Are The Revenge Attacks Escalating?
News from Nakuru is scanty and difficult to come by but Kumekucha can confirm that there are some serious clashes going on in the town at the heart of the Rift Valley and the largest security operation since the aborted 1982 coup has now been deployed involving the Kenya Army.
I have been unable to reach our man on the ground but from the information gathered so far, it appears that a revenge attack by mainly members of the Kikuyu tribe, against Luos and Kalenjins living in the Cosmopolitan Nakuru town is what triggered off the whole incident.
Some reports indicate that members of the Kalenjin and Luo re-grouped too quickly (like they were expecting the attack) and chased after the attackers who had burnt houses as well as killed people. Some eyewitnesses claim that policemen stopped them and assured them that they would arrest the whole lot on their own. However this looked unlikely as the policemen were vastly outnumbered by the attackers.
It is not clear at what point the Kenya Army arrived, but it is common knowledge that the Army are mostly trained to kill and fight gun battles rather than to quell riots, which suggests that the security situation in the town must be extremely serious.
It is instructive to note that the clashes in most of the Rift Valley has brought a vast majority of the refugees to Nakuru town and many of the Kikuyu victims who have lost everything have been holed up in the town.
This development is significant because although we have seen clashes in the major city of Nairobi, so far they have been limited to slum areas like Kibera, Mathare and Huruma. In Nakuru we have witnessed for the first time clashes coming into town and involving the middle class. This is certainly very bad news for Kenya and illustrates the fact that despite the optimism from many quarters yesterday when Kibaki and Raila shook hands in front of the press, nobody is addressing the core issues and therefore we need to brace ourselves for the worst. Actually it is becoming increasingly clear by the day that nothing short of Mwai Kibaki’s resignation from the stolen presidency will restore peace in the Rift valley.
Read more about Nakuru violence.
Good Lord,
ReplyDeleteThis is what we feared most... Not nakuru getting involved war but middle class Kenyans getting sucked in the war of the poor as they have said so far!
This ivolvement of the middle class of our society means it is a war of all for all! World over middle class are engine of the society and their involvemrnt in any war means all 'guns' blaring and everything goes and that is bad news for Kenya.
Nakuru is very strategic for Kenya and East Africa to be sucked into this war! If peace (and by extention JUSTICE) can not prevail in Nakuru then the whole of Kenya is at war!
We all want peace for Kenya but we forget to remember that peace can't come without justice.
Our own National anthem says in a stansa JUSTICE be OUR shield and defender MAY WE dwell in UNITY PEACE AND LIBERTY.Plenty be found within our borader.
As at NOW we have non of the above.
Justice is denied to majority of Kenyans by rigged election. We can't dwell in Unity because of Kibaki divisions. There can't be peace because it has been breched by those fighting to restore justice in Kenya. What about our liberty? This was taken by Kimendero Michuki when he ordered stoppage of LIVE Broadcasts.
So we don't have justice,neither peace, unity nor liberty!
Kibaki and Mount Kenya guys must go home.
God help Kenya
Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the situation on the ground has overtaken the PNU/ODM 'peace' process. I think we are seeing the first shoots of a civil war - the seeds were sown in the Eldoret. Not even ODM can stop this now.
I have just received news from Nakuru that the battle has now spread to several estates. Also, the rebellion in the North led by the Sabaot Land Defence Army is closing into Kitale.
ReplyDeleteOnly yesterday, the Cabinet Minister Wekesa admitted that the Rebels have better weapons than the police.
Surely, Mwai Kibaki, his four old men friends-Wanjui, Nat Kang'ethe, Nick Wanjohi, Muhoho, and his second wife Mary Wambui should wake up and leave the stolen seat.
Its not about Kikuyus, Luos Kalenjins etc. It is about these five characters, drunk in billions that they have stolen, believing that everyone else in Kenya is a fool.
I wonder whether John Cardinal Njue, Bishop Mark Kariuki, Rev David Githii have any conscience. Why do they praise these thieves, instead of telling them the truth that they are messing our beautiful country,
Why are the church leaders from Central Kenya silent on the matter of the stolen votes? Why?
Chris,
ReplyDeleteDusk to Dawn ccurfew has been imposed in Nakuru - Kenya's 4th largest town. Police were overwhelmed and one wonders why this coincided with a massive police bosses transfers and sackings - with Rift Valley PPO's fate unknown as we post this. This is a town Kale's will not let go off easily.
Meanwhile, Raila is pursuing the Annan peace initiative as a respecter of democracy and to honour Nelson Mandela who sent him a personal appeal through Graca who is part of this initiative. This DOES NOT MEAN that ODM are short of options. This also does not mean that ODM supporters will sit and wait for meaningless peace mediation initiatives.
There's tension all over the country including a serious division within the Kenyan military.
Just today, as Nakuru is burning, wananchi set ablaze a Citti Hoppa bus in Embakassi - an obvious target.
Raila and ODM will never recognise the government of Kibaki and negotiations will not go anywhere with Kibaki purporting to be president. Infact, today it is emerging that even Kuffuor who was treated shabbily by Kibaki and co., has proposed to the AU not to recognise the government of Kibaki.
I said it before, and I want to repeat it again. Brace yourselves for the worst. Polisi wameshindwa na kazi, sasa majeshi wanaitwa inje.
The next round of clashes will NOT be with panga wielding gangs. Your guess is as good as mine. Infact, we have been advised to stock-up. Maybe this is the only language these PANUA geezers will understand.
things are getting out of hand and MK his lot need to realise that this thing is very big and not a joke. reconciliation is out of the until the root cause of the problem is sorted out.
ReplyDeleteMK do not use words that will trigger dramas
Meles in Addis gave interview to Guardian implicitly saying west should support Kibaki as they did with him after his own stolen elections - in the name of 'stability'...hmm at least so far Kibaki has not been recognised, but it's good news if our neighbours are getting nevous about their own chances of riging next time round. shame on guardian for caarying that kinf of propaganda
ReplyDeleteI think what we are witnessing is the government having taken advantage of the peace message and the calm that followed to recruit and train mungiki.
ReplyDeleteAt this point peace will only benefit one ethnic community.Kenyans should not be fooled by the tramped up message of peace
justice is the only path to peace
Anon7.32AM. Damn right!! It is now bigger than ODM/PNU. In fact, any sign of Raila backing down is enough to ignite further strife. It's likely that Kibaki's comments about being duly elected ignited the Nakuru chaos. I've heard that the Kikuyu are being pushed and encouraged by fire and pangas to move to Naivasha….the site of the final battle. Wajaama, is this the Kenya we live in today? Is there any Kenyan of medium astuteness who belives Kibaki actually won?
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, if there are indeed well funded militias in the Rift (not doubting their presence), is it fair to say that these bands of marauding militia were formed in response to the fear of the formally indomitable Mungiki?
Was Mungiki most active when Kibaki was at the helm?
Didn't Kibaki even encourage the head of Mungiki to run against Raila in Kibera?
Is Mungiki the number one skinner of children's heads and a world class bringer of terror?
What were the rest of Kenyans who are not Kikuyu or proscribe to the teachings of the living tent supposed to do?
Don’t get me wrong, I'm not justifying the militia in the Rift. All I'm saying is that the current violence has been sowed by the insecurity in this country especially within the past five years with Kibaki at the helm. Kibaki's administration has been inept in dealing with matters of insecurity thereby allowing the formation of militias as the citizens preferred method of protection. The blood of all the slaughtered Kikuyu and shot Luos and Kalenjins rests with Kibaki and no one else…..for he is the one who let Mungiki run loose, cause mayhem and intimidate every tribe to form their own similar militias. It is Kibaki who allowed government vehicles to transport weapons to Western Kenya. It is Kibaki who has allowed cabinet ministers with personal militias to run our country. It is Kibaki who has fanned hatred of the Kikuyu by his unfair appointments (just ask Kimunya at finance). It is Kibaki who has allowed the culture of guns and murder by allowing mercenaries like the Margayan brothers to roam free in our country. Kibaki is the reason we find ourselves in these evil times.
I do not think that the ruling class in Kenya understands the pain the rest of the struggling Kenyan citizens (whose only crime is desire to find a job, feed and clothe their family, educate their kids and live in some stable home environment) have endured since 1963.
ReplyDeleteThese Kenyans have suffered so much that they may have concluded that they would be better of dying a fast death fighting instead of a slow painful "poverty death". There are millions of Kenyans unable to afford healthcare. There are young people graduating from the universities and unable to find decent jobs. There are families with children being fired from their jobs because some South African company has taken over a Kenyan company. The list goes on.
It is very unfortunate that Kenyans who are dying, bleeding and losing their properties are not the cause of CURRENT problems.
Yet, these people are being used to confuse the real issues. Using citizens TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT in such a manner MUST BE criminal!!!
The elections, Kenyans thought, would begin to address some of these problems. Instead, they were told by the ruling elites "We are not interested in solving your problems. We are interested in protecting investors"; the same investors who cannot create jobs.
These ruling elites do not only have a clue about the suffering of the poor, they do not give a damn!!
Overt corruption and arrogance by the government officials have made many Kenyan citizens walking time bombs! WELL, THE BOMBS ARE EXPLODING!
That said, every Kenyan must begin looking at the ramifications of Kibaki's inept administration during the last five years. Let us not be too emotional that we dwell on only the past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that Kibaki has basically sentenced us to the sins and activities of his cronies. When a nation is nurtured under the dominance of violence, the citizens will become violent. Some of you remember the episodes of Lucy slapping journalists with laughter. What you fail to appreciate is the value of such episodes as recorded in your subconscious minds. You remember pictures of burning newspapers, scenes never before seen in Kenya? Well, when a government constantly bombards you with violence, funny or not, as a citizen you are bound to react in the same way.
This is not bs my friends. Take for instance Michukis threatening comments about rattle snakes. You see, when such are interpreted in other dialects, they may sound very violent indeed. Simple affairs such as those can actually make people pick up arms.
We all saw videos of Ruto being beaten by Nyachaes militia until he bled on the knees. That was funny then, but I'm sure there are people killing Kikuyus in the Rift solely to avenge bleeding knees. Not so funny now.
Violence begets violence. Many are wishing that the police will shoot hundreds so that thousands may give up. That's another violent character of Kibaki. In fact we are now used to the GSU. When we leave our homes in search of food, those we leave behind say their last byes. This is a life of violence that we have now accepted.
After all, our very own chief of police (Ali) has previously been threatened of a thorough whipping by foreigners from Armenia. Our president just laughter his head off while holed up at state house.
Local Kenya militias' damage on Kenyans will look like child play by the time the Western merceneries, protecting forreign investments, descend upon Kenyans. With these killing machines, there will be no human bodies left for burial, only ashes!!
ReplyDeleteThanks to elites who invited them in.
Anon (a) 10:06 AM. There is no question that the government is training and arming Mungiki. You remember the video of the monkey who killed the two peaceful demonstrators in Kisumu City? Wasn't that nyani too scrawny and short to be a GSU guy? His uniform was oversized and he ran as if some things were feeding on his toes.
ReplyDeleteThat was the first evidence of Mungiki in government issued uniform. Please see the video again.
As Jeff@2.56 in the previous thread suggested, there are only two solutions:
ReplyDelete“The solution is apparent from this standoff, that one of them has to stand down, in good faith and with a passionate appeal to his supporters to back him on the decision for the sake of the country. There could be an incentive package thrown in to encourage this. For Raila, it could be an internationally supervised timetable for completing the contentious constitutional reforms, etc. For Kibaki it could be an enhanced retirement package, immunity from prosecution for him and allies, etc.I think the calls for magnanimity are informed by this point of view.The question is, who will be willing to blink, first?
The other solution is to have another election....but without the two guys.”
Both ODMer and PANUAs should read his posting if they mean well for the country. That is the only way out. GNU is now useless.
Chris, you are very PESSIMISTIC. The riots in Nakuru, and thats what they are, just RIOTS, were not orchestrated by the Middle class, but by the holloi polloi. I come from Nakuru and I have relatives tehre....so your reporting is very very biased and in my opinion you are not qualified to be reporting about Nakuru if you are not there. What you have done is give us news, mixed with commentary, analysis and RUMORS--poor journalism, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteKibaki is not going to resign, you need to resign yourself to that fate. Raila and ODM brass need to do the work Kenyans have assigned them...the Official Opposition.
PS: If you refuse to post this article,thats fine, you have read and understood. and dont muzzle the press a la mode Poghisio et al.
whoever said sticks and stones can break our bones but words can never hurt was telling a lie-words are the fuel that can start a war and quite conversely end the very same war they started
ReplyDeleteThere's no dount that Kibaki's "i am your duly-elected president" comment was in bad taste; as to whether it actully fanned the flames of violence thats now spread to Nakuru you're guess is as good as mine but it is highly possible
During this negotiating period, his actions as "president" will be monitored very closely by not just ODM but the entire nation and he'd be well advised to pre-rehearse some neutral middle-ground sound bites to rehash for the cameras-if there's not going to be a re-run or another election then he and Raila will have to be judged in the kangaroo courts of public opinion with disastrous consequences ala Nakuru today-so please, watch your potty mouth
and he (as Raila) should refrain in future post conflict-mediation press conferences from making any remarks that defeat the purposes. On the other hand he was giving us an indication of where his
stand is...
ReplyDeleteto anonymous above,foreign mercenaries have already had contracts to kenya. Blackwater has already been used to rescue some american volunteers with usaid from the rift valley through uganda.
ReplyDeleteONLY Maathai, Maina and Githongo are trustworthy Kikuyus.
ReplyDeleteWhy are these most of these people dishonest, thieves and robbers?
One Example:
I was in Kisumu a year ago and witnessed a sad scene. A middle aged Luo wanted a grave stone. Although there were more manufactures at the vicinity (most of them Luos and Kisiis) he chose to buy from a Kikuyu. He negotiated the price and was told to come a week later. The man came back 2 days before the grave celebrations. The Kikuyu man insisted that the agreed amount was too little. He demanded 3 times the previously negotiated. Since Luos are cultivated people who love their customs, the man ended paying 2.5 the amount initally required. The Kikuyu man refused to settle on something less than that.
Is this story not similar to Kibaki's behaviour. Untrustworthy, corrupt, jealous, money-minded, power hungry and violent? To make it worse, even the Cardinal is not better!! If my people dont change, Kenya will be a failed state and the will be the most losers.
Kimani
There have been violence perpetrated against many Kenyans including elected members of Parliament. President Kenyatta and Daniel "nyayo house" arap Moi used to summon those MPs and Ministers who did not toe the lines and whip/flog/cane/slap them at STATE HOUSES before firing or demoting them. It was rumoured that the late JM Kariuki who, at the time of his death, was the MP for Nyandarua North, and late Robert Ouko, Minister for Foreign Affairs, were summoned to the STATE HOUSE and roughed up by his Excellency before being handed over to be butchered. Mwai Kibaki has been at the center of a series of humuliation of elected/public officials since 1963.
ReplyDelete*********STOP PRESS**************
Blackwater guys have been in the North Eastern Kenya for sometimes.
The behaviour of Kalozo Musyoka and Daniel arap Moi before the elections is beginning to make sense now. Rift Valley, Cental, Eastern and North Eastern provinces should have been worn by PNU. These are vital areas of foreign interest. So you now know why elections were rigged and why why BORED BLOGGER is speaking with confidence. He knows what the plan is!!
MY GOD, Oh, MY GOD MUSEVENI!
One day, just one day - i year, 10 years, a hundred years or 1000 years. My dead father and two brothers who died 4 weeks ago for no other reason, rather by just voting will get their justice. My relatives were not killed by Raila or Ruto or Kibaki but by our known neighbours to me in our village in burnt forest. I was born there 36 years ago and have not known any other village. We shall over come this - but they shall also be rained on one day. God bless you all kenyans, but remember your mother hacked to death by whoever. How would you feel? Chris kenya is in serious trouble. Help bring peace rather than fanning
ReplyDeleteIn response to the comments by "blessed" I ask: Does anyone on this blog personally know any of the individual mentioned by name herein? I do. I have read in horror as honorable men and women have been besmirched because of their political affiliations. None of you know the background role that these individuals play. (you just assume you know because someone else said so) Next time you want to post someone's name on such a blog remember that these are people, with families, children and parents. You may not agree with them. However, such disagreement does not give anyone the perogative to slander another.
ReplyDelete