FYI
Subject: Oloo Responds to Miguna on Ngugi(Second Attempt)
From: newkenya@riseup.net
Date: Sat, August 21, 2004 5:57 pm
To: newkenya@riseup.net
Cc: kenyademocracyproject@hotmail.com
The first version was cut off for some reason:
Miguna Miguna:
I have just read your rather shocking email. I say shocking because you
are among the last people I would have expected this latest verbal assault
on the Ngugis to emanate from.
I will limit myself to the contents of your email.
Let us go through your questions:
You Say:
>
> 1. First, does it not seem rather odd that the "rape" claim was made as
> afterthought from the Ngugis? Why, for example, did he and his doctors
> release information about an attempted rape earlier? Have they
convincingly explained why? Have we been given a comprehensive
explanation on the attack;how, when and who (description) perpetrated it?
Ngugi promised to do this but has not up to now.
Oloo Says:
No. There is nothing ODD because what you are saying is SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
Actually the very first account, and I am sure you saw you it because I
circulated it on this email list appeared on the very same day that the
attacks took place. It was a posting from Nairobi from a Kenyan netter who
is either a journalist or has a very close connection to the dailies to
the extent of unleashing breaking stories ahead of the publication times:
Let me reproduce it here again, just in case you missed it:
"from "Dee Dee" in Mashada:
#53653, "The final story..."
"In response to In response to 4
“Of late i have been speaking Rape too much, but now Police are saying
this is Mungiki, two issues emerge, was there forced Circumcision? ama
rape?
“According to Doctors they cant confirm lakini she is under the watch of
Frank Njenga and a gyno. they are being treated mainly for psychological
trauma....
“Anyway, here is the final story...
“KENYAN NOVELIST ATTACKED BY MUNGIKI MEN"
“KENYA’S foremost novelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o and his wife Njeeri were on
Wednesday night severely injured following an attack by four armed
gangsters at Norfolk towers in the Nairobi.
“As a result the couple, spent the whole of yesterday admitted in Nairobi
hospital, where they were transferred after a short stint at Kenyatta
National hospital where police rushed them shortly after the attack.
“At Nairobi hospital, President Mwai Kibaki’s personal doctor Dan Gikonyo
led a high-powered medical team in handling the case. The team includes
renowned psychiatrist – Frank Njenga who is handling the, “major
psychological and emotional trauma of the patients.â€Â
“The gangsters struck at the stroke of midnight when Ngugi- home for a
month, after a 22 year old self exile in the United States of America, was
escorting Kiragu Chege after a chat in their upstairs room rented for the
literally icon by East African Publishers.
“Police and medical authorities confirmed the incident with the police
blaming the attack to the outlawed Mungiki.
“However, there were contradicting reports on how the four gangsters
wielding two guns, a machete and a huge wire cutter and other crude
weapons gained access to the apartments with two different versions
emerging on the night drama.
According to the police the gangsters cut off a wire enclosure forming
part of the fence surrounding the apartments to gain entry to the rented
room where Ngugi has been staying.
“Ngugi who had jetted back to the country only eight hours earlier after
delivering a speech at Makerere University on The Role of African
Universities said in a statement read on his behalf by his publisher
Barrack Muluka that at 7.30 pm when they arrived at the guest apartments
he spotted a suspicious car in the apartments compound.
“Narrated Ngugi; “at about 7:30pm I spotted people in a car outside the
apartment, who on hearing me shout for Kiragu Chege, one of the organizers
of my visit, quickly left the premises in a car towards the gate of the
apartments.â€Â
“A taxi driver who has been serving the couple for the last two weeks they
have been in the country speaking on condition of anonymity however
explained that the four thugs first booked themselves into the one day
rooms section, from where they staged they organized their attack, struck
before fleeing with their car that was around the area since 3pm.
“Nairobi Provincial Police Officer Mwangi King’ori explained that the men
ambushed the scholar as he opened the door to escort Chege and demanded to
know whether he was sympathizer of the proscribed Mungiki sect.
“He said Ngugi sustained facial injuries that were inflicted by a pistol
and a burning cigarette butt while his wife was injured on the right arm
and face. Ngugi’s two children were not with their parents during the
attack. They were said to have traveled upcountry.
“He said a guard who was on duty during the raid is being held. According
to the police boss, a security guard accompanied by his back-up dog saw
the thugs but failed to act. He said police are still figuring out why the
dog didn’t bark due to the muzzle on its mouth.
“Ngugi on his part had appealed to Kenyans through Dr. Frank Njenga, to
let him “heal in private†and to the media he requested, “Keep my children
out of this.â€Â
“Appealed Ngugi, “we understand the anxiety and concern Kenyans have and
we appreciate it in the same vein we request that the media practices
responsible journalism and uphold the value of information while allowing
us to recover silently.â€Â
"Dr. Gikonyo ruled the couple out of danger saying they had no life
threatening injuries inflicted on them, but maintained his analysis was on
the physical point of view.
"Asked if the novelist’s wife was raped during the one-hour ordeal Gikonyo
could not confirm or deny the issue only saying, “ a gynecologist is on
board and will be assisting the medical teamâ€Â.
“However Ngugi in his statement alluded to the issue saying, “During the
whole ordeal they did all sort of acts of humiliation including burning my
face with cigarettes, and finally tried to rape my wife.â€Â
“The thugs took from the couple a laptop computer, US$ 450, 200 South
African rands, undisclosed amount of local currency and Ngugi’s wedding
ring.
Ngugi returned to the country less than two weeks ago to a tumultuous
welcome after spending 22 years in self-exile in Britain. He fled in June
1982 following fears that the former Kanu government could detain him over
his severe criticism of its oppressive rule.
“Since his return, the author has been engaged in numerous social
activities to commemorate his comeback. East Africa Education Publishers
Barrack Muluka who was in charge of the activities said similar events
that were to be marked this week have been put on hold.â€Â
ENDS"
So the question of rape was there from the beginning. If anything, it was
the MEDIA which DOWNPLAYED the trauma of the rape incident and when the
Ngugis clarified this in the media, they were setting the record straight.
Miguna, you are my friend but I want to ask you something:
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???
I mean, do you seriously believe that Ngugi and Njeeri would add graphic
details of Njeeri being brutally attacked as an “afterthoughtâ€� And
afterthought of what, and for what reasons? Clearly far from trying to
hog the media limelight, the very first statement from the couple was
their request to the media to be left alone so that “they could recover
in silence†and specifically asked that their children should be shielded
from any sensationalism. Miguna, you have met Ngugi on more than one
occasion. You will agree with me that the man is quiet and reserved.
And talking of attention, do you seriously think that someone of Ngugi’s
profile SO DESPERATELY CRAVES PUBLICITY that he WOULD STAGE a fake
robbery with his wife chiming in with a FAKE RAPE SCENE?
How insensitive can you get?
There were journalists and police officers, not necessarily sympathetic to
Ngugi who were on hand to confirm that these attacks did indeed take
place.
Why are you finding it difficult that Ngugi could have been robbed and
tortured and his wife raped?
You further ask:
>
> 2. Did it not look rather odd that the Ngugis would immediately exculpate
> the Kibaki govt and praise the country for being "safe" for both foreign
> investment and tourists - and do so without any evidence whatsoever?
>
And Oloo says:
I think what Ngugi did was not only the RIGHT thing to do, but further,
the PATRIOTIC thing to do. A couple of years ago, the British journalist
Robert Fisk who writes for the Independent (and is very critical of US
foreign policy) was attacked by a bunch of Afghanis. Instead of doing the
usual Western fulminations against insecurity, he actually sat down and
wrote down the incident explaining why it was perfectly understandable
why he was targeted by his attackers. Likewise what I read in that
statement was an affirmation that Ngugi was first and foremost a Kenyan
who would NOT FEED INTO THE FEAR MONGERING that has led countries to
IMPOSE travel advisories on Kenya at times when no such advisories were
warranted. Ngugi was essentially saying that what befell them was not
“normal†but a daily occupational hazard that has not stopped millions of
Kenyans from waking up everyday and going about their business. There are
no sinister motives lurking anywhere- at least to my mind.
Miguna Says:
> 3. Did it not look odd that rather than do the responsible thing of
> undergoing further & through medical checks (including for the dreadful
> HIV/Aids) and taking time off to "recover" from the "horrors of the
> attack;" the Ngugis chose to go on with the so-called country tour?
>
Oloo Says:
Why are you ignoring press reports and PICTURES which shows Ngugi and
Njeeri in HOSPITAL UNDERGOING TREATMENT Bwana Miguna? Why are you
ignoring this portion of that initial statement:
“Appealed Ngugi, “we understand the anxiety and concern Kenyans have and
we appreciate it in the same vein we request that the media practices
responsible journalism and uphold the value of information while allowing
us to recover silently.†Dr. Gikonyo ruled the couple out of danger saying
they had no life threatening injuries inflicted on them, but maintained
his analysis was on the physical point of view. Asked if the novelist’s
wife was raped during the one-hour ordeal Gikonyo could not confirm or
deny the issue only saying, “ a gynecologist is on board and will be
assisting the medical teamâ€Â.
Part of the recovery process from trauma I would venture to suggest Bwana
Miguna Miguna, is to CONFRONT head on what happened to you. Njeeri called
a press conference where she was very candid about what happened. What
she was relaying was very painful and there are pictures that I posted on
the Kenya Democracy Project blog showing her crying and Ngugi comforting
her. As one of Kenya’s leading political activists, IT WOULD HAVE
SIGNALLED CERTAIN DEFEAT HAD NGUGI SUCCUMBED TO THE TERRORIST
INTIMIDATION OF HIS ATTACKERS. We all know that sometimes it take a life
time to recover completely from such trauma, so I am pretty sure that they
have a rocky road in front of them. Do not forget that Njeeri wa Ngugi
works in the Counselling Centre at Irvine University and is thereore
familiar with the kind of support systems that she can draw on. By Ngugi
telling his story to us, we got drawn into the recovery effort.
Miguna Says:
> 4. Did it not look rather odd that the Ngugis sought and obtained, through
> this announcement state security, publicity, sympathy and notoreity
which he had not been granted before?
Oloo Responds:
This is one of the MOST CALLOUS THINGS I have heard you say, or seen
you write since I first met you- and I have known you for 15 years.
Are you trying to say that prior to the assault Ngugi DID NOT have
sympathy or publicity? Who were those thousands thronging at the airport
to greet him? Goats? Cats? Impalas?Ostriches? Is Ngugi an OBSCURE person
in Kenya and around the world? Talking of what you call “notorietyâ€Â, I
thought he EARNED that years ago- what his detention did not accomplish
in 1977, the razing of Kamirithu in 1980, the demonization by the likes
of Moi, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ochieng and Hilary Ngweno accomplished in
the 1980s to be capped by his ties to Mwakenya in the late 1980s and
early 1990s. Ngugi did not need to STAGE a PUBLICITY STUNT to, as you
so blithely put it, “obtain†“ state security, publicity, sympathy and
notoriety which he had (allegedly) not been granted beforeâ€Â. If you will
recall, it was RAILA ODINGA and KIRAITU MURUNGI who showed up and
APOLOGIZED for not providing state security. When Ngugi arrived in the
country, he went about his business as a private citizen and did not
request state security because HE DID NOT ANTICIPATE HE WOULD NEED IT.
>
Miguna Says:
> 5. Does it not seem rather odd that Ngugis has refused to comment on the
critical issues in Kenya - ongoing grand corruption/plunder and
> dictatorship, including the Kibaki govt's refusal to give Kenyans a new
> democratic & popular constitution?
This is a POLITICAL CRITIQUE that can be separated from your skepticism
about the widely reported attack against them. But just for the record,
here is the view I expressed on the day Ngugi arrived back in the
country:
“Coming back home one has the frozen mental Polaroid of the last snapshot
the mind took before it sped off towards years of uncertain exile. Often
of course, that withered snapshot has little or no semblance with the
unvarnished reality that has seeped to the surface in the intervening
years…When, in addition, you happen to be a Ngugi wa Thiong’o, you have a
further burden discharging all these burdens, slightly lighter than the
one that fell of Mandela’s shoulders when he walked out of Pollsmoor that
February close to fifteen years ago; the burden of expectations is
something that one has to decide immediately to unload or carry; in my
opinion, there is no obligation for Ngugi to live up to the often
unrealistic expectations of starry eyed, newly found acolytes who would
make of him a twenty-first century Mugo wa Kibiru with a weight of a
nation’s future aspirations to discharge. Ngugi should shun any messianic
role thrust on him by the founding members of any potential millenarian
personality based cults that would abuse his stature for parochial and
esoteric purposes…â€Â
Miguna Says:
>
> I have discussed some of these questions with some physicians and they
are of the opinion that the Ngugis' behaviour after the so-called
"attack" does not make any medical sense. The physicians cannot
understand how any competent medical doctor (whom the Ngugis had) could
have recommended or approved the so-called press conference and public
country tour of the alleged rape victim. Kenyans might have been taken
to the garden path on this one. And because of our fear of looking
unsympathetic with our"national hero" and his wife's ordeal, we might
have just been conned.
Exactly WHAT does NOT make sense? Will these same physicians make any
sense of the Palestinians and Iraqis who have to continue living their
lives amidst daily bombardments. Miguna you know the name of this person
so I will not mention it here- but you are familiar with the ordeal a
certain Kenyan woman underwent in January 1998 when she was almost
sexually assaulted and her place vandalized. Yet within days, she was back in business, even though SHE IS STILL dealing with the trauma today. You yourself almost lost your life in a serious road crash and yet you were back in your office soon after that. So what are you talking
about? Going back to the Kenyan woman in Toronto, I recall that what was even more traumatizing for her was the insinuation that she could stage
a sexual assault on herself and single handedly trash an establishment she had sunk tens of thousands of dollars in.
> Miguna Says:
> Exactly why are we believing Ngugi and his wife? Just because they said so? Where is the medical evidence and opinion? Have you actually heard or read the medical doctors speak? Have they actually confirmed this
allegation?
This left me almost speechless. It is NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY SAID SO
MIGUNA. It is because it is TRUE and ACTUALLY HAPPENED. With all DUE
RESPECT Miguna, this is about human lives, not some academic debate. Yes,I DID READ FROM THE DOCTORS- they WERE THE FIRST ONES TO SPEAK! Miguna do you want to CONDUCT A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF NJEERI WA NGUGI to confirm if she was IN FACT VIOLATED? What you are saying is EQUIVALENT to a SECOND SEXUAL ASSAULT and LET ME THE FIRST TO TELL YOU. I can NOT believe that you would be THIS INDIFFERENT. And Miguna you know I am saying this with a LOT OF ANGER because not too LONG AGO, because I believed YOU rather than SOME OUTLANDISH CLAIMS that I am NOT GOING INTO HERE, I endured MONTHS of defamation when my name, that of my son, some of the women in my life were DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD by people who were DOING THE KIND OF TRASH TALKING that you are engaging in now.
Miguna:
Right now, I am very upset. As you know for me, these issues are
intensely personal. Everytime I hear of another Kenyan woman being
assaulted, I am thinking of my sister who was sent to her grave by her
abusive husband; I think of the women in Toronto who had to flee from
abusive situations when no one believed them and I see the statistics of
rape and sexual violence affecting Kenyan women.
Do me a favour if you do not mind. Please do NOT communicate with me for
about two weeks.
Perhaps after that I will be able to talk to you calmly.
Onyango Oloo
Montreal
Subject: Questions on the Ngugis' Claims that deserve answers
From: "miguna miguna"
Date: Sat, August 21, 2004 1:31 pm
To: newkenya@riseup.net
Bwana Onyango:
I've read the two pieces and agree with you more than with Mundia. [Feel free to post my comments for your wider readers because I am prepared to defend my analysis.]
However, completely unrelated to your pieces are some questions about the so-called Ngugis' ordeals that have been bothering me. By no means am I claiming that the Ngugis have lied about their allegations. However, these questions deserve to be asked and answered.
1. First, does it not seem rather odd that the "rape" claim was made as afterthought from the Ngugis? Why, for example, did he and his doctors release information about an attempted rape earlier? Have they convincingly explained why? Have we been given a comprehensive explanation on the attack;how, when and who (description) perpetrated it? Ngugi promised to do this but has not up to now.
2. Did it not look rather odd that the Ngugis would immediately exculpate the Kibaki govt and praise the country for being "safe" for both foreign investment and tourists - and do so without any evidence whatsoever?
3. Did it not look odd that rather than do the responsible thing of undergoing further & through medical checks (including for the dreadful HIV/Aids) and taking time off to "recover" from the "horrors of the attack;"the Ngugis chose to go on with the so-called country tour?
4. Did it not look rather odd that the Ngugis sought and obtained, through this announcement state security, publicity, sympathy and notoreity which he had not been granted before?
5. Does it not seem rather odd that Ngugis has refused to comment on the critical issues in Kenya - ongoing grand corruption/plunder and dictatorship, including the Kibaki govt's refusal to give Kenyans a new democratic & popular constitution?
I have discussed some of these questions with some physicians and they are of the opinion that the Ngugis' behaviour after the so-called "attack" doesnot make any medical sense. The physicians cannot understand how any competent medical doctor (whom the Ngugis had) could have recommended or approved the so-called press conference and public country tour of the alleged rape victim. Kenyans might have been taken to the garden path on this one. And because of our fear of looking unsympathetic with our
"national hero" and his wife's ordeal, we might have just been conned.
Exactly why are we believing Ngugi and his wife? Just because they said so?
Where is the medical evidence and opinion? Have you actually heard or read
the medical doctors speak? Have they actually confirmed this allegation? If
not, why? If they have, where did they do so, when and how?
Those are my two cents.
MIGUNA MIGUNA
Barrister, Solicitor & Mediator/ADR Consultant
North York Square
45 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 410
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA M2N 5W9
miguna@sprint.ca
Tel: 1+416-512-7999
Fax: 1+416-512-6750
www.mashada.com/forums/politics/6852-response-miguna-ngugi.html