Violence Coming? Plus Dr Mutua: Stop messing up the peace efforts!

Update: There is this game we used to play when we were young. You twist the hand of your friend and as they scream out in pain, instead of letting go, you twist some more. The idea is to get them to scream as loudly as possible. You want to see just how far you can drive them up towards the pain barrier.

That is the game one Mwai Kibaki is playing with Kenyans. On Tuesday he appointed a cabinet and immediately there were riots across Kenya (according to the New York Times)

Interestingly on the Kumekucha post that announced this information, even Kibaki supporters felt that this was the wrong move.

Actually I fear for the worst. If the second wave of violence does come it will be worse than the first and I expect Nairobi to be affected very badly.

Who will save Kenya from this small clique of mad men (representing many tribes) that is holding the entire nation hostage?


Dr Mutua: Stop messing up the peace efforts!

By GUEST WRITER

Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua’s skills would have been badly needed during the dark days of the Kanu regime but not in modern Kenya.

He lost a good opportunity not to have been around during President Moi’s reign. Kenyans of today can’t be fooled easily.

The manner in which Dr Mutua has been discharging his public duties since he mysteriously landed on the job has been an issue of great public concern. However, the statements that have been coming from him after tragedy hit the country following the disputed December 27 General Election reveals the amateurish manner in which he handles his job.

His recent statements make him look like the spokesman for the Party of National Unity (PNU) and not a Government spokesman. There is a clear distinction between PNU and the Government. The Government – which Dr Mutua serves – is for all the 33 million Kenyans but PNU belongs to Kibaki and those who subscribe to his ideologies (if he has any). Dr Mutua’s statements are a replica of those coming out of PNU hawks.

Dr Mutua, either acting on his behalf or at the behest of the infamous Mt Kenya Mafia led by Head of Civil Service chief Francis Muthaura, seems hell bent to add more confusion to the already volatile situation in Kenya.

It has become almost a routine to see the Government spokesman addressing a media conference every day in the company of his counterpart in the police, Mr Eric Kiraithe. Nothing sensible comes out of their mouths every time they take the microphone.

Of worth noting is Dr Mutua’s repeated statements that Kenya does not require an external mediator to resolve the current political crisis. He said Kenya was not at war and the problem could be solved by us.

And when it finally emerged that Ghanian President and the African Nations Chief John Kuffuor was headed to Nairobi to spearhead international mediation between Mr Kibaki and the would-be President, Mr Raila Odinga, Dr Mutua has changed tune. He now says that President Kuffuor and Mr Kibaki are good buddies and the Ghanian leader was coming to Kenya on the invitation of Mr Kibaki and not on mediation mission.

Contrary to the filtered news from mainstream media and fake official police reports, more than 1,000 Kenyans have lost their lives in the post-election violence and hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced from their homes and property worth billions of shillings lost. What joy does Dr Mutua and his like-minded characters derive from swimming in the blood of innocent Kenyans?

Kenya is bleeding profusely and the country has been gripped by fear that has no precedent in independent Kenya. It is, therefore, callous for anyone to turn a blind eye to the current crisis and declare that Kenya was not on fire and there was no need of an external arbitrator.

If President Kibaki is not what we know him to be - a visionless fence-sitter who fears making any slight move or even make a minor decision – Kenyan would not be bleeding the way it is for now and there would be no need of external help.

But Kenyans would be so naïve to expect President Kibaki to lead the nation into resolving the national crisis or on a healing path yet he has failed to solve petty domestic squabbles with his wife, Lucy, leading to embarrassing spill-over in public!

It’s due to President Kibaki’s actions that Kenya is on fire and that is why there is a growing outcry locally and internationally that international mediators are needed to help Kenyans put out the fire before it wipes out the face of our beloved nation. It’s within Dr Mutua’s knowledge and understanding that Kenya is in the current state because President Kibaki stole the December 27 General Election.

There is no doubt that President Kibaki is occupying State House illegally after stealing the presidency from Mr Odinga. Although Mr Odinga, who had won the Presidency through a democratic and transparent process, had a constitutional to refuse to hold any talks with the illegitimate President in State House, he has softened his earlier hard-line stand and agreed to share a table with the pretender-to-the-throne.

Depending on the way Mr Odinga plays his cards, he might emerge from the talks the statesman to be remembered and envied for years to come. Already, he enjoys the sympathy, confidence and credibility of a majority of the Kenyan populace and the international community.

On the other hand, President Kibaki’s credibility and reputation has suffered heavily since he was declared winner of the stolen election. Is it then a wonder that no country has sent congratulatory messages to President Kibaki since he was declared winner and sworn in for a second term in a funeral-like ceremony at the lawns of State House?

If I was President Kibaki, I would soul-search deep in my heart and find out why he has been isolated by world leaders. He risks losing the global goodwill he enjoyed if he continue clinging to stolen presidency. The visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr Jendayi Frazer, on Monday told the media that they congratulated the Kenyan people and NOT President Kibaki’s “victory”.

That is why I argue that if I was Mr Odinga, I would play my cards well. This will boost his political status locally and internationally. Already, President Kibaki is feeling the pinch and that is why he has sent emissaries like George Saitoti, Uhuru Kenyatta, Moses Wetangula and Raphael Tuju to countries in Africa to beg for recognition. We wish them luck in their mission!

We need to hear voices of reason - people encouraging dialogue between Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga for the best interest of our country but not voices of doom. The likes of Dr Mutua should be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

What will the likes of Dr Mutua achive if Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga turn their backs against each other and the country explodes into a huge bonfire?

I submit here that Dr Mutua – who is Mr Muthaura’s mouthpiece – should shut up if he has nothing better to tell Kenyans. Kenyans wants peace. He should not pour cold water on Mr Odinga’s reconciliation overtones – which will be beneficial to the majority of Kenyans who are suffering from the post-election violence.

Furthermore, there is an unwritten rule that you don’t continue hitting a man when he is down. Despite being robbed of the presidency in a day-light robbery, Mr Odinga has done what many thought he would not do – agreeing to talk with the thief!

I highly doubt if the likes of Dr Mutua are feeling the pinch of the violence. Whatever method is used to restore peace and sanity in Kenya is welcome to those who don’t harbour selfish interests.