tHiNkEr’S rOoM

54 Responses to “I Cry. My Country Has Been Robbed”

1. 1. Deno (1 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 7:49 pm

   The feeling on the ground is that of a vacuum. We have been robbed - and are being asked to move on. Extremely insulting. Sad sad day for ALL kenyans.

2. 2. brainz (52 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 7:50 pm

   We all cry. ALL the years of nation building has been eroded.

   WE PAINFULLY CRY!!!!!!

3. 3. wathiifm (84 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 7:53 pm

   Indeed M,it’s a sad day for us all.
   Im sad that right now i can’t go out.
   Im sad that the wazee cabinet is back.
   Im sad that the man i gave the power to fight corruption and failed to fight is back “thanking me” for voting him back.

   Indeed Kibaki,you have made as arse of yourself by rigging your ass back to power.

   PS: HIS SPEECH DIDN’T EVEN CALL FOR PEACE!

4. 4. mamashady (10 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 7:54 pm

   i cant even describe what im feeling right now. we were cheated so blatantly, so blatantly!!…All along , perhaps in my naivety, i didnt believe that the kibaki admin could stoop to such levels of tyranny, i just could’nt believe it.it hurts to see the hopes and trust of a people so harshly thrown away.aki so many young guys flew home to vote, and i wished that i could have done the same. but now im wondering what would have been the point even if i did. i would like to say that we must move on, keep hoping and fighting(nonviolently) for justice…but i its not something that can be easily said in the face of this.yet we must…

5. 5. wathiifm (84 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:10 pm

   Right now ,news has come in saying media houses shouldn’t not transmit any political related news

6. 6. kirima (64 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:27 pm

   Are we now officially a police state?
   ‘govt’ has ordered media houses to shut off live broadcasts.
   please stay safe M I feel your anguish with chaos in your hood.

7. 7. joe (78 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:32 pm

   tume thubutu!!!! burning and looting will not help odm you are burning and looting your own cities . Live broadcasts will soon be banned standard and ktn will surely be closed

   Kibaki is the legitimate president of kenya any attempts by odm against kibaki will be met with the full force of the law and militias

   It is very easy to talk. What did you contribute to this electoral process? Unless you can articualte just one aspect to which you contributed, spare me your empty rhetoric!

8. 8. mel (2 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:33 pm

   samuel kivitu has made a mockery of the entire democracy of kenyans. to start with am not even kenyan and i feel miserably cheated. he acted like he was simply handing over a piece of land and not the welfare of millions of kenyans. what does he care if there’s bloodshed in the country??? he has probably pocketed more money than most kenyans living in the slum areas will see in a lifetime… thats not even the half of it. they had the audacity to hold the swearing in without warning. does baba jimmy think he is actually gonna rule without scandal??

9. 9. Pea (1 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:34 pm

   VIJANA MSILALE, LALE, LALE
   WAVYELE MSILALE, BADO MAPAMBANO
   MAPAMBANO, MAPAMBANO,
   BADO MAPAMBANO!!

   And now they declare Dec 31 a public holiday. Well, we’ll see how that goes!!

10. 10. acolyte (179 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 8:56 pm

    This feels like the early 90s all over again. Swift swearing in, ignoring the will of the people, muzzling the mass media.
    Seems Baba Jimmy learnt well from Mzee. Any court appeals or recount calls will be a waste of time, we know this from the Moi days. We have now moved 20 years backwards, Kenyans can no longer look down on other countries, the wishes of the people count for nothing it seems. We can only hope for peace on the ground now….

11. 11. Kigano (4 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 9:04 pm

    RAILA HAS BEEN ARRESTED.

12. 12. Omani (4 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

    Free primary education, revival of dead and defunct government run parastatals, CDF,freedom of speech, 6% economic growth…all these good things that one retires to and tells to ones grand children…all gone, we have been then taken back to Egypt.Mr President, you have let me down.

13. 13. RD (1 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 9:36 pm

    PLEASE STOP YOUR HYSTERIA!

    The sky has not fallen down. The votes were counted and Kibaki won. Yes, the ones that came in at the end were predominantly from Central. But that does not mean he rigged. And if he wanted to rig, would he not have done so for his his cronies also? Would he have been content with only 42 seats in parliament? Get real!

    With an IP address in the US I can safely say that you have no clue what is going on on the ground. Until you witness the gunshots, anger, looting and burning triggered by the “popular victory” like I have, I am of the opinion that you’re talking, metaphorically speaking, through your ass.

14. 14. mel (2 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 9:39 pm

    ati arrested?? he’s goin to be declared as the people’s president tommorrow!! baba jimmy needs to pack his bags and take a mat to othaya he moves in with wambui. no Raila, no kenya!

15. 15. abelian (53 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 10:18 pm

    I am not a fan of Kibaki’s style and I detest his wife. But should we not wait for real evidence before we rush to condemn him and his party? So far all we have are just statements that the elections were rigged. We need hard evidence on paper and that should be so hard to do..

    Is the televised footage of altered tally sheets not enough? Or the confession of ECK commissioners? Or sheer common sense that tells you it is impossible for the votes cast in a constituency to be greater than the number of registered voters? Evidence abounds my friend. Alas!

16. 16. Adam (1 Comments) | December 30th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

    @abelian - Are you serious? There was written evidence provided to ECK (the 16A documents), the RO was there and the commissioner also stated his case. How much more evidence is really needed?

17. 17. VituVingiSana (1 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 12:13 am

    M,

    Its been a long time since I commented. I would have preferred doing so in response to a sarcastic or funny post but alas it is an angry & sad one…

    Cry, My Beloved Country.

    I never expected this of kibz but I was wrong.

    I can see the fires in kibera. I fear tomorrow the grounds will be red. Stay safe.

    Cry, My Beloved Country, Cry but you shall be avenged by your sons & daughters. It is but a matter of time when JUSTICE & TRUTH shall reign.

18. 18. VituVingiSana (175 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 12:14 am

    M,

    Its been a long time since I commented. I would have preferred doing so in response to a sarcastic or funny post but alas it is an angry & sad one…

    Cry, My Beloved Country.

    I never expected this of kibz but I was wrong.

    I can see the fires in kibera. I fear tomorrow the grounds will be red. Stay safe.

    Cry, My Beloved Country. Cry but you shall be avenged by your sons & daughters. It is but a matter of time when JUSTICE & TRUTH shall reign.

19. 19. Half n Half (13 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 12:22 am

    Can anyone confirm if this storo of raila being arrested is true? Am very worried now!

    Am sad beyond belief! I can never forget that in the 90’s I was in the streets fighting for democracy with some of this people…They have made a mockery of all Kenyans who believe in democracy! Today for the first time in many years I will pray!

20. 20. Carol (18 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 1:11 am

    I am also crying,I am ashamed of what is happening,I am mourning for nchi yangu ‘mpenwa’.
    All I can do now is to pray for peace.
    Silali tena.
    Why is this happening to such a lovely contry?Do not get me wrong but from what I saw,I have no reson Kujivunia kuwa Mkenya.Thats for sure!!

21. 21. KIATU (18 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 1:20 am

    Hey Joe,heri wewe,full time Kibaki supporter even after so much bloodshed.I am not asking you to change your side but don’t you think its a pitty that Kenya goes through all these?
    RD how do you want the sky to fall down for you to call it falling?Its such a ‘COINCIDENCE’ that when Raila was far ahead,the votes that were ‘missinng’ were from Central!Fungua macho!

22. 22. Baba Rafee (1 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 1:51 am

    Kenya is another country since today. I am shocked and sincerely I can say ALL my friends are too. Kikuyu, Luo, whatever… Kibaki and his croonies have killed democracy today. The people of Kenya have fought for democracy. For human rights. For free media. For a better life. While he is sitting in his Muthaiga, Othaya or one of his many many other homes , thinking how to loot this country, I want him and his fellows to remember that he is responsible for the deaths of all Kenyans dieing in the days to come. We will not forget. And we will not give up what we fought for. Aluta continua.

23. 23. abelian (53 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 2:31 am

    To tell the truth I am shocked at the level of animosity towards the Kikuyu in the blogosphere, I have that feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness. The Kenya I was proud of seems to be disappearing in front of my eyes.

    Man!!

    So what’s the solution?

24. 24. toiyoi (106 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 2:50 am

    As i have always said:

    I would not like to see the GEMA oppressed; if they feel oppressed by the Rest of kenyans, should we not let them go?

    I would not like to see the rest of kenyans ( and luos, luhyas, kaleo )oppressed. If they feel oppressed by the GEMA, should we not let them go?

    In other words, right now there are 2 distinct kenyas: The Republic of Gema and Republic of The Rest of Kenyans. Why are they sticking together? Is this not foolishness? Common sense and history tells us that the right thing to do is to undo what the British did: divide the damn country up. After that, people can/may talk about uniting blah blah..

    We patch the wounds and 1000 years from now, the great grand grand children will want pay back, just as happened with Kosovo.

25. 25. abelian (53 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 3:46 am

    Toiyoi, I bet it is easy to say that when you are safe in a faraway land.. come on!

26. 26. Zanzie (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 3:55 am

    Insert from the New York Times- US

    The dubious conclusion of the most fiercely fought election in Kenya’s history has pitched the country into chaos. The opposition rejected the results and vowed to name its leader, Raila Odinga, as “the people’s president,” which the government warned would be tantamount to a coup. As the riots spread, the government took the first steps toward martial law on Sunday night and banned all live media broadcasts.
    Western observers said that Kenya’s election commission ignored undeniable evidence of vote rigging to keep the government in power. Now, one of the most developed, stable nations in Africa, which has a powerhouse economy and some of the most spectacular game parks in the world, has plunged into intense uncertainty, losing its sheen as an exemplary democracy and quickly descending into tribal bloodletting.
    With the president, Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu and Mr. Odinga a Luo, the election seems to have tapped into an atavistic vein of tribal tension that always lay beneath the surface in Kenya but up until now had not provoked widespread mayhem.
    In Mathare, a slum in Nairobi, Luo gangs burned more than 100 Kikuyu homes. In Kibera, Kikuyu families loaded their belongings in taxis and fled. Almost all the businesses in the country are shut. The only figures in downtown Nairobi, the capital, which is usually choked with traffic, are helmeted soldiers hunched behind plastic shields. Oily black clouds of smoke rose from the slums on Sunday evening, smudging out the sun. At least 15 people have been killed, but with the news media blackout it is difficult determining what is happening.
    “It’s a sad day for Kenya,” said Michael E. Ranneberger, the American ambassador to Kenya. “My biggest worry now is violence, which, let’s be honest, will be along tribal lines.”
    Mr. Odinga’s supporters are unleashing their frustrations about the election, which was held on Thursday and initially praised as fair, against people they suspect supported the president, namely Kikuyus. The Odinga camp urged election officials to recount votes after exposing serious discrepancies between the tally initially announced on the night of the election versus the numbers that were later entered into a national total.
    It had been predicted that this election would be close, and the final results had Mr. Kibaki winning by a sliver, 46 to 44 percent. But that gap may have included thousands of invalid votes. The European Union said its observers witnessed election officials in one constituency announce on election night that President Kibaki had won 50,145 votes. On Sunday, the election commission increased those same results to 75,261 votes.
    “The presidential elections were flawed,” said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, the chief European observer.
    Koki Muli, co-chairwoman of the Kenya Election Domestic Observation Forum, said she was in the room on Sunday when the election commission was presented with dozens of suspicious tally sheets, some missing signatures, others missing stamps, and most of them were from the president’s stronghold of central Kenya. In some areas, more people voted for the president than there were registered voters.
    “I saw this with my own eyes,” she said.
    Ms. Muli said that 75 out of the 210 constituencies — meaning more than one-third of the vote — had serious question marks and that the election chairman initially agreed to investigate. But later on Sunday he changed his mind.
    A team of Western diplomats, including the two most powerful in Kenya, the British high commissioner and the American ambassador, tried for hours to persuade election officials to recount the votes using original results. One Western ambassador said that they knew if the dubious results were certified and the president declared the winner based on them, Kenya would plunge into crisis.
    But the commission would not budge.
    “The government was determined to hold onto power,” the ambassador said.
    At around 4 p.m., the election commission announced at its temporary headquarters in a downtown conference center that it was ready to declare a winner. The Western ambassadors filed in, looking worn out. Dozens of soldiers lined the walls, some armed with assault rifles and tear gas. Opposition leaders began shouting. The soldiers pounced and the room erupted into chaos, with men in suits fleeing for the door, chairs getting knocked over and the election chairman making a hurried exit, with a crowd chasing him, yelling: “We want justice! Kenya has spoken!”
    The commission then reconvened — in front of a select group of reporters — and declared Mr. Kibaki the winner, with 4,584,721 votes compared with 4,352,993 for Mr. Odinga — a spread of about 2 percent.
    There were indeed irregularities, the commissioners said, but it was not their job to deal with them.
    “The judicial system provides peaceable avenues to address these complaints,” said the chairman, Samuel Kivuitu.
    The opposition has not indicated whether it would contest the results in Kenya’s courts, which are notoriously slow and corrupt. But it announced that it would have a swearing-in ceremony for Mr. Odinga on Monday and declare him the “people’s president.”
    Officials with Mr. Kibaki’s party said this could bring dire consequences.
    “If Raila does this, he will be attempting a coup and he will get what he deserves,” said Ngari Gituku, a spokesman for the Party of National Unity, Mr. Kibaki’s party.
    Mr. Odinga was jailed in the 1980s for plotting a coup in Kenya and was beaten and tortured.
    As for the restrictions on the Kenyan news media, which many journalists said were a severe setback to what had been considered one of the freest presses in the world, Mr. Gituku said, “The only thing the president wants to do is to heal this nation, and the media is not part of that process. The media has been propagating hate.”
    Mr. Kibaki was sworn in almost immediately after the results were announced. As gunfire rattled in the slums and people were beaten to death in towns across the country, he stood serenely with a Bible in his hand. It was as if he were talking about another election.
    “We have demonstrated to the world we are politically mature,” he said. He called the vote “honest, orderly and credible.”
    The election did not start out ominously. Kenyans streamed to the polls in record numbers on Thursday. Some waited for hours in miles-long lines.
    The contest was seen as a test of Kenya’s young multiparty democracy, with Mr. Kibaki, 76, representing the establishment and Mr. Odinga, 62, a new brand of politics. Mr. Kibaki has been in government since independence in 1963 and is known as a courtly gentleman and economics whiz. But even before the election turbulence, he was seen by many Kenyans as continuing an unfair political system that has favored the Kikuyu at the expense of Kenya’s 30-plus other ethnic groups. Mr. Odinga, a rich businessman who campaigned as a champion of the poor, added to his popularity by tapping into those frustrations and building a coalition of many tribes.
    The first batch of results showed a sweeping victory for the opposition, with Mr. Odinga ahead by one million votes on Friday. But that lead evaporated overnight, and by Saturday the race was essentially a tie.
    Mr. Odinga’s camp accused Mr. Kibaki’s party of using government officials to hold back the tally sheets from Kikuyu strongholds and then doctoring the results to give Mr. Kibaki the votes he needed.
    Mr. Kibaki’s party denied it did anything wrong and said it had simply gained many votes from areas where the president is immensely popular. But the sudden reversal immediately ignited suspicions, especially after many members of Parliament close to the president — including the vice president, the defense minister, the foreign minister and more than 10 other cabinet members — were voted out of office in a wave of seeming dissatisfaction with the government.
    Ms. Muli, the Kenyan election observer, said it was clear the government had rigged the election.
    “This country has come a long way,” she said. “And now we have been set back many miles.”

27. 27. Zanzie (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 4:50 am

    My sentiments, nobody should die, no blood shade in the name of power & politic’s- look around us? Fires are burning all over the world, Greed; injustice e.t.c- ordinary people pay the price- As for Kibaki, quiet but deadly, never shows emotions, leaves his hatch men to do the dirty work then bang!!! you are gone.
    Rift Valley, Coast Province, Nairobi, Western province are this entire people from the Luo Tribe??
    Why is Martha Karua Minister of Justice calling BBC World news, claiming it is all tribal (LUO) and that Raila’s tribe is the one causing havoc ?? So I guess all the other tribes in these regions didn’t vote?? Right? They are insignificant!!! Can someone explain this to BBC& Other news channels? Because all day they have been talking tribal warfare, I guess the world out there is very confused? Email is also very effective…..

28. 28. joe (78 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 5:47 am

    i dont know why M is mad at me .people can quote new york times etc but i think you should note that the US, and regional leaders have congratulated kibaki on his election . that should tell you a whole lot . violence in kenya is not acceptable . if odm have an air tight case why are they saying they wont go to court - common now !

    what kenyans need to detox from alll that ktn/standard poison you have been fed .three weeks on no ktn will bring you back to normal - a raila presidency was unacceptable and still remains an acceptable .

    we have been saying that raila will never rule kenya it was not a joke - that doesnt mean that we dont want justice and equality for all kenyans . but raila had cast a spell on you and you cold not see the danger he was .

    if you believed in change and equality why didnt you vote kalonzo it is because you knew how revolting raila wasto kikuyus that you tried to stick it to us .

    we accept any good leaders but we will never accept tribalist like raila ruto and ntimama . trust me had raila won things would have been even worse for all kenyans

29. 29. acolyte (179 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 7:01 am

    @ Joe
    “if odm have an air tight case why are they saying they wont go to court”
    I don’t even know why you are bothering asking this question?! We all know from the first multi-party election that Moi rigged that taking the results to court will achieve nothing at all. Plus we also know how Kibaki has his people running the courts. Why did you waste your time typing that?!
    A Raila presidency is unacceptable only to you and not to the 4 million people who voted for Raila.
    You can call all the other leaders tribalists but the biggest tribalists are the ones who connived to rig the elections to their own favour ignoring all the other tribes’ wishes.
    Frankly I think before you type some things you need to read them out aloud to yourself.
    Anyway it is time we began working on bring peace back to Kenya…..

30. 30. Rebecca (1 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 8:38 am

    Please, can you tell me if there is violence in the Westlands of Nairobi? My son lives there, but does not have access to internet, so i am not in touch with him regularly. My address is rebecca_ww@yahoo.com.

31. 31. Tony (10 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 8:54 am

    This is a sad day for our country…In all honesty, I really didnt care who won the elections because all the candidates were equally incompetent…

    And yes I figured there would be some rigging, there always is…But I would never have imagined that someone could so openly, so casually, so blatantly rig himself back into power…

    We have a problem, so lets be solution oriented…most logical, however distasteful thing to do is to accept the current results as announced then take up the issue in parliament when it re-opens…I mean his party only has 40 seats…

32. 32. anotherM (4 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 9:39 am

    the “haves” vs the “have not”…
    the easiest way to control people is to ensure that they are uneducated, poor and sick. the haves in kenya have successfully done so since sucking up to the british in the name of ‘indepence’… (hog-wash). the thing that kamau and onyango don’t understand is: by onyango burning down kamau’s kiosk, he is only making kamau even more poor. kibaki and his cronies will still get together for a round of golf @ muthaiga and laugh all the way to the bank. divide and rule my fellow kenyans has worked successfully before and is working superbly right now. by making it a tribal affair, we are being blinded by the true culprits who are robbing what kenyans have worked so hard to achieve, a democratic nation. not a GEMA nation, islamic nation or nyanza nation… but an all inclusive nation.

    we all went to school together, married each other and catch pints together. now the “haves” tell us otherwise.

    kenyans! the true enemy is sipping tea and eating imported cookies @ state house… the kiosk that should be up in flames.

33. 33. Isaac (33 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 10:07 am

    Westlands is quiet and safe.

34. 34. Jason (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 10:38 am

    So much opportunity lost to a few greedy folks. How do we go from here? What’s to stop ODM 95+ seats from calling a no confidence motion on the first day of Parliament? Oh i forget no parliament just like no broadcasts. Kibaki should have listened and changed the constitution, Maybe we need a federal Government with more power to each province to run their affairs like stato brito germany canada etc.

35. 35. hakunaa (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 11:06 am

    Has the police commissioner resigned?

36. 36. timmyJL (1 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 11:25 am

    I always wanted Kibaki to Win, No secret there…

    But not like this. There will be consequences. We can choose our actions but we can not choose the consequences of those actions.

    Pray for Kenya.

37. 37. hakunaa (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 11:27 am

    thought you’ll should know that there are rumours the military is getting involved in this

    shss the media blackout

38. 38. JOE (78 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 6:18 pm

    Date Posted: 31/12/2007
    SUSPENSION OF LIVE BROADCASTS MEANT TO STOP VIOLENCE

    The Government’s suspension of live broadcasts by TV and radio stations is not meant to curtail media freedom.

    This is a temporary but necessary measure undertaken because media houses were being used to perpetuate violence and to incite communities against each other.

    The Government wishes that media houses had the ability to delay transmission of live broadcasts for even a few seconds to allow editors to quickly stop dangerous information from airing. Unfortunately, that capacity does not exist in Kenya. The ban is meant to empower editors to preview content emanating from members of the public and politicians before airing them. The material can be aired immediately editors are comfortable with it.

    Africa has had its share of violence and even genocide arising from incitement by media stations. We cannot forget what happened in Rwanda when broadcasting stations called for communities to rise against each other. Media should not allow the prevailing emotionally charged atmosphere to degenerate to massacres. Already, some people were calling radio stations asking some communities to take up arms and attack other communities. These were aired live on air and the editors were helpless.

    The Government is keen to ensure freedom of expression is protected and enhanced. But as you are aware, there are ongoing skirmishes across the country that have to be contained, and it is essential not to perpetuate them through incitement.

    RUMOURS SHOULD BE IGNORED

    Some of those who are inciting communities are using mobile phone short messages to circulate inciting messages as rumours aimed at hyping hatred amongst communities in order to create conflicts. Some of the messages are also meant to create an environment of fear and uncertainty. We should all disregard these messages. For example, no ODM leader has been arrested and no senior government or military officials have resigned.

    DR. ALFRED N. MUTUA,EBS
    PUBLIC COMMUTIONS SECRETARY &
    GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
    December 31, 2007

    Published by:
    Office of Government Spokesperson
    KICC Building, 3rd Floor
    8 Harambee Avenue

39. 39. mc (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 7:22 pm

    this is shamba la wanyama. Kibaki and his cronies are reading from the same script. power has absolutely corrupted him. it is such a shame! for how long shall we fight for independence. first, independence from jungu, kenyatta, moi and now kibaki! we need to be delivered. the voters had spoken and rightly elected their leader, who unfortunately has been rigged out. We need prayers! daughters and sons of Kenya we must stand and be counted for this our beloved kenya. Mungu ibariki Kenya.

40. 40. mc (2 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 8:43 pm

    I write this as one very disappointed Kenyan! It is a shame that a few greedy, selfish and unpatriotic characters would turn our lovely and mighty nation to what it is today. For how long shall we fight for independence? First it was the British, Kenyatta, Moi, and now Kibaki.( the latter three, a sequence of dictatorship!) It does not matter whether it is Musyoka, Kibaki or Odinga who becomes president. What should count it the electral process to be respected. In this case victory leaned on Odinga’s platform. He is what the people have chosen, at least the 6.5 provinces out of 8. For a man who prides in being a scholar of economics Kibaki should understand pretty well that 1 province cannot give you the mandate to run the entire country. This is not a chiefdom Mr. Emilio! Kenya has now been reduced to two provinces…”everyone else” vs “kibaki and cronies”. Kenyans are losing their lives…for what? Kenya cannot afford to go to chaos. Up until now peace, albeit relative, had been prevailed. This mighty country has been dragged miles away from democracy. For once, I believed and majority of us had started believing that the electral process works. The 70% turn attests to this. If we removed Moi’s 24 year regime, then anything was possible. So we thought. The damage Kibaki and his cronies have done within 5 years is more than even Moi did in his reign. What a shame.
    The tribal card is being waved in our faces. This a path that all peace loving Kenyans should strive not to follow. Whether we be Borans, Ongieks, Luhyas, Maasai’s Luos or Kikuyus, we have to remember that our ethnicity is not the problem, classes are. the rich vs the poor. The economic disparities are what are setting us apart. Bado Mapambano!
    Naumia kuwa Mkenya!

41. 41. John Charo (4 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    @Joe

    I don’t agree with your tone of voice in expressing your opinion. However, I’m glad you published the statement issued by the government spokesman.

    This is not a time for tribal hatred and I have said it in other forums: I don’t agree with government intervention in the media but I would like to see a more responsible press. Instead of the knee jerk reaction to the government ban, they should have come up with a proactive statement indicating how they would act to ensure there is no incitement.

42. 42. aplo (106 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 8:55 pm

    I am receiving information from two places that are disburbinbg but not suprising:

    In Eldoret that the “GSU” personnel may actually be militias (they suspect Mungiki) in uniform, for in the night they kill (not with Guns )and rape women.

    In Nakuru that , the GSU allow the militia (Mungiki-based?) to go about houses hunting for people to kill.

    Can someone validate?

43. 43. John Charo (4 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 9:13 pm

    @aplo

    This is the sort of disturbing rumors that don’t need to be spread around. could we get verification of this. I urge everyone. Prior to printing what we have heard could we try and carry out some rudimentary research to see if its true. There are lives at stake!!!!! Lets be careful about what we say and do. Democracy may have suffered a blow but are we going to let this lead to us into saying things that will make innocent people lose their lives?

    Again I repeat let us be peace builders.(Joe I hope you are reading this) It is not a time for us to gloat because your party won or call for violence against our fellow Kenyans because our party lost.

    Let us ask and PRAY for PEACE

44. 44. G (1 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 9:18 pm

    M,

    I am not a fan of either of the leading aspirants, and I made my sentiments clear. But even before the announcement I had a very bad feeling in my belly about it, and I said so to a couple of people. I feel sick, actually if I can confess I feel ‘dirtified’ about the whole thing. It feels like I am the only person walking around telling everyone to stop citing ‘kikuyus and luos’ - actually I have had to take a lot of flack over it. Trust me listening to ‘learned’ people being so petty gets very old very fast.
    I didn’t think I cared much about politricks (M)but I find myself scared to distraction over this one.

    I admire you for your stance, and I know this doesnt end here. I hope you stay safe and same to your family and friends.

    As a friend just said to me, this is not democracy, it is ‘Demoncrisis’- (AQ 31/12/07)

    AOB: Happy New Year - emphasis on Happy.

45. 45. John Charo (4 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 9:29 pm

    M

    It would be helpful to point out that there are also allegations that there were several opposition strongholds that had voter turnout exceeding 100%. My point: Both sides seem to be throwing allegations and counter allegations against each other. The solution: A sober and independent mind needs to sit down and look at all these allegations. I’m glad that ECK has called for an independent review of their process.

    I suggest we all get proactive and try and come up with suggestions on the way forward.

46. 46. anotherM (4 Comments) | December 31st, 2007 at 11:19 pm

    the white house is holding off accepting the rigged polls. keep up the pressure wananchi!

47. 47. JOE (78 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 1:05 am

    The events in Kisumu, Kibera, and Eldoret have shown that Kenyans are yet to outgrow tribalism. Entire communities are being punished for crimes that they did not do. As I write this, non-Luo residents of Kisumu are either dead or fear for their lives. The targets are mainly Kisii and Kikuyus.

    I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Kisii born and raised in Kisumu. His extended family is holed up in kisumu. His uncle’s house and car were reduced to shells by marauding youths. He told me that the only crime the Kisii committed in not voting for Raila en mass. The sad part is that some of those who are being punished in Luo Nyanza may have been staunch supporters of Raila Odinga. My friend’s dad openly campaigned for Raila and even spent his own money on Raila’s campaign. That his life is in danger is a shame.

    Raila Odinga promised us that he would form a government that is democratic and protects the interests of all Kenyans. His and his supporters’ actions tell us that he was speaking just for the sake of it. As an ODM supporter, I felt betrayed by Raila when he gave a statement saying that only his supporters have died in Kisumu. He claimed that his supporters were holding peaceful protests when police shot and killed them. I felt betrayed because Raila did not mention the scored of innocent Kenyans who have been killed by his supporters. I felt betrayed because Raila did not ask his supporters to respect the sanctity of life and the right by others to own property.

    I felt betrayed by Raila and ODM because they don’t respect other Kenyans’ right to vote for whoever they want to. I could have voted for ODM if I was in Kenya but somebody could have killed me because he has already passed judgment that I was Raila’s enemy because of my tribe. Is it democratic for Luo ODM supporters to demand 100% votes from all Kenyans? I feel this is dictatorship!

    The Luos voted 99.999% for Raila Odinga. The Kikuyus voted 99.999% for Kibaki. They did so for their due to their own reasons. The ordinary Luo has no influence on ODM’s decision to use violence to prevent PNU agents form witnessing voting in Luo Nyanza. Only a few goons engaged in this violence. It will be wrong if PNU supporters killed any Luo on the basis that a few goons carried out Raila’s orders.

    The Ordinary Kikuyu may have voted for Kibaki but he has no influence in the blatant rigging that we witnessed on live TV. Why then should be hold Kikuyus accountable for crimes committed by Kibaki, Michuki and other goons?

    Raila has an opportunity to come out as a statesman but his failed. ODM has the majority in Parliament. What Raila and his supporters should do is pass a vote of no confidence on Kibaki as soon as parliament is sworn in. We will then go for fresh elections. Turning tribe against tribe and expecting to gain from that is wrong. There are many Kenyans who support Raila and are not happy with the way Kibaki openly stole the election. Raila will continue getting this support if he stands up and behaves like a statesman. The Kisii, Kikuyu, Luhya, Kambas, etc who are targets will pull away because you can’t support a man who is not asking his tribesmen to respect your right to life. No sane Kenyan can support Raila when Raila’s supporters in are killing his family. Raila should act or lose my support and that of may people who think like me.

48. 48. Maina (3 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 1:30 am

    I really hope for the future of our country that Raila cares more about Kenya and her people, than his ambition to power.
    By all accounts, rigging on both sides accounted for or not, Raila and the Baks had a pretty even split in total votes. No matter which one really won, it was by the slimmest of margins. IN NO WAY WOULD THESE RESULTS BE A MANDATE FOR A POPULAR UPRISING, OR ‘ORANGE’ REVOLUTION.
    Kibaki has roughly as much support as Raila. This is not to discount inconsistencies in the electoral process. All verifiable claims of rigging ON BOTH SIDES should be investigated, and dealt with in a legal and constitutional way.
    Only by respecting the rule of law, and placing the lives of Kenyans above personal ambition can Odinga prove that he is more of a Statesman than Kibaki, and allay the fears of those who perceived him as too militant and tribal. The self-same fears that probably drove some misguided PNU supporters into pro-Kibaki rigging.
    The Kikuyu, and all other Kenyans have been robbed, just as surely as Raila and the Luo have been, because we will probably never know for sure who would have won a free and fair election. The ODMites had, however, raised the stakes, and political temperatures so high with their unwillingness to accept anything other than an ODM victory, that their self-fulfilling prophecy has come to pass.

49. 49. trails of (1 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 2:14 am

    JOE,
    The media (even your own very own pro-gov NatioMedia) reports that the dead in kisumu were killed by gun wounds (GSU). You are clearly a government agent out to fan falsehoods. Where is your source?

    M. i believe in freedom of speech, but the likes of JOE are the those who fan hate. If they hack your site, talk to me i will help set up ASAP.

50. 50. kibakiout (4 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 2:39 am

    I am sick and tired of people who continue to speak about Kenya’s economy “growing” by 6 percent, etc. Most of you saying this, belong to one of 2 categories. People who have benefited directly from the looting that has gone on in Kenya under Kibaki, and thus don’t feel the financial pinch, or those living out of the country. At what expense will this so called “growth” continue? As far as i am concerned, Kenya has become too expensive for many things due to this so called “economic growth”. How can a simple bottle of wine cost over 1,000 Shillings? I have purchased many bottles of whine in the US and the UK lately, and Kenya charges more than 2-5 times for such items, than it costs in the US and UK. Even tourists are complaining that things cost more in Kenya than in many European countries. As a Kenyan, my salary has not increased, but the salaries of those theives in government have. So do they feel the pain?… No is the answer, its not enough for them to steal our hard earned money, but to increase their salaries and allowances, is to add insult to injury. Kibaki and his 6 percent growth can go to hell. Trying to show the international bodies numbers and leaving his people to suffer…? I would rather have slow but steady economic growth, where what you earn can allow you to live a happy life in your own country. House prices have sky rocketed… why?… Has a brick become 2-5 times more expensive all of a sudden, or is it simply that the same idiots who steal our money then give themselves pay rises, are not saticefied enough that they want whatever we have left in our pockets for our families (hard earned), in paying them rent, etc. Kibaki must leave right now, and give the majiority of Kenyan’s who voted their chosen president, president Raila the opportunity to govern our country. I am not Kikuyu, neither am i Luo but Raila won fair and square. If we made a mistake chosing him, its still our right to decide for ourselves… Anyway, we made a mistake with Kibaki last time didnt we..? So there you go. Thats what voting is about..freedom to make and learn from our mistakes. Have a Happy New Year, but dont forget, kibaki must go!!!.

51. 51. anotherM (4 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 3:27 am

    joe, fellow kenyans et al. the argument isn’t whether kibaki or raila is a better leader. the argument is that the democratic process has been tainted. whether he is a dictator, statesman, king-maker, tribalist and all the name tags you can give him, the bottom line is raila is the people’s choice. kenyans believed in democracy and made the voice heard in the polls.
    kibaki should respect that, save lives and democracy.

52. 52. Kevin (1 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    I’m not Kenyan or even African. I just want to express my sorrow at what is happening now in Kenya. I hope that the good people of Kenya can contain their anger and frustration and channel their energies into rectifying the injustice they have suffered at the hands of Kibaki and his fellow criminals.

    A couple of points i’d like to make:

    1. Be very wary of the USA getting involved in your problems. I find it very suspicious that they congratulated Kibaki then changed their tune after the EU pointed out their concerns about disarities in the count. They done the same thing at the time of the coup attempt in Venezuela a few years back. America is no friend of democracy.

    2. Joe says the violence is unnacceptable but urges people to accept the election outcome as it stands. Joe, why don’t you find the denial of the Kenyan people’s right to self determination, equally or more unacceptable?

53. 53. aplo (106 Comments) | January 1st, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    @john charo
    There is now widespread evidence on the ground that this is indeed so. See kenyanpundit for example:

54. 54. Charles S.Mwakambonja (1 Comments) | January 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    What Kibaki has done is disturbing and embarrasing.It clear that he has rigged the votes. The Chairman of the electoral commission says he do not know Kibaki won the election. What more explanation you want here.Kibaki has no shame, he should voluntarily step down.Presidents of the East African Community should not accept him as a member because no one elected him.