Monday, July 20, 2009

Kibaki, Raila And The Hague: Can You Take The Terrible Truth?


In some ways, I cannot help sympathizing with the Kenyan government just now because they are really between a rock and a hard place where the Hague issue is concerned.

There is immense pressure on the government of Kenya to form a local tribunal to try post-election violence suspects and this push is coming mainly from the International community, especially the United States and Britain. (As I said in an earlier post the main architect behind this move is the president of the United States, Barack Obama).


However Kenyans have absolutely no faith in their own judicial system and want all the criminals (especially the big boys) to go to the Hague and face justice there. Even if it takes two or three years for this to happen.


Now the Kenyan government cannot form a local tribunal because any such legislation to make this possible will have to pass through parliament. And you and I know for a fact that there is no way the current parliament will pass any such bill (with or without instructions from party leaders).


So the only logical solution is to call for fresh elections.


I can hear you groaning and I can also hear you complaining about how the country is not ready for a general election and will NOT be ready for a while. I myself can fill this page with 100 reasons why there should never be any general elections in Kenya for the next 20 or even 100 years. However what is the alternative? What is the alternative to an election?


Incidentally there was an interesting statement made by Raila Odinga over the weekend. The Prime Minister has castigated the Kenya Human Rights Commission for releasing the list of suspects (upon which Kofi Anan based his list). Raila has also said (almost with the same breath) that the Hague should release it’s list of suspects too.


Very confusing statements those, don’t you think?


But let me help you see through the smoke screens. You must bear in mind that what politicians say and what they really want are always two very different things. The late Vice President Wamalwa Kijana put it very eloquently when he said that some politicians play their cards on the table while hiding the really dangerous ones under the table. That’s how the game of politics is played everywhere in the world.


Let me tell you a story to cement my point here. There is this guy who keeps on telling this woman that he loves her very much. The woman naturally drinks in this, but fate puts a terrible test before him. Just before their wedding, they decide to go for an HIV test. The Man comes out negative but the woman is HIV positive. Now in my book if the man really loves the woman as he has been constantly saying, and if it is true that he cannot do without her, then he ought to marry her, HIV or no HIV. Right?


In my story the man was naturally doing what most men do to women—telling her a pack of lies. And so when they come out of the VCT centre the man is lost for words even as his woman is devastated. He cannot even offer words of consolation. His mind is simply racing trying to find the quickest way out of all this… and yet the wedding cards have already been printed and the bride’s gown has been made.


So it is in politics. The truth of the matter is that both sides of the current political leadership funded and incited the chaos we saw in January 2008. ODM did it strategically to stop the stolen elections from being allowed to stand. The long term strategy was to make the country unmanageable until the elections were either repeated or the presidency given to the rightful winner. PNU did it mostly in retaliation for the blood bath that went on in the Rift Valley where the main victims were supporters of the party. So in essence before anybody else is put on trial for the blood bath, common sense demands that the leaders of ODM and PNU face justice first for what they sanctioned—the buck stops at their tables. If the courts find them innocent then it is okay as long as it is not the kind of courts Kenyan have seen in these shores since independence. The kind that they do NOT want the post election suspects to be tried in.


And that is why I have been suggesting for a long time now that the only solution for Kenya is that we find a way to go back to the polls as soon as possible. You don’t need to have any brains to realize that as long as the current government is in power you will NEVER get Raila and Kibaki to face justice. In fact the longer they remain in power the harder it will be to take those two gentlemen anywhere. For the politically naïve, let me explain further. Those two gentlemen this very minute do NOT have anything higher in their agenda than staying out of jail after they leave power and we are just giving them more time to destroy evidence, kill witnesses etc.


And by the way the minimal reforms people are talking about before the next elections is a pipe dream as long as Raila and Kibaki are in power. Do you honestly think that these two gentlemen and their advisors will allow reforms that will come back to haunt them? Please!!!!

That is the brutal truth. Sorry for saying such nasty things (especially about characters who are worshipped by some avid readers of this blog. Please remember that the good book says you shall NOT worship anybody else BUT THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD). Admittedly, the truth is often pretty nasty and unpalatable and usually requires quite a “strong stomach” to take.


P.S. I have recently been doing some fascinating e-interviews with various Kenyans from all walks of life. I will be publishing them here in Kumekucha and today I have started with THIS ONE about a Kenyan who claims he is making a lot of money from the web whilst based in Nairobi.

21 comments:

  1. Chris, wewe ni BURE KABISA. You have no news, just speculation. SPECULATOR!.
    NO elections.
    Hague on the way.

    Let the chips fall where they may...so that they can be eaten from the ground!

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  2. Yawn yawn...trying to blame Raila andKibaki equally will not wash Place all blame squarely on the thieve's hands.

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  3. I think it is wrong to call for fresh elections.

    Our judicial system is messed up yes, but it has to be reformed, going to elections is in a sense utilizing the judicial system, does it make sense to distract people from the fundamental problems which are that the institutions they are supposed to entrust dont function because of a lack of political will?

    We need to demonstrate to the mwananchi that they must proactively change things, that starts by allowing for a local tribunal set to international standards.

    We have to stop having this fear of our politicians, at the end of the day they represent our interests, and if we want a local tribunal they better give us a local tribunal, they will pass those bills the same way they are quick to pass their salary increments through.

    Its time to demand for more action, they are avoiding the inevitable, fresh elections are pointless when we dont even have someone as a potential president, they are C/D grade standard, we want A's.

    At the end of the day institutional reform, however little, will allow us to restore some sense of trust. Many guys are the same guys that said in 2007 that we shouldnt have elections until 2012, now they are turning around and saying the opposite, you made that bed, lie in it. No elections let us actually follow the constitution, it exists and it is not as bad as some of you think.

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  4. Chris,
    You are right and I can see through your concern. But come to think of it, with no respect of any standing institution what stop an election right now completing the destruction we started in 2007?

    Look at the judiciary and imagine a repeat bllod tango ala 2007. Add to that new 20 PCs with orders to shoot and you get a flaming apocalypse, ama? Be very afraif Chris, please, won't you?

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  5. What will elections do for you? Unless you're sure that the election will deliver Jesus of Nazareth, I submit that you'll just be replacing one set of thugs with another. I agree with 12:07, the best we can do to try and make behavior a little more predictable might be to tweak the institutions here and to demand enforcement of our very own by our very own.

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  6. The sooner you mongerels will stop apportioning equal blame to Kibaki and Raila the better for your a$$es. It is almost becoming fashionable to alway throw in Raila in any mess when all and sundry knows where the real mess is. Kumbaf wewe.

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  7. The reason Raila wants the list in Hague to be read aloud is because it contains some people (Uhuru & Ruto) he would like fixed before 2012 in order to clear his way State House. Poor fellow doesn't realize that his main obstacle is Kalonzo who starts off the 2012 race with over three million votes in his vote basket.

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  8. Chris,

    The ODMorons will swallow you alive for telling it as it is and provoking their allergy to truth.

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  9. Kitenda wili, tega! Nani atapitia katikati mpaka ikulu?

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  10. Chris

    You disappoint me again, can you explain to me where all those trucks full of fake GSU and Police were heading before December 27th 2007 election day?

    Refer to Jane Kihara former MP Rift Valley.. Kibaki had already ferried Mungiki gang ready for attack even before the elections- (refer to statehouse meeting)

    2. ODM knew already that they would win the elections, the numbers said the same- US polls confirm that.. ODM trusted in Kibaki to do the honorable thing and hand over after defeat just like Moi did in 2002 elections..

    So for you to insinuate that ODM planned to have the country unmanageable after the elections is shear " BULLHSHAITE" GET REAL PAL

    Stop creating your imagination and stories that are full of lies.. do you sincerely think that as Kenyans we are that thick or stupid? just because you own this blog - you should be above propaganda and lies.. shame on you CHRIS!!

    NOW YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ELECTIONS SO THAT UNDER THE SAME CONSTITUTION KIBAKI CAN ORDER HIS KILLER FORCES TO SHOOT AND KILL MORE KENYANS - WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING OF- YES WE KNOW YOU SUPPORT KIBAKI, BUT US KENYANS WE WON'T LET THE KIBAKI THIEF AND MURDERER GET BACK T KILL MORE INNOCENT KENYANS- ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

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  11. 2.25 pm, polls are merely a snapshot of what is currently happening they in no way determine the outcome of an election.

    Just because the US polls or whoevers polls determine that someone has a majority lead, that doesnt mean that it necessarily turns out that way, there are many instances where a candidate has had a lead, but undecided or sway voters change the course of things.

    Im not saying one won or the other, the fact is that Kenyans take polls as an election determination, then what is the point of elections exactly?

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  12. Kibaki's inability to accept the Kenyan voters verdict on December 27th, 2007, is the sole reason why Kenya almost disintegrated.

    Mugabe of Zimbabwe wouild later emulate Kibaki almost to a tee.

    Why hold elections when incumbents refuse to abide and accept election results?

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  13. "US polls confirm that.."
    Which US polls? Cease and desist your lies.

    As for Mwambu, it’s a pity you keep running your mouth on election things even after making this horribly illogical statement of which no one called you out. You a lightweight or what? Any ODMoron that can pick out the obvious problem with this statement below wins a sneak peak into the proposed 33M bumpkin private home renovations:

    “I draw attention to your trite comment that..."The winner in a fair and free election will always be the most popular candidate". Not true.

    Cases from Kenya 2007 Raila Vs.Kibaki, and Zimbabwe 2008 Tsvangirai Vs. Mugabe clearly illustrate that, an incumbent president can literally steal an election and cling on to power regardless of the cost to the nation's wellbeing and stability.”

    You've disqualified yourself from being a competent commentator on almost anything.

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  14. "Kitenda wili, tega! Nani atapitia katikati mpaka ikulu?"

    Yule aliepita katikata wakati wa mwanzo!

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  15. @5:45 PM, what's your point, my dear troglodyte?

    The fact that you have a keyboard in front of you does not mean that you should go about flailing wildly on your keyboard writing utter nonsense using your chimpanzee-speak coded Mungiki language.

    Respond to me in clear human language. Gosh!

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  16. president Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka. The 4th president of Kenya.

    Poor odmorons will hang themselves sorrow.

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  17. while preaching to us about not worshipping human beings perhaps you need to also note that while the gods we 'worship' are increasing their popularity (and lead) in national opinion polls, your own god President Obama's rating have plummeted to an all time low since his inauguration.

    moral of the story : let us please exercise our democratic right to vote for whomsoever we please without being influenced by lies and propaganda. Can you believe that some people are still debating if Obama was born in Kenya or Hawaii?

    As opposed to personal opinions here at kumekucha, the steadman poll (has since 2007) consistently and loudly talked of the most popular presidential candidate in Kenya. Sadly for some people, there is nothing we can do to change that.

    this is our country and we shall decide where it goes, we do not need to be reminded about a person who refuses to acknowledge the country that brought him to this world, and who has also grown increasingly arrogant and aloof just because he sits at the oval office.

    I may also add Chris, Raila Odinga is on record having said he does not fear defending himself at the hague or STK. Since when did an expression of democracy become a criminal action? the fact that you want to place Raila Odinga in the same pot as Mwai Kibaki merely because they are coalition partners continues to show how desperate you have become, especially in wanting to discredit ODM and its leaders. Remember what you said about the maize and oil scandals?

    lets not descend into the gutter. in this era of the internet, there is no excuse for not reporting the truth, lets debate real issues. perhaps we are part of the reason why this country is in the mess it is?

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  18. Phil,

    From where you sit - i would expect to be providing solutions to this country and giving proactive and future focused advise to ODM. Rather - you reduce yourself to a choir master with no choir. You can do better than this. The reason we are in a mess is when leaders keep on changing positions left, right and centre based on who they are with at the time. This is called opportunism and deceit. All Kenyan leaders including Rao thrive on this. Over to you Phil.

    Mzee wa Kijiji!

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  19. Blogger Anonymous said...

    Phil,
    From where you sit - i would expect to be providing solutions to this country and giving proactive and future focused advise to ODM. Rather - you reduce yourself to a choir master with no choir. You can do better than this. The reason we are in a mess is when leaders keep on changing positions left, right and centre based on who they are with at the time. This is called opportunism and deceit. All Kenyan leaders including Rao thrive on this. Over to you Phil.

    Mzee wa Kijiji!


    MWK,

    Long time no hear!

    First, you need to understand I am responding to the main post by Chris.

    Secondly, I would appreciate if you could point out exactly where I am going wrong in my comments.To label me 'a choir master with no choir' is an insult. Its a familiar line to us who have been called unprintable names and even labelled 2nd class citizens. It does not change what we believe in.

    Thirdly, while not wanting to undermine your own intelligence (or that of Chris) where have you provided solutions and given proactive and future focused advise? Do you see any of that in Chris' recent posts?

    Since you have been away for so long, check out what Chris alleged about the oil and maize scandals. Check what Chris alleged about the publicly announced visa ban to a certain cabinet minister. The list is endless. I want to repeat, only The truth (and reforms) shall set us free.

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  20. MORENO OCAMPO, JUSTICE GICHERU AND MUTULA KILONZO AT THE HAGUE

    Moreno Ocampo should provide Kenyans with The Hague ICC direct internet ''kenyapev''address so that we can give information against the perpetrators of the 2007 post elections violence, pev, otherwise GEMA will definitely gag the evidence the way they have done since 1963.

    Truth, Justice and Reconciliation should be headed by Bishop Desmond Tutu and not Ambassador Kiplagat who saw no evil and heard no evil during the Moi dictatorship.

    Mutula Kilonzo has no business being a minister in the Kenya government and much less the minister for justice since he is one of the people, John Michuki and Martha Karua, included, who forced Kivuitu to announce the dishonest results that Mwai Kibaki won the 2007 presidential elections, knowing very well that he had been beaten badly by Raila Amolo Odinga, thus pitting the country into the worst bloodbath since independence with more than 1500 losing their lives.

    Mutula Kilonzo's right place should be at the ICC criminal dock at The Hague to face charges for crimes he committed against humanity and genocide.

    With him as minister for justice no reforms will be possible since honest reforms would remove butter from the mouths of his GEMA gods.

    Gicheru should not be the Chief Justice since it is the same justice that he defeated by declaring fraudulently that Mwai Kibaki had won the 2007 presidential elections and in fact he added insult to injuries by criminally swearing the same in the dark of night as criminal president of Kenya.

    His place too dshould be in the ICC docks at The Hague.

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