tHiNkEr’S rOoM

101 Responses to “Odds & Ends”

1. 1. Mutumia (56 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

   That footage is scandalous. I am appalled and shocked and dismayed. Words fail me.

2. 2. alexcia (4 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

   May is recommend this movie on South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings called “In My Country” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_My_Country

3. 3. acolyte (179 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

   I was shocked and appalled to say the least! From what I saw these two men did not have molotov cocktails, stones or machetes in their hands. Just rubbery faces. I guess the shoot to kill policy is in force, anything that moves and isn’t in police uniform is fair game at this point seems to be the rule.
   Sadder still the fact that the victims are slum dwellers will make sure they die faceless.
   As for the twins, who knows their folk must have hidden their birth details from them but still, it’s gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. 4. Chrenyan (143 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

   If only as chilling a video on the senseless violence and murder of Kenyan citizens by other Kenyan citizens was available to lend this clip balance.

5. 5. seasonsandreasons (2 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

   I have not seen the footage as yet. Slow internet and all. I will catch up with the news when back home but I have seen it mentioned in many blogs.

   As for those twins…. maybe the dates they were given by their adoptive parents were also different

6. 6. udi (78 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

   As much as I can say that I am appalled, I also seem to be lacking sympathy for people being used to cause chaos and destruction when their slave masters earn 800k a month and whose kids are safely being protected in mansions in Karen, Runda, Muthaiga etc. I am yet to see Fidel Odinga, Mudavadis kids, Najibs kids or any ODM pentagons kids. I am just seeing the poor people being used to cause chaos for a fight in which even if they win, the prize will be given to the slave masters.

   As for the cops, even without giving them an order to kill, those guys are frustrated having to perform crowd control duties for the last 3 weeks. Fuk it. even me I would be trigger happy when every morning, I am having to go to work to prevent rallies that dont even concern me.

   By the way, ebu no one should misquote me and say I am advocating for the killings. I am just saying that if you are a fool for being used to go loot and destroy, then I cant feel mercy for you when you meet your demise. I shed my tears for the kids burnt in a church. I am not shedding any more for hooligans

7. 7. msaniixl (79 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

   Excessive use of force…and disgusting..after you shoot the man you kick him? why to make sure he is dead?

   I mean i could see if they guy had weapon of some sort. But just making funny faces?

8. 8. aMERUcan (1 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

   come on udi,
   stand by your word.
   dont make a harsh statement then put a disclaimer.
   guys were shot, whether or not the cop was frustrated it doesnt mater.
   That kind of argument is where we begin to go wrong as a country..”its wrong but…..etc”
   That is where we start to loose it.
   Loss of life is just that that, loss of life.It cant be right in any way.
   cheers

9. 9. aegeus (79 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 8:38 pm

   i watched that in utter shock on the the news last night. is that what human life has been reduced to?

10. 10. abelian (53 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    I have just seen this now! What the F**k is wrong with this goverment? , I am sorry for the expletives but that is the only word I could muster after seeing this.

    A man snuff two lives and then walks away calmly

    Who will save us from this arrogant bunch of megalomaniacs

11. 11. Vedec (6 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    There is absolutely no way you can justify the killing of unarmed citizens ( i don’t care whether you call them rioters or protesters) by a battalion of highly trained cops with sophisticated assault rifles! That is a serious outrage and I am appalled that a couple of people here have the audacity to even attempt to make it look ok. Injustices should be judged on their individual merits. Emotions tend to cloud reason resulting in irrational action (my sympathies to those who’ve lost loved ones in the recent chaos) but two wrongs don’t make a right. If the govt. decides to indiscriminately take blanket action on all acts of lawlessness, then the constitution serves no purpose at all, and they (govt.) could as well declare Kenya a police state.

12. 12. Kenyangal (5 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    After going through the high and lows of the political situation in Kenya I am at the point whereby I hold both Raila and Kibaki responsible for the deaths of the 600+ kenyans and for the cruel death of the poor guy in a black shirt. Kenyans should think of ways to look out for each other and let politicians fight their own battles.

13. 13. Liz (1 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    Our poor Kenya! Have we all gone mad? One thing that seem obvious is that the counting of votes was done dishonestly. How is that the fault of the prople who simply cast their votes, for whatever politician? Luos, Kikuyus, police, all of us - maybe the answer is to join together (PEACEFULLY) to insist on a recount? We surely want this land governed by honest men and women who have the courage to face truth. We are a democracy. That means having the freedom to cast your vote whichever way you choose, the right to have your vote counted fairly, and the responsibility to abide by the outcome. Let’s get it together. Harambee, anyone?

14. 14. doques (1 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

    This is unbelievable! How on earth can you justify this people ? This kind of barbaric killings will not break the will of the people as a matter of fact it will harden their resolve.

15. 15. kanyoni (1 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 11:36 pm

    WEll, it’s all right to take the righteous indignation road when the police kill protesters, but what do you want them to do instead? Seriously, give alternatives to the present methods of dealing with these Interahamwe wannabes. Why was there not a word said against these people when they Combed Rift Valley and Kisumu for innocent Kikuyus to Kill? Was it because you assumed that they deserved to die for their crime of being from the same tribe as Kibaki? If you are protesting injustice, then you must acknowledge that these people aren’t as innocent as you proclaim!

16. 16. I (120 Comments) | January 17th, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    If that so called cop hadnt been caught on tape i would have call every one a liar.. but damn!! talk about trigger happy!!
    And can we please see these politicians who are calling for rallies at the rallies!!
    votes were counted votes were rigged can Kenya please move on to something else?!!? Dec 27th will NOT come back.. ever…..

17. 17. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 12:07 am

    Amerucan- Please read my comment carefully. I didnt say the guy in the film was a looter. I talked about the people who are using this mass protests to engage in wanton looting for their self gratification. Those are the ones I have no sympathy with for being shot.

    As for the extra-judicial killings, I think Ali done finally lost his mind. Even during Moi’s time, nothing like this happened. We are now witnessing the making of a Hitler/Amin

18. 18. abelian (53 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 12:16 am

    Toiyoi,

    stop spreading such rumours, we who know better people are the only thing Kenya’s got

19. 19. abelian (53 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 12:17 am

    Toiyoi,

    So who killed the Kikuyu’s KamJesh and Taleban trained in Sudan? Stop spreading such rumours, we who know better are the only thing Kenya’s got.

20. 20. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 12:36 am

    @abelian

    I said it is wrong to kill anyone without reason ( kikuyu or not ). But i am not blind to the evil the government is carrying out. Are these events not plain enough for all not blinded by “association” to see? Is it acceptable to you, abelian?

    And how do you know they are just rumours?

21. 21. alexcia (4 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 12:45 am

    Udi and all those trying to link this with other incidents of violence.
    The police failed in their duty to protect kenyan lives in Eldoret [stike 1].
    How should they remedy this? You would think they would quickly appoint a police task force and special prosecuter to investigate and prosecute ALL those involved in the eldoret killings [strike 2]

    Instead they compound on their failure by moving a couple of hundred miles north and shoot at unarmed jesters [strike 3].

    Condemining the violence is not enough, please ask these usurper to step aside

22. 22. Vedec (6 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:06 am

    Kanyoni - Why are you playing the tribal card?!! The news clip says nothing about the victim’s tribes, hell, they may even be kikuyu, who knows?!!! It’s not a tribal issue but about the police executing unarmed protesters…PERIOD! That is barbaric and a travesty of justice. I reiterate (from above), two wrongs do not make a right. By the way, don’t imagine that only non-kikuyus are protesting the flawed elections. FYI, some kikuyus voted for the opposition (and some Luo’s too voted for Kibaki) and not all of them are of the school of thought that the presidency belongs to the tribe. Some Kenyans are beyond such pettiness. The kikuyus who feel that the flawed elections are worth protesting about are out on the streets like any other protester. note that there is a difference between hooliganism and peaceful protests turned chaotic thanks to the police. Look at the news clip at it’s face value and stop trivializing such a disturbing trend of things, and DO leave Kikuyus out of this. It’s all about a wickedly corrupted, trigger-happy police force.

23. 23. TK (10 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:10 am

    http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1704564,00.html

    “Perhaps the most discouraging sign for the protesters came from Odinga himself. On Wednesday, he had scolded reporters when asked if he would risk arrest and march on the park, telling them that he was not afraid and reminding them he had spent nine years in the jails of autocratic President Daniel arap Moi. Yet on Thursday, the man with a reputation as a fiery, charismatic populist struck a sour note when he told reporters that his advisers had warned him that it was too dangerous to try to march, even though central Nairobi had been quiet. Asked how he felt not being able to join his supporters, Odinga replied: “I feel great.”"

24. 24. abelian (53 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:11 am

    toiyoi,

    I am sorry if I sounded rude but someone has got to save this nation and the way things stand it is us who have to do it.

    We have to bring her from the edge of the abyss and then concentrate on solving the recurring problems once and for all. With violence every one will end up losing

25. 25. TK (10 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:37 am

    My God rest in peace the souls of all innocent Kenyans who have died as a result of selfish politicians. It pains me to see so many Kenyan bloggers and their fans justifying hatred & the killing of innocent Kenyans. Who in their right mind would die or kill for Kibaki,Ruto,Raila..??? Remember all these guys are products and big beneficiaries of the Moi regime.

26. 26. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:49 am

    @alexcia- sasa where did u see me link this with other incidences. Violence is violence whether it was last week or yesterday.

27. 27. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:53 am

    At least there is an editor who is also thinking along my lines

    http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5371&Itemid=5854

    Editorial: Stop these goons Print E-mail
    Written by Administrator
    January 18, 2008: Political activism notwithstanding, we cannot afford economic saboteurs in our midst. We have witnessed the crippling of the lakeside town of Kisumu’s economy with scores of entrepreneurs leaving for good after losing their property to looters, goons and arsonists.

    Eldoret town is on its knees too. Trenches have been dug across main roads, illegal roadblocks have sprung up, bridges brought down and public offices burnt down across Nyanza and Rift Valley provinces.

    On Thursday, we saw goons try to derail a train in Kibera slums of Nairobi. In word, goons are bringing down what tax payers painfully built. Agitation for change cannot be achieved via economic destruction and sabotage.

    Sanity must prevail since we will all pay a heavy price for the self-destruction we are going through. The days when nations thrived and emerged from the ashes of war and ruins are over. After the last embers die out, we will still have a nation to build, and an economy to run. Our politicians are not helping us either.

    It is time we separated the reformists in our streets from goons taking advantage of the crackdown on Orange Democratic Movement rallies. It is time we separated hard-liners from moderates in both President Kibaki’s camp and the Raila Odinga’s group.

    The MPs have left their institution solid and unharmed. It is the poor man’s economy that has been hurt by the ongoing political push.

28. 28. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 2:01 am

    @Abelian

    How do you react to this note from the media about the Eldoret incidence today (http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143980566&cid=4 ):

    “A contingent of the GSU also opened fire from G3 rifles, sending over 500 patients, nurses, doctors and members of staff into panic.

    Nurses and security staff also said the invading force was in GSU uniform but they did not communicate in Kiswahili and were also asking staff to identify their tribes.”

    Don’t you see there is a problem with these “GSU”

29. 29. Ishara (16 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 2:17 am

    The young man the police shot dead had a name: Olago

    Tale of killer bullets in Kisumu

    Story by COSMAS BUTUNYI and WALTER MENYA
    Publication Date: 1/18/2008

    Theatre of the absurd by police was captured by TV cameramen as a trigger-happy officer snuffed out the life of hapless Olago Junior who had joined others for a peaceful protest in Kisumu.

    Olago, who was killed on Wednesday, was not armed, not even with a stone. But he was never to return home alive.

    Although the right to peaceful assembly is one of the cornerstones of democracy and is enshrined in Chapter Five of Kenya’s Constitution, the police bullet stood in the way for Olago Junior.

    A police officer brandishing an AK-47 rifle charged at him and his friends as they danced and made faces, shooting him dead and injuring his friend on the shoulder.

    Kisumu, a stronghold of ODM leader Raila Odinga, who accuses President Kibaki of stealing the December 27 poll, has suffered the worst police brutality. More than 70 people have been killed in the town, most of them shot dead by police. Six have been killed in the latest round of protests.

    Rights groups have blamed this on what they call a shoot-to-kill policy by the police and use of live ammunition against protestors.

    One of the casualties succumbed to bullet wounds at Bandani Estate.The woman whose name was given as Judith Namukuru was reportedly killed by a bullet that teared through her tin-walled shanty. Her eight-year- old daughter who was also in the House was unhurt.

    Other demonstrators were shot in Otonglo area on Kisumu-Busia road, which became the main battleground for the better part of the day.

    Protestors lit bonfires on the road as they engaged police in running battles.

    Commonwealth and other observers have described the elections as failing to meet international standards. The killing of Olago was brought right into the living rooms of Kenyans and the world by TV cameras. After the killing, the police officer then turned to his wounded friend and kicked him even as he writhed in pain besides Olago’s lifeless body.

    Manyatta area, which served as Olago’s home, was sealed off by police Thursday.

    Once again, the killing has brought into sharp focus what human rights agencies have described a shoot-to-kill order being implemented by police in Kisumu and elsewhere against unarmed Kenyans.

    People who knew Olago said he did menial jobs in the lakeside town to survive.

    Journalists who tried to venture into the crowded Manyatta estate were threatened with dire consequences.

    Beyond the horrifying pictures of perceived brutality are families counting losses of their loved ones who were also felled by bullets. By Thursday, the toll had hit six.

    Both felled

    The perception that death could be met only in the streets is also becoming a myth as residents recount tales of women and children being hit by bullets at home.

    Ms Rosa Akinyi was hit by misfortune for the second time since the controversial polls. She lost her husband in circumstances that were strikingly similar to those that led to her brother’s death earlier. Both were felled by bullets in Manyatta estate during the post-election protests.

    While her brother was shot dead in the first round of skirmishes that rocked Kisumu immediately after the announcement of election results, her husband died on Wednesday as the three-day mass action called by ODM kicked off.

    Rosa fought back tears as she recounted her last moments with George Odunga, the father of her nine-year-old son.

    After taking lunch with his family, which turned out to be their last meal together, she says Mr Odunga left home. He returned about three hours later and ventured out to visit a relative who lived nearby.

    Not long after he left, gunshot fire rent the air. She would later learn that one of victims was her husband.

    According to Mr Odunga’s friend, Esau Ochir, who was with him when he was shot, they had been chatting with some friends when a contingent of police officers arrived in a van.

    They alighted and split in two groups of three officers each.

    “They began shooting at whoever they saw in sight and so we took off,” he explained.

    As they fled, he added, the officers shot at them, and as fate would have it, one of the bullets caught Mr Odunga, killing him instantly. His body was taken to the Nyanza Provincial General Hospital mortuary, where his brother-in-law’s body has been lying for the past two weeks.

    Mr Ochir says as they were taking Mr Odunga’s body to the mortuary on a hand cart, they encountered a seriously wounded victim.

    They lifted him onto the cart and dropped him off at the hospital’s casualty department before proceeding to the mortuary.

    As the Odunga family mourns, only a few metres away in the same estate friends and relatives of 10-year-old Salim Ahmed are also in mourning.

    The Standard Four pupil at Obinju primary school in Kisumu was also felled by a policeman’s bullet on Wednesday.

    His mother, Mrs Halima Ali, says Salim was shot as he played with a friend a short distance away from the house.

    Mrs Ali said she was at home when she was alerted that her son had been shot. On rushing to the scene, she found the boy lying in a pool of blood.

    His body was carried back to their house, where it stayed overnight. It was transferred to the Nyanza Provincial General Hospital mortuary Thursday for post-mortem before burial later in the day.

    Bitterness was evident in the mother’s face, as she narrated events leading to the death of her son.

    “Police who were pursuing protesters started shooting indiscriminately without establishing who the protesters were,” she said amid sobs.

    Mrs Ali claims police also lobbed tear gas canisters into their house.

    “We voted for peace but it seems like that was our worst mistake, with police killing innocent people who know little about politics,” Mrs Ali said.

    Salim’s friend who was with him at the time of the shooting escaped with no injuries. He was, however, still in shock and was yet to come to terms with the death of his friend.

    The boy could barely speak to journalists who visited their house. Manyatta Estate seemed to be the worst hit in Kisumu.

    Apart from the two deaths, many walls bear bullets marks, a testimony of the trigger-happy nature of the police.

    http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=114845

30. 30. shujaa 00 (5 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 4:04 am

    UDI
    i do remeber seeing charity ngilus two daughters and son in law in the protests.unfortunately najib balala and rutos kids are way too young to be at the riots.a question to most of you how else do u advocate for change without mass protest(non violent)??or should we accept the situation as is and risk loosing the effects of the ballot box for there is no certainty of choice at the end of every 5 years? should we begin to make to make the politicians ‘obsolete’ in terms of we vote every 5 years and no matter the outcome our lives continue with or without hope??

31. 31. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 7:03 am

    @Udi
    Your pathetic on your first Post.

    The second Post (#28) shows that, in your mind, since these “Goons” are causing economic hardships, why, just shoot them.

    Assuming that were the case, a question: The boy shot in Kisumu at the Kondele slums, what item was he destroying in the slum? Question, the Eldoret case that you mention, how come no one was shot during that event? BS.

    Secondly, while i do not support the destruction of property, i can understand the frustration of the oppressed.

    I also predict which side you would have taken in these situations:
    (i) During the Mau Mau rebellion: Udi would have sided with the settlers, since the Mau Mau were destroying the settlers’ property
    (ii) ANC uprising in South Africa: UDI sides with the boers, since the blacks are causing economic difficuty in the mines
    (iii) Civil rights movement of the 60s: Udi supports segregationists.( Yet now he hides with his tail b/n his legs in the USA, enjoying the sweat of those who fought for the comfort and rights he now enjoys )
    (iv) ALL resistance to oppression: Udi sides with Oppressors.

    Now, we know what Udi stands for.

32. 32. Chrenyan (143 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 9:37 am

    @Kanyoni

    Comparing an unarmed, defenceless man, sorry, TWO unarmed defenceless men to the Interahamwe is, to put it mildly, stretching the truth. I maintain that the actions of this cop are INDEFENSIBLE.

    However, while I cannot advocate for the use of state force with such disregard for life, I agree that a clip of the senseless violence perpetrated in the Rift Valley/Western/Kisumu, against victims who were just as undeserving, would not go amiss, if the full story would be told.

    The whole truth is the truth.

33. 33. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am

    Any way you slice it, that was cold-blooded murder and it’s likely that the victim won’t get justice despite all the evidence.

    I don’t think any peace-loving Kenyan wants killers with badges and guns roaming the streets with loaded weapons and no accountability for their actions. If they are indeed frustrated with their daily grind, they should resign and let more restrained people take on that task, that is, those who value and respect life.

    One function of the police is to deal with difficult situations so, in fact, the protest rallies and riots do concern them regardless of their involvement in causing them as they are charged with keeping the peace during such eventualities. If they have to, they may legally use reasonable force to subdue alleged criminals and use lethal force only as a last resort.

    The footage in question shows the two civilian men fleeing from the policeman and I think we can all agree his personal safety wasn’t in any kind of jeopardy moments before, and most certainly not during or after the brutal moments captured on “tape”.
    This guy was on a rampage, he had to kill someone before the day was over. It’s just pure evil.

    Utumishi Kwa Wote? That’s a hot, steamy pile of BS, and everyone knows that.
    The countdown to a Kenya meltdown has been slow but sure and will soon hit critical mass if the maladies ailing the country aren’t remedied expeditiously.

34. 34. Jose (24 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am

    So what he is poor? So what he is “being used” by our cowardly self-serving politicians? So what Najib’s or Ngilu’s or Raila’s family is not taking to the streets? So what he is a “hooligan”? You simply CANNOT justify the taking of a human life in such circumstances.

    The young man had a GOD-GIVEN, CONSTITUTIONAL right to be on the streets. Some STUPID officer, acting on EVIL shoot-to-kill orders, has taken away this right, along with a more important right, the right to LIFE.

    Looter or not, hooligan or not, idler or not, Olago had the right to be on the streets. It takes an extremely insecure and EVIL government to take away a citizen’s basic human rights in such a manner. It takes a highly insensitive person to try and justify this violation of basic rights, like Udi is trying to do.

    PS- the killings of innocents in the Rift Valley have nothing to do with this, so don’t even try to link the two.

35. 35. OurKid (40 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am

    @ udi

    Your statement about the ODM leaders not having their children on the streets was shared by Naomi Shaban yesterday. In a moment of madness, I flipped channels to KBC during the 7pm news bulletin. And Shaban was saying that ODM leaders have tucked their children safely in mansions and are telling poor people to protest. I flipped the channels again and at that precise time, KTN was showing Ntimama’s daughter being tear gassed!

    The bottom line is that as long as a protest is peaceful, then the police should not break it up. They can even walk by the side just observing the protesters to ensure no violence erupts. But to try to be clairvoyant and say ‘if they march, they will loot’ is being untruthful. By repulsing protesters from Uhuru Park into the CBD, the police just end up making things worse.

36. 36. magothe (2 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am

    Ei? Gova has said there is a ban on these rallies. Gova has already shot these goons in previous rallies. What would you take your backside to these rallies for unless you wanted it full of GoK lead? Stay at home or go to work (if you can) and nobody will fill your mbackside with lead.
    Idiot.

37. 37. abelian (53 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    toiyoi,

    if it is true then it is very disturbing indeed, These politicians are taking Kenyans for a ride, at the very first sign of trouble they will ship their families overseas and the rest of us will slaughter each mercilessly on the streets. That is what bothers me more….

    Fighting for Justice and equality is vital but at the expense of the lives of our families, relatives and countrymen

38. 38. abelian (53 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    correction

    I meant not at the expense of our families, friends and countrymen

39. 39. Jogoo wa Shamba (73 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    The footage on that clip is simply outrageous!! While I do not in any way condone the incidences of looting and hooliganism that we have witnessed since the “mass demos” started, it is improper to shoot an unarmed person.

    And to those insisting for the ODM Pentagon members’ sons and daughters being on the streets, does it really make a difference? Are they more human/Kenyan than the rest of the Kenyans who feel cheated and betrayed?

40. 40. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    Magothe, I’m under the impression that in your opinion, the use of lethal force by the police against unarmed and fleeing civilians, even during a banned protest, is absolutely permissible and in no way reprehensible. Is that correct?

    Udi, your import of the Stop These Goons editorial piece still hasn’t helped your cause in this forum today. The writer of that piece didn’t in any way insinuate that one way to stop these goons is to pump them full of AK47 rounds while they flee with their backs turned. I’m just saying

    “…The days when nations thrived and emerged from the ashes of war and ruins are over…”

    Now that’s a quote for all to think about.

41. 41. donworry (57 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Another sad day for our country..What a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. I agree totally with all of you who condemn this callous and cowardly action by the people who are supposed to be custodians of the peace. I have no words to say to those hypocrites who are pretending that this is a law-and-order issue and blaming the victims. Is this cop still at large? Who is his commanding officer? Someone should be held accountable.

    There is another disturbing thought that comes to mind as I read this. All this senseless bloodletting is doing something terrible to our psyche. So many dead and we stop thinking. We begin to talk in numbers….hundreds, thousands…who knows maybe more. In the height of the ‘insurgency’ in Iraq hundreds of people would die on a single day in a series of car bomb attacks. Even mosques were not spared by the suicide bombers.

    It would seem that there is a Kenya police strategy of brutalising a certain section of soceity now just like they did with ‘mungiki’ last june-july. We must I regret, prepare ourselves for more.

42. 42. Blogger (2 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    Now that an ODM hooligan has been shoot dead everyone is crying wolf and saying the police are not handling the situation professionally..But nobody has showed clips of the hundreds of IDP’s(Internally Displaced People) who were chased out of their farms and houses in the RIFT VALLEY.. Nobody bothers to weep over the hundreds of women,girls
    and boys who are been sexsual assulated… The hundreds of IDP’s who are living in tents and when it rains all their beddings are soaked… and they can’t sleep..Nobody cares to show footage of the hundreds of newborn babies who have died due to poor weather and living conditions…
    Lets stop been biased and lets all agree Hooliganism is not accepted…and remember that famous saying “IF U LIVE BY THE SWORD U SHALL DIE BY THE SWORD”

43. 43. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

    Since the subject is on the table, I thought I’d toss my peni mbili’s worth in.

    With respect to the children of the political elite, the sense of loss is usually seemingly greater to the families, the public and the world at large when the child of an influential and famous person perishes especially under suspicious circumstances or perishes, period. The demise of an average citizen or God forbid, a slum-dweller, is just an instance of good riddance to some people since they are completely detached and unaffected [directly] by such events.

    When Udi asks, Where are the kids of the men and women involved in this power struggle? Shouldn’t they be on the streets bleeding and getting teargassed alongside the rest?
    It’s a valid response to situations like this, in fact, we all know that the war in Iraq is being fought by young Americans from average American families and yet the most of the children of those who sent them to die are out of harms way. Those opposed to the war are always bringing that subject up.
    The idea is that, if one’s child was to remain in harms way due to their actions or inaction, he/she would move quicker to remedy the situation than if his/her entire family was tucked away in a safe(r) place.

    It’s universally true that money and influence will buy you almost anything in this world, therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the families of the elite were quietly whisked out of the country if or when the shit hit’s the fan. Of course, this also applies to those with just the means to do it less the influence which leaves the rest stuck knee-deep in a crappy situation that they had nothing to do with.

    I totally get it and I’m sure the police are less inclined to shoot at a heavy hitter’s kid if they recognized them. If there were enough of them out there protesting and they made their presence duly known, it’s possible that there would be less police brutality in some areas. Still, I don’t think that would be enough to get the government to give in to the pressure.

44. 44. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    I am getting tired of people responding to comments before even reading them. Did I sema the protesters should be shot. I was talking about the ones who last week were busy looting and attacking people. If you are caught looting carrying a panga, then fuk it, you need to meet Sir God.

    @toiyoi- some of u pretend to be historians. In the case of the civil rights, did you see MLK choma anything. Did you see black people go looting and burning. There is civil disobediance (which I am assuming we are all advocating) and civil unrest (which is causing mayhem). So before you claim to know what I stand for, ask yourself how we were able to get rid of Moi’s dictatorship without all the looting and the killing thats going on.

    So before you start responding before even reading my comment, I have in no way said I have supported the extra-judicial killings being done. Show me where I have said it. I have said those looting and destroying deserve what they get. Coz if anybody right now was to come and try and destroy my property, like Malcolm X, I would use any means necessary to make sure it doesnt happen.

    FYI- I was at home during the elections. And I was not amsued about not having the freedom of movement when chaos was going on. I even met up with a huge gang of people in the neighbourhood who were ready to beat you senseless if you didnt say you are ODM.

45. 45. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    @TK- I just read that time article. Why do I feel he was misquoted? I dont see how he can sema he feels great about not joining his supporters. That just doesnt sound like him.

46. 46. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    @jogoo- I totally agree with you. Their kids are as human as the rest. So every time they see kids being displaced and the ethnic cleansing in R.Valley, they should empathise. I dont have any kids and I would be the first to declare that the presidency is not worth it when I see kids being butchered coz of their tribe.

    According to BBC, Raila has said that they would boycott any companies that belong to Kibaki and his cronies. Now that is a boycott I wholeheartedly support. You might get 2,000 to go to a rally, but I am sure you can get 4,0000,000 to boycott a product. Lets hope for sanity’s sake, this damn rallies end soon. coz GSU are definetly on some weed the way they are on the rampage.

47. 47. Carol (8 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    I am in tears.I can’t help it any more,my beloved country is dying!
    Raila and Kibaki should be as guilty as that policeman in the clip.The Policemen look like hungry lions released from a cage after a month bila kula.They shoot to kill. They should pay,one day one time.

48. 48. Carol (8 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Vendredi 18 Janvier 2008 Contacter France 2 | Tout savoir sur France 2 France 3 France 4 France 5 RFO France Télévisions

    Rechercher sur nos sites

    Recherche :

    Mierouff Posté le 17-01-2008 à 20:54:46Pas de coms depuis le début (3 jours au moins).
    En gros tous le monde s’en tape, et c’est normal, ça ne nous touche pas.
    Ce qui me fais rire dans cette histoire, c’est que les blacks se massacrent entre eux pour une question d’ethnie, mais des que l’on est contre l’immigration massive en France, on est traité de nazis. A la différence, que nous ne massacrons pas nous.
    Qui est le plus facho entre un blanc qui expulse ses clandestins et un noire qui en tue un autre pour une question d’ethnie ???
    This is someones comment in a French TV website.
    What he is trying to say is:the BLACKS kill btw themselves on ethnic grounds but once the WHITES against imigration to France, racism comes up………The whole thing makes him laugh!
    Hope this person could learn that its not all a matter of tribes.

49. 49. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Here is a clip of the whole incidence from BBC (which also includes part of the KTN clip). Those cops are not being provoked. They just seem to be trigger happy. Coz you would even have expected they use those water tanks they have

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7190000/newsid_7192000/7192077.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1

50. 50. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Blogger, please!

    You should to try and understand that this particular blog thread was initiated in direct response to the video footage of the senseless murder of a Kenyan like you and I, by the police, who are an extension of the government and are there [supposedly] to protect and serve all Kenyans. The alleged hooligan may or may have not been engaged in acts hooliganism; there’s no proof for or against that assertion. The only proof available at this point is a murderous, trigger-happy policeman with a thirst for blood, anyone’s blood, satisfying his need. We can’t assume that he [the victim] lived by the “sword” and, therefore, deservedly died by the “sword”.

    Having said that, I don’t think that anyone here has suggested that the equally senseless murder of innocent defenseless Kenyans all over the country is licit and should be ignored and applauded. Believe me, my tears are yet to dry from crying for the innocents caught up in this fracas and also for my own family and friends who are still in harms way even as I compose this entry. I don’t even know where some of them are - for all I know, they could be dead in some forest somewhere out there.

    Trust me, nobody who cherishes life, peace and stability has forgotten the IDPs of Kenya. If anything, it’s the politicians, who still have the power to make things right or at least, initiate a healing process who are caught up in their tug-o-war thus dragging this out and in turn causing more needless suffering of our countrymen and women, together with their vulnerable young ones. Condemning the violence and visiting a refugee camp will not get medicine to those who need it. Issuing a shoot to kill order will not keep people warm at night. Ignoring the problems will not make them go away - the time for a true leader to emerge has come and gone…and nobody stepped up. There’s plenty of blame to go around.

    We are always thinking about, and praying for the ones directly affected by the violence in our homeland and hope it comes to a quick end.

51. 51. udi (78 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    I think I have tooooo many responses on this post. But wanted to add some quotes from MLK

    “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

    “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

52. 52. jm (3 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    Much as am shocked and appalled by what happened am just thinking…we need to get off our bloody asses and realize that in most cases the cops are the only guys stopping Nairobi and major cities in Kenya from being burnt to the ground by some very misguided fools being used as political fodder.
    Its funny how Kenyans forget and its funny how Kenyans dismiss issues….guys, PEOPLE ARE STILL BEING KILLED IN RIFT VALLEY UPTO NOW!! ETHNIC CLEANSING IS HAPPENING THERE AS WE SPEAK AND RANT ABOUT SOME SOME RIOTERS GETTING SHOT. TRAINED GANGS ARE HOLED UP IN FORESTS WAYLAYING BUSES AND DEMANDING I.D CARDS OF PEOPLE IN THESE BUSES, IF SOMEONE HAPPENS TO BE OF THE ‘WRONG TRIBE’ THERE GETTING HACKED TO DEATH….THIS IS HAPPENING NOW…NOT YESTERDAY OR LAST WEEK….
    ….and the scariest thing about all this, the targeted tribes are starting to arm themselves in preparation for revenge attacks. Anyone who has passes through the refugee camps in Nakuru can tell you that all the able bodied men are not there…two guesses on where they are and what there doing. And you can guess that if the victims start taking arms to revenge than we have bigger problems than some 2 guys getting shot….WAKE UP PEOPLE, STOP GETTING FOOLED AND SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE

53. 53. Kimemia Maina (4 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    Two points I would like to make here. First of all unless that policeman in the frame was using a special kind of extra slow bullet he could not have been the one who’s bullet5 killed the unfortunate man. Second is a question,did the film crew who got all of this on tape do anything to help the poor man or were they too busy caught up bringing the horrors on the streets to aid a man in need.

54. 54. Vedec (6 Comments) | January 18th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    @Kimemia Maina- Are you really serious??!!! You are not trying to make any point…actually you are making yourself look like an idiot! You are contradicting yourself bigtime by at first doubting the credibility of the footage, then suggesting that the camera crew ought to have helped those being murdered. I think I’ve wasted enough time responding to you.

55. 55. joe (78 Comments) | January 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am

    no raila no peace why is everyone acting shocked thy said no raila no peace

56. 56. Savin (1 Comments) | January 19th, 2008 at 6:16 am

    I know this is way of topic but it shows what is wrong with Kenya
    http://www.helium.com/tm/462308/master-become-vital-president

57. 57. Kigano (4 Comments) | January 19th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    Joe people are saying “No Raila no peace” Because Raila won the elections so whay are you shocked? Isnt it common knowledge by now? Oh I forgot that some people choose to have amnesia and selective memories regarding Kibaki CLEARLY LOOSING AND RIGGING ELECTIONS.

58. 58. tamtam (3 Comments) | January 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    It is unjustifiable and unacceptable. I feel they are acting on orders, and the people responsible for issuing these orders have a lot to answer for.

59. 59. willie (1 Comments) | January 20th, 2008 at 2:13 am

    Kudos! Get rid of all them poor people.

60. 60. James Opiko (2 Comments) | January 20th, 2008 at 10:21 am

    What you see in the video is a blatant execution - The shoot-to-kill policy adopted by dictator Mwai Kibaki must be condemned in the strongest terms.

    Even in combat — a soldier is forbidden from shooting an unarmed enemy — with hands raised in surrender.

    Internal Security Minister John Michuki — one of Mwai Kibaki’s most despicable thugs, should and I hope will be brought to justice at a later date.

    If Kibaki had played fair we wouldn’t be having this crap. I have read some blogs where people compare Odinga’s situation with that of Al Gore in the 2000 U.S. Elections — It doesn’t even come close, for in America there is HOPE for anybody who wants to make something of himself/herself.

    In Kenya, even the slightest glimmer of hope is swept away by a thorough and deliberate mis-management and theft of resources that are meant to uplift the poor — hence the desperation and criminal behavior in the streets.

    If Kibaki is not removed, the vicious cycle will be repeated in the next election..and the next…

    …and please do not compare America and Kenya, for America’s economy is so huge — George Bush (a thief) and his cohorts cannot bring it down no matter how voraciously they mis-appropriate funds via ‘Iraq War Profits’ and ‘Katrina FEMA Trailers.’

    Kibaki has driven Kenya’s political progress back 30 years — back to the point where Moi took over from Kenyatta.

    Every Kenyan, including die-hard Kikuyus, who feel that only them can lead Kenya — should wake up and size very carefully the amount of damage the Mt. Kenya Mafia has done to the country — politically and economically.

    Here are some of my thoughts: http://www.politicalarticles.net/blog/2008/01/13/bush-and-kibaki-certified-election-thieves/

61. 61. Maria (1 Comments) | January 20th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    I think every policeman should be asked to account for their bullets.

    This particular policeman(caught live on camera) must be held accountable for murder…..how else could you explain shooting an unarmed man then kicking him while he already on the ground….

    Where is Karua….where is Mutua….please explain the government’s “legal logic” behind this.

62. 62. Derriere (4 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 2:08 am

    James Opiko
    For the record, Raila didn’t play fair either. In some ways, he is a very sour loser too. His comeback tactics only reveal his true character - making me shudder at the thought that he might one day be the leader of Kenya.

    But this ceases to be about them at some point. No one’s listening to them anymore. The momentum has been set, and apparently, we are on a spree.
    The machetes are out and we are killing and running eachother out of our homes. Meanwhile, the cops have started shooting and can’t/won’t stop. The rest of us are having heated discussions about it over the net or out and about with our multi-tribal groups of friends who all claim to ’support neither side’, although their criticisms of one or the other often quite give them away.
    We all need to stop, come up for air, look around us, take in what’s happening and ask whether it’s worth it. We need to remember that we are Kenyans…
    Unless of course, Kenya never really was. The tribal jibes that were a bit of a laugh were actually hostile undertones that were just brewing. Are we truly killing each other because our folks came from different parts of the country? Or is this the eve of a revolution?

63. 63. joe (78 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 6:13 am

    No Raila No peace is a self explanatory slogan . many have said they are willing to die for Raila so when the die arent they getting what they want

    No Raila no peace -kazi iendelee

64. 64. D (4 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 6:38 am

    @ jm, I agree.
    With the degree of violence going on, both involving the police and citizens, we have to stop these arguments and look at the big picture.

    When I watch a video like the one posted, read about that church, read of people being hacked in Mathare yesterday, read of that family that was attacked by Machates in Mombasa yesterday, I cease to care about the presidency.

    There are currently 2 struggles going on right now in Kenya: between the political elite and between the poor.

    These politicians DO NOT CARE about Kenyan lives - if they did, they would have sat down already. What’s another 60 lives when all some want to do is make a trip (which will be unsucessful) to Uhuru Park. When people lose their lives at the hands of the police (who, btw, while they should be condemned for the shootings, have used some restraint), the videos are played at press conferences and beamed to the world. Why didn’t ODM play a video of the church burning? IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS ALL A MEDIA GAME AND POLITICS.

    There are innocent protesters that have the good intention of marching peacefully. But there is also a huge group of goons out there looking to kill, loot and rape. This is the second struggle. These neanderthals are under the impression that they are fighting for ODM. Well, my misguided friends, your man is no closer to State House than he was 3 weeks ago. I suspect that these groups are organized and financed. I might not saying that it is ODM but someone is supporting these groups in order to put pressure on the government. Children are dying.

    The government is not innocent either (as we all know). I am not endorsing either candidate because neither is worth it. But I endorse Kenya and always will. All these politicians are the same, cut from the same cloth. Heck, they are even friends, laughing and hugging each other during Parliament on Tuesday. Children are dying.

    The chest-thumping and bravado is getting nauseating. They are all a bunch of hypocrites. I like how people refuse to meet each other but can sit in the same room for over 9 hours because they are all eagerly awaiting their swearing in and that hefty MP paycheck. THEY DON’T CARE and Kenyans need to stop looking to them to solve this issue. Each side likes to call elaborate press conferences with the international media, cracking jokes and making casual comments like they are at a bash. Children are dying.

    Wakenya, we need to wake up. We can struggle for our democracy without bloodshed. Kenya is not the first country to have a disputed election. Yet, some people seem intent on making parts of Kenya into a war zone. THERE IS NOTHING DEMOCRATIC about wielding machetes, uprooting rail lines and looting shops. There is nothing democractic about banning rallies.

    What is a democracy? It is all about the people.. not about 2 men. And neither are fit to lead our beautiful country. Why? Because they do not have the compassion to even SIT at the same table and even ATTEMPT to broker a solution. GOD BLESS KENYA

65. 65. Jose (24 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 8:07 am

    James Opiko,

    I’ve really struggled to make any sense of your broad sweeping statements. I’ve given up.

    All I can ask you is to look at the tone of the other messages, note that they are trying to look for a way out of the mess. Also note that nobody here is trying to say that Kibaki is better than Raila or vice versa. Further note that nobody on this site is trying to play one tribe against the other.

    After you’ve done that, organise your thoughts and your self, then come up with better, more logical contributions. Your tribalistic, pro-Raila drivel was an affront to the senses. It is this kind of tribal grandstanding and passing of blame that has us in the mess that we are in, just in case you have not noticed.

66. 66. shook_1 (4 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 9:34 am

    The police spokesman said it was a computer generated clip, and that the cameraman should record a statement for further investigations.
    HUh!

67. 67. mso (3 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 10:23 am

    its funny how people seem to be so “outraged” by the Cop who killed the un-armed man. Am NOT condoning what he did, but, the other guy was in a place he shouldn’t have been. The mass action had been outlawed, and since he was mass acting, he was, essentially, a criminal.
    What about the displaced kids who are out in the cold, thanks to people like him who feel affronted,what about, the people who were burnt in a CHURCH for God’s sake, who is holding country-wide prayers for them??
    why aren’t people like James Opiko OUTRAGED by acts like these?
    how about the poor villager’s who are killed nightly because the are purpoted to be supporters of the “enemy”?? are they any less human??

68. 68. shujaa 00 (5 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    as we all continue to say the same thing depending on which side of the divide you belong.bottom line is a police officer trained and given an ak 47 shot someone in cold blood.that guy has committed a bigger sin than the kawaida mwanainchi.if he wanted to join the melee he should have handed over his gun and shield and toughed it out with stones and pangas.that guy under any law anywhere can never be charged the same as a mwanaichi due to the fact that he is trained and armed with an assault weapon.ashikwe,afungwe na anyogwe!

69. 69. James Opiko (2 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    To Jose:

    Of course you can’t make sense of what I am talking about — because you refuse to acknowledge the root cause of the problem.

    When Moi/Uhuru were booted out — to Moi’s credit he handed over peacefully.

    It is a fact that Kibaki was booted out too — and he chose to cling to power illegally.

    That’s the cause of the problem — anything else is secondary and dependent upon the ‘CAUSE.’

    What is tribal about telling the truth?

    You don’t solve a problem by blanketing it or running a ‘Yo-Yo’ around it.

    I am pro ‘the truth,’ and the truth is that Kibaki messed up a democratic process causing unnecessary upheaval in the country, by cheating. That he is a Kikuyu does not reduce crime.

    Had it been someone else in Kibaki’s shoes, I would have said the same exact thing.

    YOU SAY: “It is this kind of tribal grandstanding and passing of blame that has us in the mess that we are in, just in case you have not noticed.”

    YOU SAY: “After you’ve done that, organise your thoughts and your self, then come up with better, more logical contributions. Your tribalistic, pro-Raila drivel was an affront to the senses.”

    Passing what blame? [ The blame is squarely on Kibaki's head ] — and if you need a refresher, please read this: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/20-reasons-why-President-Kibaki-s-Government-should-be-overthrown-by-Kenyans/68881

    Now, who is being more logical and useful in discussing this problem.

    Please Think… as in “thinkersroom.”

70. 70. joe (78 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    The delusional omnipotent

    opposition leader raila odinga is a man who likes many things. He likes big cars, and flashy clothes. He likes to talk politics, he loves fame. He loves propaganda and more than anything he loves cameras. That i suppose is alright, to each his own. But the odm leader also loves anarchy and has an exaggerated passion for destruction, if he cannot have it, no one else will. November last year, raila odinga kicked off a campaign telling his dangerously over-zealous supporters that mwai kibaki’s government was intent on rigging the december elections. He talked of some rigging clerks being trained at anniversary towers’ (fourteenth floor) by an imaginary man he assigned the name ‘mr. Chege”. A few weeks later, he stormed the ngong hills hotel claiming to have received a tip-off from an aide of his that ballot papers were being filled in there. On the election day itself, he stormed the electoral commission’s offices claiming that his name was not on the lang’ata constituency voter register.

    All these little sideshows had two things in common; one, they were all proved to be unfounded and two, all the allegations were made in the presence of the press, under flashing lights and into microphone booms. All these cleverly calculated theatrics were to tune the minds of his excitable supporters just right, so that when defeat eventually came, they would have in their crania ’sound reasons’ for doing what perhaps comes to them most naturally - going on the rampage. I am not in any way suggesting that odm members do not believe the election was stolen and are engaging in violence for the sake it, no. I know they believe the election was rigged because they had been all set and prepared for it. The truth of the matter is that, with or without rigging the only outcome that would have saved kenya from this violence was a victory for raila odinga. That is how much raila odinga likes violence, and his history stretching way back to the coup attempt he so glibly boasts about in his biography affirms just that. But there is something else, besides violence that raila odinga appears keen to adopt; a false sense of importance. Displaying pictures taken with barrack obama to the press, claiming before the world that barrack is his cousin are some of the more dramatic and vicariously humiliating scenes we have been subjected to. Last year raila likened himself to former south african president nelson mandela and believe it or not he also said he was like the christ.

    This weekend he was in church once again calling himself jesus christ. He considers kalonzo musyoka a judas iscariot who cannot chair a session where “jesus and his ‘pentagon’ disciples are contributors”. If you cannot attend a meeting chaired by the vice president, then whose meeting can you attend? since when did kalonzo, the second longest serving elected member of parliament after the president become a disciple of raila odinga’s and therefore in refusing to follow his every footstep a betrayer? the odm mp really needs to improve himself, to stop being that tyrant who cannot contemplate that others have wills of their own, that they are individuals with autonomous desires, with their constituencies that they serve, and outside of his control. Raila must now stop protecting his sense of omnipotence from the fear and vulnerability which surely rest at the heart of his compensatory delusions.

    He should start acknowledging others, and respecting them before he can himself command any such acknowledgement and respect. He has to respect authority. Calling eck commissioners “a few clerks seated at kicc” is not smart, it is not witty. It is ridiculous. On tuesday, during the election of the national assembly speaker, mwai kibaki reportedly did not speak to raila. After the session, raila does what he knows best—rush to ‘the standard’. He said that the president didn’t even “greet him because he lacked the courage to do so”. Who between mwai kibaki and raila odinga should be striving to shake the other’s hand? it reminds me of a little story dr. Justin frank gives in his “bush on the couch”.

    Frank talks about this little niece of his who was once in a hotel lobby where president ronald reagan was staying. The president picked up the little girl for the cameras and then put her down. Her mother asked her whether she knew who that was. She answered; “yes, but how did he know who i was?” now that is what i call an extreme form of self-love and importance that raila odinga is thriving on. Mr. Raila there were so many other members of parliament whom the president did not talk to. Why should you try to make it a big deal? who do you think you are, mr. Raila?

71. 71. Mkenya (1 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Mt. Kenya mafia and their numbered days… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7199757.stm

72. 72. Jose (24 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    Opiko,

    I’m hesitant to enter into an exchange with you, because you seem to equate opinions of one side of the political divide with facts. To come down and engage you on your rather elementary level, isn’t it ironic that after ODM threw a major tantrum demanding that Kivuitu steward the election else they’ll cry, that same Kivuitu went on to put on the most embarassing display of stewardship that this country has even seen?

    If these are the calibre of people ODM puts confidence in, then we must thank our lucky stars that ODM “didn’t win”

    When Kivuitu was asked who won the election, he didn’t say Kibaki won. Neither did he say that Raila won. He said the now famous words, “I don’t know…” So how is it a fact that Kibaki was defeated? ODM can scream they won until their lungs give way, but the now disgraced referee called Kivuitu says otherwise. He says, “I don’t know…”

    Moving away from the ODM youthwinger, how I wish that one of the demands coming from ODM was for an independent tribunal of Kenyan (or preferably international) judges acceptable to both sides to scrutinise the evidence they have of rigging and pass a verdict within an acceptable time-frame, say a month. That way instead of putting adverts in the papers and trying their case in the court of public opinion, they could prove their case for the sceptics to believe that indeed they were robbed of this election.

73. 73. Jogoo wa Shamba (73 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    All of you above should be exchanged with the corpses in the morturies who died painfully for for mistakes that are the result of two breathing Kenyans. We should be preaching peace and not taking tribal corners. We are behaving as if there will be a hell and a heaven for Kikuyus and Luos. Lets cut the crap. This war is about jealousies percieved. The morons who have reasoned that the cops are doing a bad job are saying so coz they never know the prerils of the policing jobs where everyday you live is luck with criminals and hooligans always after your life. I am not justifying killing but who advocates for the police? Are they not huma beings? Are you guys so damn that you think police deserve to die coz they cut for that? Nyinyi ni wapumbavu(Borrow KIbaki saying) I wish i could cane all of you now. Lets think like the families of those cops who work very hard to earn their keep.

74. 74. TK (10 Comments) | January 21st, 2008 at 11:39 pm

    Uganda: ‘God Saved Us From Burning Eldoret Church’
    http://allafrica.com/stories/200801210140.html

    Signs in Kenya That Killings Were Planned
    http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080121/ZNYT03/801210336/1034/EXTRAS02/ZNYT03/Signs_in_Kenya_That_Killings_Were_Planned

75. 75. mugithi (2 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 4:38 am

    Who cares who is president as long as we have peace! The voters voted for peace first and foremost. Anybody who went to the ballot and cast a vote for anything else should not even be allowed to speak. The kind of enviroment we were seeking in kenya at the end of the elections was an enviroment where all the kenyan citizens had an equal oportunity for advancement if only they used the matter that lies in between the right ear and the left ear.

    We are loosing focus when we engage in passionate emotional discussions about who should be in state house. It became very clear it was personal ambition when non the contenders offered to do anything to stop the violence even if it meant ambandoning their personal ambition to have the top seat.

    Right now we should we should try repair the damage that has been done in the last 4 weeks. Building takes longer than distroying so we better start as soon as we can. The immediate concerns are feeding and clothing the displaced. like all problems it will be taken care off and then we will be left with the next big challage on how to resettle them. This is where our brilliant minds should be engaged in not burning calories in purposeless thought on who wronged who!!!!

76. 76. Jose (24 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 am

    Jogoo wa Shamba and Mugithi,

    I agree with both of you wholeheartedly, that the debate should be about how to rebuild and restore.

    If you would see my initial response to James Opiko, you’ll see that that is the point I’m making, that we’ve moved away from saying who won or who lost. The widows and orphans outside police stations and inside churches could care less whether it was Kalembe in State House or whether it was Nazlin Rajput. A much deeper thing has happened in this country, and we should be harnessing our thoughts and energies in this direction.

    Our tribes, which are meant to be a good thing, reflective of the diversity of this land, have been turned into an ugly thing, meant to distinguish between whether you get past the roadblock or whether you die. The kind of suffering the more vulnerable ones, i.e women and children, in our midst are being put through has no measure. Our collective call should be for an end to this and for a beginning to genuine reconciliation and healing.

    The failing of both Kibaki and Raila and their henchmen and henchwomen has been to dig their heels in, firming their political positions, and keep the tempers high. Their failing has been to continue to act as if it is about them, when clearly matters have moved on to another level. Their failing has been to continue to politik and grandstand, while blood continues to flow and livelihoods continue to burn.

    I know that a number in this forum are people of faith. I would urge you all to continue to raise prayer to the heavens, that the Almighty would intervene on our behalf and restore sanity in our land, as our national anthem says. Clearly, our earthly leaders have nothing to offer us!

77. 77. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am

    @Jose, you pretty much nailed it there.

    While we are steadily descending deeper into a Rwanda-like redux [of sorts], it’s quite clear that NONE of them are concerned and their inaction is stoking the fire of hate and murder.

    It’s about time we got rid of all this oldskool politics and those who’ve effectuated it - all of them…but how? There’s so much hate in the air right now and nobody’s speaking passionately about healing and reconciliation…or is there? I may have missed it.

    Yep, I just used the ‘R’ word.

78. 78. jm (3 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    Just to add on to that….the debate over who won is going to go on for a long time and will generate alot of heat in all quarters.

    However i think we miss a major point when we fail to realize one essential truth…no one won with a clear majority! Statistics put Kibakis win at about 46-47% of the vote…Raila says he won with a similar margin…which means whowever won does NOT have the support of the majority of the voters and the population, be it Raila or Kibaki.

    Personally I do not think either Raila or Kibaki are the right people to lead the country at this crucial juncture…the reason..the country is so polarised at the moment that it needs a nationalistic leader of the likes of Mandela to pull all tribes together, address past issues (whether real or imagined) and ensure that the national cake is distributed evenly..and is seen to be distributed evenly. However these 2 guys will not do that, they are cut of the same clothe, the ‘take care of myself and my close family and friends and screw the rest of the population’ clothe.
    However we are stuck with these 2 buffoons..therefore we are stuck with unrest and riots and a economy downhill for the foreseable future.
    In 2002, the former VP Saitoti made his now famous statement saying ‘there comes a time when the needs of a nation surpass the needs of an individual’…actually the needs of a nation always surpass the needs of an individual but thats not the point…..the point is at this crucial juncture the needs of Kenya surpass the needs and ambitions of Kibaki and Raila, but can these two clowns behave like true patriots for once or will they continue behaving like the selfish, power-hungry individuals that they are? Time will tell

79. 79. Vedec (6 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 5:59 pm

    Truth of the matter is, no leader in Kenya comes even close to measuring up to Mandela in being nationalist. However, we have to elect the lesser devil…pick your poison! Since we really don’t have a legitimate govt (considering the ECK and Kivuitu have no idea who won the elections) the whole quandary can be resolved by an election re-run by an uncompromised body; newly appointed ECK?? because a country cannot run without a leadership with the people’s mandate. That said, I believe right now we should all focus on dealing with the resettlement of the displaced, helping the worst hit to find their footing, making their lives abit more bearable, assisting in humanitarian efforts as much as possible and trying to heal the nation of the hatred, tribalism and polarization. There’s alot of work to do and every little contribution (a challenge to be proactive rather than just engaging in rhetoric) would make a difference somewhere.

80. 80. abelian (53 Comments) | January 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 pm

    I second those who say Kibaki and Raila are not the people to lead our country. People’s memories are short, we forget that Kibaki was a member of the goverment that sought to supress democracy in the early 90’s. At one point Raila joined hands with Moi to deny the then opposition victory (LDP).

    We need a new generation of leaders preferably below 50 years old!!

81. 81. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 23rd, 2008 at 1:45 am

    @abelian

    Are you suggesting those under 50 are clean?
    Why do you say so? Where is the evidence?

    The first step in solving a problem is to know what the problem is. In Kenya, what do you think is the (MAIN] problem?

82. 82. Tony (10 Comments) | January 23rd, 2008 at 2:42 am

    the intelligent folk ‘talk’ too much and do nothing…they blog and post comments and pictures…and so on and so forth…

    the ignorant folk ‘do’ too much because they have nothing intelligent to say…they kill and maime(sp) innocent wanainchi…and so on so forth…..

    when all is said and done, more is said than done…

83. 83. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 am

    Truth of the matter is, no leader in Kenya comes even close to measuring up to Mandela…

    I agree. Is it possible that Mandela, his legacy and even his very existence has been aberrant, an abnormal occurrence, as far as typical African leadership is concerned? Are we truly incapable of producing such outstanding leaders more than once every half-century?

    I don’t think our current woes have a singular causality that can be eliminated in one fell swoop and voila! Utopia!…or something like it. Some of the causes are too far removed from their effects that they can’t even be dealt with anymore. Still, dealing with the usual suspects would be a start.

    More than anything, we need true forward-looking positive leadership before we can embark on the task of officially identifying and completely eliminating the cancer(s) that have long afflicted our nation. Sadly, Raila and Kibaki, the most prominent and influential leaders, leave us wanting in that regard.Hopefully, there’s someone in either clique who is ready to emerge but has been stifled up to this point…I wouldn’t hold my breath though.

    Seriously, where is that uniting figure we so collectively desire? Has he or she even been born yet?

84. 84. Jose (24 Comments) | January 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    AtSanity’sEdge

    There are other African leaders who demonstrated such humulity and service. Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana, Joachim Chissano of Msumbiji and Julius Nyerere from next door come to mind. Oliver Tambo, Patrice Lumumba, and our own Oginga Odinga and Jomo Kenyatta also come to mind.

    No doubt Mandela an icon, whose legacy speaks for itself. But you have to remember that he was a product of a different time and different circumstances. Then, the Black South Africans had a common enemy, apartheid. Regardless of the differences between them, the common enemy was apartheid, and it was “easy” for Mandela to emerge, due to this commonality of cause. With the end of apartheid came the need to create a common nation, which again boosted Mandela’s profile. I concede that to Mandela’s credit, and this is what differentiates him from the rest of the pack, he knew when to step aside and let the next generation take the helm. He was hardly an executive president, and he served for one term. This lack of involvement in the nuts and bolts issues allowed Mandela to become the immortal that he is.

    However, with this “independence” euphoria gone, and issues of inequality and poverty coming to the fore, you can begin to see the challenges being faced by Mbeki.

    The situation facing us in Kenya is different from the one that allowed Mandela to emerge. It is one of two leaders, each of whom commands sufficient numbers, each of whom believes he won. Then we have two sets of followers or Kenyans, each of whom believes in their hearts, regardless of what they say, that their man won. None of our leaders wants to back down, and none of the followers (and that includes you and me) wants their man to back down.

    I have no doubt if Kenya was united against a common enemy, rallying around a common cause, leaders of Mandela-esque quality would emerge. What is the common enemy in Kenya? What is that common cause? I think if we can define this common enemy and common cause, and somehow agree as Kenyans on this common enemy and common cause, we will have a Mandela or two emerging.

85. 85. abelian (53 Comments) | January 24th, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    Toiyoi,

    Being under 50 does not automatically mean one is clean and a good leader but this age threshold improves the chances of finding someone with a progressive state of mind.

    In my opinion the biggest problem in Kenya lies with the real or perceived inequitable distribution of wealth and resources; Add tribalism into the mix and and you’ve get a huge explosion.

    Successive Kenyan goverments have failed to move our people from the dependency on peasant farming. At the moment having a small piece of land is critical for the survival of most Kenyans. Again add the tribal element and you get tribal clashes. We have to move away from depending on Land for our survival, that will take a lot of planning and growth to develop other economic sectors.

    But first we have to solve the current crisis!

86. 86. shujaa 00 (5 Comments) | January 24th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    i totally agree with ABELIAN being under fifty means nothing.we have always heard and said a ‘generational change’ is the best thing for us.it has proved to be terrible thought for three reasons.1)all reasonable kenyans agree that there was irregularity with the elctions yet none of the ‘Younger’ mps on the pnu front have come out even to just say that there was a problem with the process,none not even one.2)we keep forgetting that majority of kenyans live in shaggz and the propaganda and rumours that surrounds shaggz(n pun intended) is unbelivable.but my point is the voters will only pick who they can connect with so unfortunately our leaders will always be a bi-product of the issues surrounding his voters, many mps have fallen in line with this

    and last KENYAN POLITICS NEEDS TO STOP BEING ‘SIASA YA TUMBO’ only then can we have reformers,people focused and leaders worth the change they are to bring. along with that change MUST come some cash in the pocket of the people without chums even mandela cant help us!

87. 87. AtSanity'sEdge (42 Comments) | January 24th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Jose said:

    He [Mandela] was hardly an executive president, and he served for one term. This lack of involvement in the nuts and bolts issues allowed Mandela to become the immortal that he is.

    However, with this “independence” euphoria gone, and issues of inequality and poverty coming to the fore, you can begin to see the challenges being faced by Mbeki.

    Ok, a couple of good points there…

    COMMON CAUSE AND ENEMY?

    Well, I don’t expect to correctly or even fully address this question and may truly reach the edge of sanity in attempting to address it.

    The [elusive] common enemy that we seek to identify and destroy is within all of us; we are our own worst enemy. The problem is that we can spot the enemy within others but never in ourselves and our respective groups. I’ll [try to] explain.
    NOTE: We = Most of us; there are always exceptions to the rule.

    >>DemocracyGovernment through lies and deception
    >>Tribe-ism [ when tribalism in it's pure sense gets radically politicized and used to polarize the populace. For definition, replace "race" in racism ]
    >>Corruption [ The 'anti-integrity']
    >>Ignorance
    >>Access [ or lack thereof to vital resources due to government's failure ]
    >>Common Language? and national culture []

    The above [and more] in tandem spawned and have long nurtured a wild, indomitable beast that’s since matured and broken out of it’s cage…and it’s out to get every last one of us. Remember, in the face of mayhem and terror and certain death, most people will trade in all this democracy “nonsense” for an alternative form of governance if they can have some level of peace. This is when you hear things like “the lesser of evils”, “the devil you know” etc.

    I’m convinced that the majority of Kenyans do not possess a clear understanding of what democracy is; what it takes to relatively succeed at it. That it’s more complex more than just multi-partyism and that periodic, and sometimes truly epic, journey to the polls. When all the unrest comes to pass, it would be interesting if someone on the ground runs an unbiased poll to find out exactly what democracy means to Kenyans from Mombasa to Kisumu through Nyeri, from Lamu to Ramu through Garissa, from Kakamega to Moyale through Lokichokio and, of course, Nairobi. If it hasn’t been done yet, the results will surprise us all. It’s been said that the strongest argument against democracy is a short discussion with the average voter.

    As a society, we are yet to satisfy neither the classic nor contemporary preconditions required to initiate and sustain a somewhat successful democracy.
    The rule of law, integrity, liberty for all, humanity, fairness to the individual and group [and more] are there but only in varying levels of mediocrity even if they are high on the list.

    We’ve inevitably devolved into fierce ‘tribists’ as opposed to tribalists [look up the latter if you like] at the expense of our allegiance and responsibility to the collective unit’s health. Even though the idea of Kenya came long after Kamba, Maasai, Luo or Kikuyu-ness, it’s the larger socioeconopolitical unit that we are stuck with and we should nurture it if we are going to survive within it and globally.
    It’s a matter of fact that many Kenyans vote monolithically by tribe regardless of what the candidate(s) in question stand for, which is, more often than not, the same set of recycled lies.

    This kind of blind loyalty has been the bane of our nation’s and socioeconomic development and maturity. The politicians have long known this and have used us repeatedly against each other for their own selfish ambitions. If we don’t reject them now then we deserve them.

    We tend to take it as a personal loss when “our man” is booted out of office through suffrage which corrupts the whole process. Many don’t vote on the issues but do it to keep their man in or boot the others’ man out. With corruption and ‘tribism’ out of control in Kenya, the perception [or truism] is that if your man is the head huncho, then he’ll guarantee that his people [the ever so gullible tribal voters] get to eat or continue to do so to their heart’s content. If we can’t address the causes of this perception [or truism] we won’t be able to even take the first step in the right direction…In my opinion.

    It’s all been laid out for us to consider many times…it just has to get done. meanwhile, our attempt at democracy remains on life support or was it actually a stillborn?

    On a final note…I’m I insane for thinking that we’re in much a better place because of the institution of Kiswahili as the national language? Even though the commitment hasn’t been maintained to keep it that way, I think it was a good forward thinking move. Any thoughts? Anyone?

88. 88. TK (10 Comments) | January 24th, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    Looks like ODM isn’t clean either…

    http://allafrica.com/stories/200801240369.html

89. 89. Jose (24 Comments) | January 25th, 2008 at 8:41 am

    The below-50 talk is attractive, until I realised one thing…the guys killing people in the Rift Valley and now in Limuru are under-50. The guys torching and looting in Nairobi, Kisumu and the Coast are under-50. Hmmmm…

    Like Aaliyah told us all those years ago, age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Look at everyone’s icon- Mandela. He became president of South Africa at the age of 74. Granted he began his journey to immortality when he was a lot younger, but even then in 1964 when he was arrested, he was 46 years old!!!

    As a septagenarian president, he set a sterling example of tolerance and nationalism, and even gave his estranged wife a cabinet post! By his conduct, he was able to disarm the Inkhatha Freedom Party threat, and severally left Chief Buthelezi in charge of the country during his many foreign trips.

    So it really isn’t a matter of how old the leader is. If you are a man or woman of character, then you’ll be just as distinguished at 40 as you are at 70.

    Conversely, if you are a bastard, doesn’t matter whether you are 40 or 70. You are either a 40 year old bastard or a 70 year old bastard!

90. 90. jm (3 Comments) | January 25th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    “have no doubt if Kenya was united against a common enemy, rallying around a common cause, leaders of Mandela-esque quality would emerge. What is the common enemy in Kenya? What is that common cause?”

    There is a common cause that can give rise to Kenya’s Mandela…and that cause is poverty (damn, i sound like one of those NGO types who move with the current buzzword…btw, which are ‘the current NGO buzzwords??) Why is it that Kenyan politics is so polarised? Why is it so important to a luo in Rarieda for Raila to win? Or for a kuke in Limuru for Kibaki to win? Because politics in Kenya is a winner-take-all story…and to the winner go the spoils…note here the keyword, winner, meaning Kibaki, Raila et al. Therefore a fisherman in Kisumu believes Raila will lift him from poverty and take him to the promised land….same for the peasant farmer in Gatundu. Poor fools!! Kenya’s leaders look out for themselves and their backers and cronies first….if a few crumbs get to Wanjiku then all the better…but wait..how different is this from politics all over the world? When Bush wins he checks in and sweeps everyone out and brings in his cronies and pals…same for Gordon brown and the rest.

    The biggest difference between Kenya and these countries is that they have respected institutions, systems and structures to ensure that their is continuity no matter who the leader. So whether Bush rigs or not life goes on in the US. Taxes will be paid, roads will be built, policies will be enacted.

    However the last few weeks have shown up how fragile our democracy is. An election dispute has caused (and is still causing) massive disruptions to the economy and its going to take a few years for the country to recover. Institutions like the high courts where the dispute should have been taken to are a joke. Therefore people feel the only recourse is violence and mayhem.

    What Kenya should focus on as a matter of priority is building lasting institutions that are respected and impartial. This includes the judiciary, police force, armed forces and government. What I yearn to see one day are structures that ensure Kenya’s needs and resources are distributed in a manner which is not only fair and equal but it also seen to be fair and equal, perception being 90% of reality. Even if it means drafting these processes in the constitution. We need to get to the point of people in the West who deep down inside know that a change of leadership will not affect their lifestyles. The political leader is not ‘mama na baba’…but more of a nationalistic figurehead.
    All Kenyans want is change, a chance to live normal lives, give kids a good education, not have to continuously grind just to keep the head above water. Unfortunately life is very harsh for Kenyans, and any leader who can promises a ‘miracle cure’..even if the miracle cure is killing neighbors because there ‘foreigners’….shall be treated as a Messiah and liberator…..until the next liberator comes along!

91. 91. TK (10 Comments) | January 26th, 2008 at 3:58 am

    Aerial view of damage in Kenya.

    http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/CMAS-7B7LXT?OpenDocument&cc=ken

92. 92. joe (78 Comments) | January 26th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    ECK response to allegations contained in a newspaper advertisement published inthe Sunday Nation and The Standard newspapers on January 19, 2008

    The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) has noted allegations made against it and its officers through newspaper advertisement published in the Sunday Nation and TheStandard newspapers on January 19, 2008. The ECK welcomes this analysis and now
    seeks to correct the many factual inaccuracies and wrong impressions contained in the
    said advertisements to set the record straight in the public interest.
    Allegation 1: The Chairman of the ECK is not sure whether Hon. Mwai Kibaki won
    the December 27 General Elections.

    ECK response: This allegation has been widely circulated in the local and international
    media. The actual question posed to the Chairman of the ECK by the media was “do you
    believe that Hon. Mwai Kibaki FAIRLY won the election?”. His response was: “I don’t
    know. That is until I see the original records which I can’t for now unless the court
    authorizes. What we have are records of results from field officers” (Daily Nation,
    January 3). The question on whether one has won FAIRLY is a matter of interpretation
    and not an issue within the competence of the ECK to determine. The media has
    deliberately distorted this question to remove the word FAIRLY to create the impression
    that the ECK is uncertain as to who won the elections.

    The ECK determines the winner of the presidential election on the basis of the final vote
    tally. In this regard, Mwai Kibaki was pronounced the winner having garnered the
    highest number of votes – 4,584,721 votes against Hon Raila Odinga’s 4,352,993 votes.

    Allegation 2: The Chairman of the ECK announced the results under duress from
    PNU and ODM-K.
    ECK response:

    It is public knowledge that PNU, ODM and ODM-K were all captured
    on television at various points pushing the ECK to expedite the process and announce the
    final results citing the anxiety in the country. On January 3, the chairman of the ECK
    was asked: ” Were you under duress when announcing the results? Did anyone from State
    House call you to say this is the winner?”The chairman responded: ” No, no. Kivuitu is
    beyond that”. (Daily Nation, January 3).

    Allegation 3: That the Chairman of the ECK was aware that in several
    constituencies, the total votes cast exceeded the total number of registered voters.

    ECK response:

    The law empowers the ECK to reject the results of any polling station
    whose votes exceed the number of registered voters. In the December 27 elections,
    Maragwa constituency was mentioned specifically as having reported more votes than
    the number of registered voters. However, these were in respect to Parliamentary not
    Presidential votes. Upon verification by ECK at KICC, it was established that the mistake
    arose from a double entry of votes from one polling station. This was corrected and the
    results announced. At the joint verification of constituency tallies on December 29th at
    KICC both ODM and PNU confirmed that the results from Maragwa constituency were
    in order.

    Allegation 4: That the Chairman of the ECK was not in control of his officials in the
    field during the tallying period. In some areas where the results are alleged to have
    been rigged, the ECK officials had “disappeared” or “switched off their phones”.

    ECK response:

    Returning and Presiding officers, Polling Clerks and other ECK
    officials, are bound by the rules and regulations of the ECK. At some point, it seemed
    that ECK could not trace some of its officers or reach them on phone. The explanations
    received by the ECK confirmed that no officials deliberately switched off their phones.
    Some were out of network reach, others switched off as they concentrated on the
    counting and tallying, others were unable to charge their phones during the vote counting
    process having been in the field for prolonged periods, while others were unable to travel
    due to skirmishes.

    Allegation 5: That election documents have been tampered with by ECK officials
    since the announcement of results.

    ECK response:
    Tampering with election results is a criminal offence. Anyone alleging
    tampering is under a legal duty to record statements with the police to facilitate
    investigations with a view to instituting prosecution. The ECK ensures proper custody of
    all documents and would not condone any breach of the law. ECK has faith in its
    officials and could not expect any of them to tamper with such documents. If there is
    anyone who can identify such a person who has tampered with the said documents, ECK
    would be ready to offer any assistance for their prosecution.

    Allegation 6: The ECK allowed Returning Officers to submit their returns in the
    absence of agents which is against the law.

    ECK response:
    There are instances where some agents of political parties may not have
    been present to sign Forms 16A when results were announced at the polling station. The
    absence of an agent (and therefore his/her failure to sign) does not invalidate the results,
    hold back their announcement or their transmission to the tallying centre at the
    constituency level. It is the responsibility of party agents to avail themselves to sign
    Forms 16A. Absence of agents at polling stations applied to all political parties. It is
    their responsibility to be there not ours.

    Allegation 7: That in 42 constituencies, presiding officers at polling stations refused
    to make Forms 16A available for signature by agents. This was meant to enable
    fictitious results in favour of Kibaki to be completed at KICC.

    ECK response:
    ECK received these complaints and sought explanations from our
    officers. We have sent to ODM copies of the statement of those officers for their
    evaluation.

    Allegation 8: In some cases, ECK officers at KICC altered Forms 16A e.g. Juja
    constituency

    ECK response:
    Form 16A is completed and signed at each polling station confirming
    the results. It is signed by the Presiding Officer and the agents of political parties
    present. The Returning Officer then prepares Form 16 which is a summary of the results
    contained in all the Forms 16A from all polling stations in a constituency.
    The case of Juja: The total number of registered voters in Juja constituency is 163,657.
    There are 231 polling stations. There was no evidence for anybody to conclude that
    alterations to any documents were made by ECK officials at KICC. The Chairman noted
    alterations on Form 16 with no explanations. He did seek explanations from ECK
    officials at KICC and Returning Officer. Both groups confirmed the provisional results
    announced were the unaltered ones. He then ordered the files to be secured. Later on
    when the Chairman found the results announced included the altered results, he directed
    the Returning Officer to write a statement explaining how the errors arose and what
    eventually were the final results.
    The Returning Officer explained that as at 1.00 pm on December 28th, he had tallied
    votes from 111 polling stations. By then, President Kibaki had 48,293 votes as clearly
    indicated in the Sunday Nation advertisement. After results from the remaining 120
    polling stations were tallied, Mwai Kibaki’s votes totalled 100,390. By the time the
    Commission had no way of verifying this further since there were no other channels
    available. The voter turn-out in Juja was 73.3%. The total votes cast in the presidential
    poll was 119,964 while the total for parliamentary elections was 114,808.

    Allegation 9: Agents of ODM were forcefully thrown out of some polling stations

    ECK response:
    The ECK has not received any written complaint from ODM regarding
    any of its agents being thrown out of any polling station(s). Any such complaint should
    be formally made to the ECK.

    Allegation 10: The ECK failed to establish a national tallying mechanism as obliged
    by law

    ECK response:
    The law mandates the ECK to announce the results of the presidential
    poll upon receipt and verification of Forms 16 from the 210 constituencies. This is the
    legal requirement and procedure used in all past elections starting 1992, 1997 and 2002.
    It is, therefore, misleading to say that the ECK failed to establish a national tallying
    mechanism as obliged by law.

    Allegation 11: 5 ECK Commissioners have come forward to confirm rigging

    ECK response:
    This is news to us! All the ECK Commissioners were present to
    confirm the final results of the Presidential Poll as announced by the Chairman of the
    ECK on December 30. The ECK is not aware of any Commissioner(s) who has
    confirmed this allegation of rigging.

    Allegation 12: The ECK received “results” away from public scrutiny from
    candidates or their agents, and then announced these “results” which is against the
    law.

    ECK response:
    Under Kenya’s electoral law, results are announced at each polling
    station in the presence of party agents before transmission to the constituency tallying
    centre. In fact ECK had offered to train the agents at its cost and very few came forward.
    So if some did not sign the forms it was either out of arrogance or ignorance for which
    ECK cannot be blamed. The law does not provide for the presence of agents when the
    ECK is receiving election returns from Returning Officers.

    Allegation 13: ODM agents were barred by armed police and paramilitary officers
    from accessing the tallying room at KICC.

    ECK response:
    This is misleading. Ordinarily, the tallying room at KICC was limited to
    the ECK and not to party agents since the facility was to merely receive and verify results
    from Returning Officers. These results would already have been witnessed by party
    agents at the polling stations and constituency tallying centre. If they had asked to access
    the facility ECK could have considered it. As a matter of fact on December 29, the ECK
    allowed each of the three main political parties – ODM, ODM-K and PNU – to send their
    representatives in to the tallying room to verify the presidential tally from all the
    constituencies. These representatives were: ODM (James Orengo, Dickson Ogolla),
    ODM-K (Mr Muteti) and PNU (Martha Karua, George Nyamwea).The following
    observers were also present: KEDOF( Hassan Shanman, Nassir Ahmed, Koki Muli);
    Association of Professional Societies in East Africa (Julius Melli, Ben Sihanya). It is,
    therefore, misleading to say that agents of political parties were not allowed into the
    KICC tally room.

    Allegation 14: In 48 constituencies, results had no Forms 16A which made them
    unacceptable under the law as true and accurate results.

    ECK response:
    For the record, Forms 16A are completed by Presiding Officers in the
    presence of party agents and observers at each polling stations. The Returning Officer
    then prepares Form 16 which is a summary of the results contained in all the Forms 16A
    from all polling stations in a constituency.
    The claim on the 48 constituencies was first made by the Hon. William Ruto on
    December 30th when ODM addressed an international press conference at KICC. Hon.
    Ruto knew or ought to have known that his claim was misleading and misdirected. At the
    conclusion of the tallying exercise on December 30th, only results from 11 constituencies
    did not have Forms 16 received at KICC. The Returning Officers from all these 11
    constituencies had already phoned in the results (as required), but by law, the ECK could
    not announce the final results until it had verified the returns from each of these
    constituencies. The chairman of ECK announced that a helicopter had been dispatched to
    collect these returns from the pending constituencies and these were received and verified
    before announcement of the final results.

    Allegation 15: That the law gives the presiding officer a legal duty to ensure every
    voter marks the three ballot papers and places them in the proper ballot boxes.

    ECK response:
    On the election day, there were three distinct elections — civic,
    parliamentary and presidential. While each voter is expected to fill in three ballot papers,
    it is not mandatory that one must vote in all the 3 elections – civic, parliamentary and
    presidential.

    All along ECK has said it publicly that it is ready to go with all the parties concerned and
    look at all Form 16s and verify what they state and tally them. But instead of ODM
    taking advantage of this offer it has preferred to aggravate the dispute by involving the
    public in the streets which has lead to injuries and deaths of innocent Kenyans, and also
    by making it an international agenda.

    Reply

    Forward

93. 93. toiyoi (106 Comments) | January 26th, 2008 at 6:43 pm

    M, Why do you let this joe desecrate your otherwise very good and balanced blog? why allow irrelevant comments?

94. 94. TLele (8 Comments) | January 27th, 2008 at 7:17 am

    @Joe (#92), the ECK could also shed its light on one mystery that has been baffling for some of us: Could ODM also have rigged?

    There have been repeated claims by the “government” and the Party of National Unity (PNU) that their rival, ODM, also rigged the votes in its strongholds. But nobody seems to question how ODM could have managed such a feat.

    Some in the international community, including the EU Observer Mission and the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Ms. Jendayi Frazier, seem to be falling for the ruse and lending credence to the allegations.

    If the government/PNU and the ECK were so convinced that the opposition also rigged, why did they not follow the country’s electoral laws — the same laws they are sworn to protect and obliged to enforce and which they are now “urging” ODM to abide by — and address these issues within the stipulated time period as lawyer Donald B. Kipkorir brilliantly explained in a recent article in a local daily (”Why Kivuitu must be held accountable for poll chaos”, the Daily Nation, 5 January, 2007)?

    As Kipkorir noted, the electoral laws require that “the ECK gives all parliamentary and presidential candidates 24 hours to lodge complaints, if any, including demanding a recount or retallying. The ECK is obliged to, within 48 hours, allow the recount or retallying. All candidates and the ECK therefore have 72 hours to resolve any disputes. It is only after the period that the ECK can announce the winners of each of the 210 parliamentary seats and issue a certificate known as Form 17 to each elected MP and Form 18 to the elected president. The results are then gazetted.”

    I personally think that these allegations are a red herring designed to throw us off the track and to cover up the real issue here–that the government was caught with its hands firmly stuck in the cookie jar. Let’s consider what we know to be facts (not suppositions):

    1) The government was always in complete control of the election process—as government officials, including then outgoing president Mwai Kibaki and the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), were falling all over themselves to assure the public when ODM and Kalonzo Musyoka’s ODM-K first raised the prospect of the government rigging the election;

    2) President Kibaki appointed all the ECK commissioners without reference to anybody else;

    3) the government, through the ECK, awarded contracts for printing the ballots papers—and again went to great lengths to assure us that no fake ballots could be introduced into the system;

    4) the government/ECK kept these ballot boxes and ballot papers under lock and key (and again assured the public that no one, except the ECK, had access to them);

    5) the ECK transported the ballot materials using government transport, under heavy police guard, to the polling stations (and once again assured the whole country that the ballots were safe and sound);

    6) the government/ECK appointed, trained, and paid all the election personnel (returning officers, clerks, etc) without reference to the opposition;

    7) the ECK generally oversaw the voting, counting, and tallying of votes in all the constituencies;

    8) thousands of observers, voting clerks, party agents, the media, and voters observed every step of the voting and tallying processes at the constituency level—and not one of them was reported as complaining about ballot stuffing or any such shenanigan at that stage;

    9) party agents signed off on the results announced at these polling stations;

    10) the returning officers announced the results in front of all present as soon as the counting and tallying were completed at the constituency level—that is how those elected knew immediately that they had won and could celebrate—and the results were also recorded by voters, party agents, election observers, and the mass media.

    The process that I have outlined above was more or less the same everywhere in the country, except in a few locations such as Starehe, Kamukunji, and Kajiado North, where there were complaints.

    (Later, opposition party agents and observers reported that they were denied access to the tallying areas and denied the chance to sign the now infamous Forms 16, 16A and 17A, at various constituencies, particularly in the PNU strongholds of Central and Eastern Provinces; PNU in turn claimed its agents were intimidated out of ODM strongholds in Nyanza.)

    Interestingly, the presidential results in some of the PNU strongholds were held back while civic and parliamentary results were announced.

    It therefore boggles the mind why the government would turn around and expect people to believe that ODM could have found a way to also rig the vote—not after all the multiple assurances that it (government), the ECK, and the state security apparatus gave to the public in the period leading up to the vote.

    To me a more plausible explanation is that if any ballot stuffing occurred, it was carried out by someone with full access to the system. And who could this be if not the government and ECK?

    I think whoever did the stuffing (if that is how it was done) did it in collusion with the ECK or inflated figures from selected opposition areas deliberately (after all the rigging claims are based on supposed “suspiciously” high voter turnouts in certain ODM strongholds, something that could easily have been achieved by inflating numbers) in order to find an excuse to cry foul in the event that their own rigging was discovered.

    Unfortunately the international community/ observers are doing Kenyans a great disservice by repeating these claims, without any attempt to analyze the facts, in their enthusiasm to appear neutral.

    When all is said and done, the government/PNU complaints are just a red herring.

95. 95. Jose (24 Comments) | January 28th, 2008 at 10:11 am

    TLele,

    Are you saying that everything PNU is saying is lies and that eveything ODM is saying is truth?

96. 96. TLele (8 Comments) | January 28th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    @Jose:
    No, not really. All I’m saying is that based on what the government (or PNU) and ECK said when ODM and ODM-K claimed there were signs that rigging would occur–remember claims that certain people were doctoring voters’ registers and that some people were printing parallel ballot papers in Belgium?–the onus is on the government and ECK to explain how ODM could have breached the system to rig. When and where did the breach occur? Where did they get plain ballot papers to mark and stuff into ballot boxes? How did they know what the ballot papers looked like, such that they could make them indistinguishable from the genuine item, given that the government had them under lock and key until the voting day? Why did the government insist that NOBODY was printing extra ballots and that even if they did print fake ballots, the system was impregnable and they could NOT introduce them into the system? Go back through your newspapers and you’ll find all these assurances–right up to the time that some APs were being killed on allegations that they had been sent to stuff ballots, at which time the government/PNU/ECK again insisted that there was no way that was true because there was no way anybody could reach the system!

    If my memory serves me right, we have a very efficient NSIS that would normally smell out even the tiniest whiff of such shenannigans and nip them in the bud (unless someone can convince me that NSIS has become useless).

    So now are we supposed to believe that all the assurances were merely lip service? If we believe that, then what else are we being told/assured of today that will turn out not to be mere lip service, lies, or bravado?

    I’m not claiming that any side is right and the other wrong; that is why I asked the ECK to shed light on the issue. Of course if you know any better please enlighten me.

97. 97. abelian (53 Comments) | January 28th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

    Is it too late to save this country? Why can’t people understand that no one with violence no one wins? Why do Africans keep on repeating the same mistake? The world will watch while we kill each other and no one will lift a finger, we are then going to flock to refugee camps and wait for World Food Programme, UNHCR to come and help us out.

    One thing is for sure, Raila, Kibaki and their families will not be in that refugee camp..

    WTF is wrong with us?????

98. 98. TK (10 Comments) | January 29th, 2008 at 3:01 am

    Kenyans who live in the US please contact your Senator and arge them to support the Kenyan bill mentioned in the link below. No ODM Pentagon member and PNU government official and their families should be allowed to travel to the US until they show a concerted effort to stop the killings and find a solution to the current crisis. ! PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATOR!!!

    http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=115623

99. 99. kibakiout (4 Comments) | January 29th, 2008 at 5:06 am

    People of Kenya,

    We have suffered enough in the hands of money and power hungry M’F'ers. The peace solution is getting further away from us as we type our words and feelings.

    Kibaki did not win the elections, that we all know, but he has the power to stop Kenya from civil war, and irreparable damage.

    Kenya will be no more, the phrase ‘Hakuna matata will no longer be the invite to the tourists! Kibaki and his men are the only people who can allow this to happen. Its a pitty, but the only way to stop this, is to stop Kibaki himself. lgnijnci,vmjg;qjgnvjfv,gjq’,v

100. 100. kibakiout (4 Comments) | January 29th, 2008 at 5:12 am

     May kibaki’s soul never rest in peace, until the Souls of those duly departed because of his money and power hunger get their revenge in the afterlife.

101. 101. mzalendo#3 (8 Comments) | January 29th, 2008 at 6:39 am

     The BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7214558.stm reports that the new Embakasi MP, Mr. Mugabe Were, was shot dead in Nairobi today. Seems we’re in for a new round of bloodletting, including suspected political assassinations (Note: suspicions, not confirmed).