha Sei as the “Total Mess” is offering close support to the present government to kill opposition parties.
I think it was Charles Njonjo who once said that he never worries about his enemies because he knows them, he said he is often more concerned about his friends. If I were Kibaki I would take a good hard look at my new found friends. Somebody like Biwott is radioactive. Talk about the plutonium 210 of Kenyan politics. Here you have it in its live form. Deadly is not even the word you are looking for. Try lethal.
All Kibaki’s games wouldn’t bother me one bit. I know what to expect from Kibaki. This is the man who assured us, ending one party rule, was going to be like cutting a mugumo tree with a razor blade. He was wrong then and I can say, without the risk of contradiction, that his attempt now to corrupt our electoral process with cheeky games and to buy re-election with government goodies is going to fall flat in its face. What I am worried about is the price the nation may have to pay as Kibaki plays these terrible games with Ali and Michuki as his errand boys.
Throwing teargas at elected M.P’s including the leader of the Official Opposition who was not breaking any law is something Kenyans look at with horror and shock. This kind of government thuggery, first experienced during the raid on KTN and Standard Building will never enhance the standing of the Kibaki government in the eyes of ordinary Kenyans.
What is really worrying many Kenyans is the fact that this level of blatant in your face state violence against elected officials dates back to the colonial era. That is when the wakoloni used open state aggression against our leaders and nationalists. Even Kenyatta and Moi tried to be a little subtler. The idea of chasing someone like Kalonzo Muysoka, a national leader and cornering him to administer doses of tear gas on him is almost an attempted murder.
We have one cop dead from the irresponsible raid the government staged today to brutalize the opposition, gathered peacefully to protest the illegal hand over of the Kanu party to the new Moi/Kibaki boys, Biwott and company. Lobbying teargas at a peaceful crowd to terrorize opposition leaders does not make the government look tough like they think. It makes them look stupid and reckless, not just with the lives of their intended victims but also with the lives of their goons in uniform. We pay those guys to keep the peace not to terrorize wananchi. These cops should be chasing thugs and thieves messing up with the security of Kenyans instead of running around Parliament Building and Uhuru Park chasing harmless politicians.
The government is on a tight legislative schedule. They need every help they can get to get their legislative agenda through within the next few months. Considering that parliament will be on recess till March next year that means the government has something like three months from March to June/July next year to get key legislative pieces passed. The constitutional amendment bills which were supposed to have been passed by now, have not even been published because the Kibaki folks are scared shitless. They have come up with the rather flawed political parties bill to dangle as a carrot to M.P’s when they come with their constitutional amendment bills. But it is getting late and the Paul Muite team has already sprung their minimum reforms bill, which could be headed for debate in parliament.
Instead of building bridges to get some of those bills passed, roguish characters within the Kibaki cabinet, namely Martha Karua and John Michuki are insulting anybody they can find around, using the government machinery and even the police to terrorize the opposition. For what? To get Biwott and a handful of Moi supporters to work with them. This may be fine with Kibaki but the risks are dangerous. This is the second time in a month that the police have raided peaceful rallies, sprayed people with teargas and generally caused mayhem. At some point Kenyans are going to say a big NO to this increasing level of state terrorism. And then what? There is only so much crap Kenyans can take from state agents breaking the law and abusing their rights. Kenyans have stood up to state brutality before, what makes Kibaki and his people think they wouldn’t do so now? Like they say be careful what you ask for. It might come your way.
From the look of things we are headed for the General Elections, probably by mid of next year once the legislative agenda of the government collapses in parliament. God help us if the present environment is not addressed and things brought back to normal, which in Kenya means the politicians will restrict themselves to abusing each other without bringing the police to cause mischief and violence.
The government is toying with the opposition to see how far they can intimidate them. It is a dangerous game and I am hoping at the next cabinet meeting at least one cabinet minister will talk to Kibaki and his colleagues to help them get off the slippery slope. What I see is a trend of government people thinking they have the monopoly of force. May be they do, but for goodness sakes don’t push the population off the edge. It is bad for everybody.
Now we have a rally planned for this weekend in Nairobi. This rally was announced a long time ago together with other rallies already held in Malindi and Mombasa. For all intents and purposes we expect the rally to be peaceful but we need to rethink a couple of things.
First the ODM should mobilize the full might of their supporters to come for the rally. The time for jokes is over. Get the masses onto the streets to let Kibaki and his goons understand that nobody is going to roll back the democratic gains the nation has made.
Be careful about imposters and planted troublemakers and purge them using an organized marshal system without endangering their lives. Avoid any unnecessary confrontations with the police and any destruction of property.
At this point my sense is that given the government stupidity displayed in the last two rallies attacking completely harmless people and considering the lose of life for the poor policeman who fell off the lorry, the government may be desperate to cause some fracas to portray the opposition as violent out of control. Don’t give them that satisfaction.
Third I think the opposition should reach out to the cops particularly the family of the officer who died and offer their condolences and support.
Be firm with the cops. They have no business lobbying tear gas at people doing nothing wrong. They should know they will be held accountable one way or the other.
And one last thing, where the heck is the myriad of human rights groups and faith groups who used to condemn state violence during Moi? Did they all join the Kibaki government? Now that Moi is back with Kibaki can they come back and support victims of state terrorism or is that too much to ask? Just checking.
The writer is a human rights activist
