It started with Paul Muite. When he joined the likes of Raila Odinga in calling for minimum reforms, a battery of high-ranking politicians from central province went to his Kabete constituency uninvited and called him a traitor.
Led by powerful justice minister Martha Karua, the Kikuyu politicians did not mince their words and indirectly told their listeners that those agitating for the reforms were enemies of the community as they did not wish president Kibaki to smoothly sail through in the forthcoming December general elections.
Among the key issues in the reforms that the opposition is keen to see introduced is a new requirement that the winning presidential candidate garners more than 50% of the total amount of votes. This is virtually impossible for Kibaki to achieve, even with a disjointed opposition and will force a two horse race run-off, which the Othaya MP as the incumbent will find difficult to win.
Muite hastily called a press conference the following day and dismissed Hon Karua and her team as shortsighted tribalists who had trivialized the constitution agenda for their own selfish interests.
He was so annoyed that he accused Karua of traveling all the way from Gichugu to talk nonsense to his constituents and warned her that her schemes were bound to fail miserably as Kenyans were not as gullible as she thought. What really got to Muite was the accusation by Karua that he had mismanaged the CDF for Kabete constituency. Muite insisted that the Kabete CDF was one of the best managed in the entire country.
Finding himself also being branded a traitor was the controversial Subukia legislator Koigi wa Wamwere who is in support of reforms before the polls and has even gone further and questioned the way Narc-Kenya are conducting themselves ahead of the general elections.
The vocal assistant minister says that he has been told that Narc-Kenya 'is the party of our tribe' and has challenged it to unveil its manifesto and deal with people like activist Stanley 'moneybags' Livondo who was caught on camera dishing out money in Ikolomani to scores of people at a funeral and hurled more as he took off in the helicopter he had arrived in.
It is common knowledge that Kikuyu's always look out for each other and are known to be the most tribalistic community in Kenya not to mention the wealthiest. On another note, they are also power hungry with most of them assuming that it is their birth right to always rule this country.
During president Moi's 24-year rule, the community were alienated by the Kanu regime and now that they are in power, it is most likely they will cling on to it at whatever cost even if it means shedding blood.
However, majority of Kenyans feel that Kikuyus have had their time and should now step aside and let people from other communities have a go at the highest office in the land. There are about 42 tribes in Kenya.
It is now increasingly clear that this issue of Kikuyu dominance and selfishness is bound to take center-stage in the forthcoming general elections.
Nation media group on fire.
wen u started this thing i thot it wuld be a fair and educative blog and it was. now u've made it a highway for ethnicity and irrelevance. dont kill my dream
ReplyDeleteMartin, the post may sound very strong on the ethinicity issue; but I am glad somebody actually came out in the open and provided a candid analysis of the tribalistic nature very evident among the Kikuyu.
ReplyDeleteThe other communities have nothing against the Kikuyu, but the Kikuyu have over time alienated themselves.
Look at the voting patterns over the years, and most recently during the referandum.It is easier for all the other communities to vote for a Kikuyu, but given the same option will a Kikuyu vote for another community esp a Luo? No.
Unless, they shed the tribal tug, like Uhuru, Muite and a few others it will be extremely difficult for the Kikuyu to ever recapture the high office.
Actually he is just stating the unpleasant truth. Kikuyus have to get to where they can say "Raila Tosha" just as the Luos did in 2002.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest threat to stability and true democracy in Kenya is Kikuyu exceptionalism and the sense among Kikuyus that only they are entitled to rule Kenya.
I say this as a Kikuyu
emk
I think the blatant tribalism of this poster is the true threat to Kenyan stability emk's "kikuyuness" notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteThe campaign by Raila and ODM to paint Kikuyus as tribalists is based on lies and ethnic hatred. The luo's voted for Kibaki because Raila told them to Raila convinced his fellow luos that was the path way to luo power they viewed Kibaki as a tool who would then hand over power to Raila and luos via the executive PM post. That is the genesis for the palpable bitterness about the MOU that Luo's exhibit.
It must also be noted that the idea that Kikuyus will not vote for non Kikuyus is ridiculous. Kikuyus were Tom Mboya's main supporters. During the election both Major candidates were Kikuyus so accusing them of voting for one of their own makes no sense. Conversely Luo's and others get no credit for voting for a kikuyu because both major candidates were Kikuyus. The referendum was turned by ODM from a constitution debate into a vehicle for promoting ethnic hatred and envy against Kikuyus it is therefore not surprising that most Kikuyus voted against it. While the strong vote for "NO" in places like Nyanza was driven by tribalism.
Martin said...
ReplyDeletewen u started this thing i thot it wuld be a fair and educative blog and it was. now u've made it a highway for ethnicity and irrelevance. dont kill my dream.
---------Kumekucha says;
My dear Martin, the LAST THING I WOULD WANT TO DO is kill your dream. Nay, our dream, in fact the Kenyan dream. I humbly apologise if I've upset you. I did not intend to.
However I strongly believe that after people have upset each other they become better friends because they understand each other better.
The ugly truth, my dear Martin, is that for too long now our leaders have been very selfish and they've encouraged and inspired us to be the same. Yet what we need most RIGHT NOW and VERY BADLY for our beloved motherland is SELFLESSNESS. We need to start considering our fellow Kenyan better than ourselves and our fellow Kenyan's tribe better than our own tribe. This is the only reconciliatory attitude that will save our great country.
I am not a Luo (I am the product of a mixed marriage between a Kamba and a Luhya) and I am married to a Kikuyu. Our son can never allow me to hate the Kikuyu, just as he will not allow me to hate the tribe of his grandfather whom he loves so much and the tribe of his grandmother whom he misses too much (she died before he wa born). But I urge you to join me and other Kikuyus who are more patriotic that tribalistic (this group is rapidly increasing in number every day) in saying, let us give the other tribes a chance. Let us for a moment consider them to be better than ourselves.
God bless our great nation of Kenya.
-Kumekucha-
P.S. I sincerely believe that there are enough Kenyans out there who can dare to think differently so as to make a difference.
Kumekucha
ReplyDeleteI think your hatred for Kikuyu's comes through in most of your articles. I hope you aren't letting problems with your wife lead to hatred for an entire tribe. This is always a risk when mixed marriages go bad.
I'm a product of a luo mother and a kikuyu father and the tribalism is on both sides. That is why I find your picking on oneside only kikuyus very tribalistic.
You could have pointed out that for any luo politician opposing Raila Odinga in Nyanza is a political suicide. Just ask Orengo and now Tuju who have faced vilification and political violence for not following Raila. Simply because Raila is considered the luo leader and the best hope for a luo president.
There is more diversity in political party affiliation in Central than in luo Nyanza. Kikuyus have MP's in both goverment and opposition they are also well represented in ODM, KANU etc, can the same be said for other tribes?
I always found my Kikuyu relatives to be more accepting of people like myself than the luo relatives who simply can't get over the okuyu half.
@ anonymous said;
ReplyDeleteI think your hatred for Kikuyu's comes through in most of your articles. I hope you aren't letting problems with your wife lead to hatred for an entire tribe. This is always a risk when mixed marriages go bad.
LOL
Ha,ha,ha,ha,he,he,he,he.
I found that a little funny, my brother.
I'll be sure to show this comment to my wife. Will get her to leave her own comment here, although she always says she hates politics.
The facts are that I've now been happily married to my Kikuyu beauty for 22 years. We're still the best of friends and she's stuck with me through some pretty tough times. Marrying her is the best decision I ever made. We do not always agree politically (that's how powerful propaganda can be) but we're always careful to have my teenage son (whom I've brought up to be fiercely indipendent and to reserach and come up with his opinion) refereeing our political debates.
The young man is very careful to protect his mother when she's vulnerable (so she always has a slight advantage over me in these debates) but he is still able to make her see things from a neutral perspective. How can I ever hate the Kikuyus my beloved inlaws? The Kikuyu who have provided such a good mother to my children. How can I look my son in the face (who has Kikuyu blood flowing through his veins) and tell him that I love him but hate the Kikuyu? IMPOSSIBLE!!
I love the Kikuyu and most of all I understand them very well. By the way my wife is from Kiambu.
However the future of Kenya is bigger than one community and the truth is that the Kikuyu hold the key and should, and must take a leadership role as they have always done, to end the cancer called tribalism in Kenya.
-Kumekucha-
Hello Kumekucha,
ReplyDeleteAm a Kikuyu, and I think its time that we be civil and accept the truth as it is today. Kikuyus have a feeling that Kibaki's presidency is Kikuyu presidency. During the constitution referendum, banana campaigns were turned tribal, with Kikuyu politians telling us that we could not allow what we reaped to be taken from our mouths. This they meant dfeating the proposed constitution was taking away the presidency from Kikuyus.
Another point: why are they saying that Muite has crossed to other side and become a traitor? Muite has never been in Narc, so which side was he before he crossed? What it means is that he is a Kikuyu and he has joined the other tribes to bring down Kibaki, which is a stupid way of thinking at this day and age.
Right now, if any Kikuyu comes out pointing to failures by the Kibaki administration to fulfill its election pledges, they will bran him/her a traitor. Lets wake up lest we wanna turn this nation in to another palestine. No matter what right or wrong a jewish official will do to the palestinians, we know what each side will say.
Be civil Kikuyus, you are blinded by your greed.
I. Gakure
It is comments like this one of I. Gakure that bring tears to my eyes. I'm trying to see through them tears as I write this.
ReplyDeleteThat some Kenyans mostly born after 1960, can dare to throw their tribes into the dustbin and talk like TRUE Kenyans. Have you noticed that they are increasing in number by the day? First there was John Githongo who said "no" to vast wealth and "no" to his tribe. Today we have a I Gakure and you can be sure that they are many, many, more others out there.
God bless the Githongos and God bless the Gakures, there is hope still for Kenya.
I love Kikuyus with all my heart, I love Luos with all my heart and I love every tribe in Kenya with all my heart, but most of all I love Kenya my country and this affection I am prepared to prove at great cost to myself.
-Kumekucha-
What chance, in reality, does a borana, giriama or Kenyan Indian, stand in being elected president under the current constitution? The constitutional reforms (both minimum and comprehensive) that are being sought are primarily to give all qualified Kenyans a fair chance to seek and get leadership positions in this country. Devolution is about empowering minority communities politically and economically.If the current regime could fulfill their most important election pledge - an acceptable new constitution within 100 days after elections - we would not be in this mess that is called government of national unity. I'd call it a government of survivors and tribalists.
ReplyDeleteMrs Chris says;
ReplyDeleteIt is true what my husband Kumekucha says that we are happy together, have been for over 22 years now.
However what is this thing about me having an advantage during political debates with him? NOT TRUE. He has brainwashed our son who looks upto him too much. More than is healthy, in my opinion.
Then I have also noted that Kumekucha indeed seems to have something against the Kikuyu especially those from Kiambu) although I have never taken it personally. One of his pet subjects which sometimes irritates me (he repeats it too often) is about all those Kiambu widows who are supossed to have poisoned their rich husbands to get acceess to the vast wealth they control. The guy doesn't have a shred of evidence to prove these allegations, although it is what vllage gossipers say.
Secondly no government can fully satisfy everybody. One good thing the Kibaki government has done is to provide free primary school education. So many people whom I know have benefitted from this. Children who were at home are now in school. This is something Kenyans should be very grateful to the Kibaki administration for. It really doesn't matter what people say about classrooms being filled to capacity with 100 students. At least many Kenyans are getting an education.
Some things though we agree on with my husband. Like the fact that the Kikuyu having had two stabs at the presidency should rise up to the ocassion and lead the way in reconciliation efforts in Kenya as they step aside for other communities to have a chance at leadership. It is time we the Kikuyu saw other tribes as better than ourselves for the good of the whole country.
Those who know us will confirm the fact that I love my husband very much and I am glad I got married to him. (I prayd to God for him). He's changed my life in many ways. But we do not agree on everything, which I think is very healthy.
-Mrs Kumekucha-
I have been a keen reader of this blog but the writer now seems to divert from his mainstream ideas of education and giving political arena, but I am very disgusted by the way this article was articulated. We have Kikuyus that you have already stated are in the callfor minimum reform, why do you ethnitise the issue then. Stop spreading ethnicity as well. May you please apologise for such an article in such a respectable blog. You have started to downgrade it
ReplyDeleteI am glad we have the Githongos and the gakures out there . Actions speak louder than words and Kikuyus have always on the higher side supported their own .. I also have a partner who is kikuyu our son is a Cucumber ( kamba + Kyk ) I admire the zeal with which Kikuyus uphold their beliefs and language .. but come on guys we are KENYANS lets come out of the chains that are used by politicians to their convinience to divide us ethnically ..the divide today is either you RICH or POOR and once we start understanding that concept it wont matter who is in power
ReplyDeleteKumekucha
ReplyDeleteYour protestations that you don't hate kikuyus are impressive but evidently even your wife is unconvinced. The reason is statements like
It is common knowledge that Kikuyu's always look out for each other and are known to be the most tribalistic community in Kenya not to mention the wealthiest. On another note, they are also power hungry with most of them assuming that it is their birth right to always rule this country.
This is clearly tribe baiting and not one informed by empirical evidence but rather by prejudice.
Your son and wifes ethnicity not withstanding it is obvious from your writing that you do hate kikuyus.
I doubt you have done any comparative study of tribalism amongst Kenyan tribes yet you perniciously label kikuyus the most tribalistic.
You accuse kikuyus of looking out for each other as though that is some kind of crime or an undesirable trait peculiar to kikuyus.
Indeed the accusation contains a revealing portion, you accuse Kikuyu's of not just being the most tribalistic but also the wealthiest.
Clearly the supposed wealth of kikuyu's troubles. That maybe the source of your prejudice.
You also accuse Kikuyu's of believing they are the only ones who can rule. While I cannot say that there are no kikuyus who hold that view. I can confidently state there are many who don't so you tar the Kikuyus with the views of aminority. Can you say that there are no Kalenjins who hold similar views. Of late we have had the luo ker express similar sentiments about luo's deserving the presidency. Luhya's also seem to harbour views along those lines.
You single out one Kenyan tribe kikuyus and vilify them for views that are found amongst some members of all populous tribes. That is why you appear anti-kikuyu.
If you love kikuyus like you claim you would stop your vilification and unwarranted attacks directed at that tribe.
Truth be told, all tribes in Kenya believe they have the right to rule. All ethnic groups are guilty of being die hard tribalists so it seems somewhat unfair to claim it is only the kikuyu. I believe that given the opportunity and vast resources that the kikuyu political elite have had in the past, the luos,luhyas etc would have done the same. Even during the referendum, the inspiration that coagulated all the other tribes was ethnic hatred for the kikuyu. Is it the case of a man pointing one finger, while four are pointed at him? I believe the editor of this blog believes what he says is true, which makes it more sad. I do not doubt the fact that he has made a conscious effort to be objective. However, i believe subconcsiously his opinion is skewed against the kikuyu, as is of most people. Therefore it is upon us(emerging leaders) to make a conscious effort to resist the urge to be tribalistic, however strong the urge is.
ReplyDeleteI and people around me want a country that individuals get an equal chance to excel or fail. Not one in which others get free primary education in classrooms and clean drinking water while others are reminded that they are failing because they are not supporting the government of the day. The only reason to make it necessary for me to "look out" for my tribesman is the knowledge that he cannot compete fairly.
ReplyDelete