WAKI Report: The Perpetrators of the Ethnic Skirmishes must be brought to Book

Guest Post by Mwalimu Peter M. N. Ngugi


The fact that the findings of the Waki team have revealed some very incriminating evidence against leaders in both PNU and ODM, is a very clear indicator that the mayhem that engulfed Kenya early this year was meticulously planned by the rich political and business elite. And as the saying goes, ‘The guilty ones are always afraid’. This explains why some politicians are in an inexpressible state of panic while others have in no uncertain terms trashed the Waki report.

In as much as it is important to forget the past and think of how best to ‘build a New Kenya’ , it is also imperative that we bring to book both the financers and the perpetrators of the atrocious acts for, if we let them go scot free, that would be tantamount to sowing seeds of impunity. It is no doubt that gross crimes against humanity were committed and all the people who aided and abetted the murderers, regardless of their stations in life, must be tried by an International Tribunal.

Every right thinking kenyan should therefore call upon President Kibaki and Premier Raila not to allow the tempering of justice with forgiveness. Everyone must carry their own cross. We must not allow ourselves to be blinded by barbarism and stupid ethnicity. It is high time that we accepted that Kenya is a multi cultural society and that the basic tenets of true Kenyanness lies not in our tribes but in our resolve to invalidate all stupid value systems that are aimed at dividing us along tribal lines. It is time that we understood that our Luoness, Kambaness, Turkananess or Mijikendaness is nothing but a biological accident for, nobody, even the high and mighty sent a telegram or an sms to the Creator asking Him to create them in this or that tribe.

Folks, we must not allow the barbaric philosophies of politicians to fill our heads with negative ethnicity, abhorrence and bloody pettiness. We must understand that politicians play the tribal card to their advantage and not for the benefit of the poor youths who kill and maim at their behest. I would like to pose this sixty four thousand dollar question to all Kenyans: What have we got to show for our barbaric acts? The whole world had held us in such high esteem and we were all proud to be called ‘Kenyans’ before all the hell broke loose. Now, when incidents of utter stupidity and unfathomable barbarism are mentioned anywhere in the world, the Kenyans in diaspora bow their heads in shame as the ethnic cleansing in Kenya is cited as one of the most barbarous and unfortunate incidents to have happened in a civilized country. Fellow countrymen and women, are the people who visited terror on their innocent neighbours not poorer than they were last year? What about the politicians? Has any one of them gone to bed hungry? So, we are fools, aren’t we? If we are not bloody fools, tell me folks, why then did we arm ourselves with all manner of crude weapons and went on the rampage just because some sick barbarians told us to do so? It is an open secret that our blood is sweeter than honey to the politicians who ‘drink’ it and we must say an emphatic “no” to politics of barbarism and blood letting.

It goes without saying that the effects of the post election violence on the economy of this country are unfathomable. Schools, hospitals, roads and railways and farms were destroyed and money that would have been put into better use has to be used to try and clear the mess. How then can we say that these people should be forgiven? If these shameless people are not made to account for their acts, tribal skirmishes will become the norm rather than the exception. We must not allow forgiveness to entrench impunity! The verdict is out; all the murderers and their political godfathers must be tried and punished for their sins.

FREE delivery of DVDs (latest) to your doorstep anywhere in Nairobi