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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Dark secrets of the presidency Part 11

Mystery of the bloodbath under Kibaki
One of the big mysteries of the Kibaki administration has to do with the ugly unprecedented post election violence of January 2008 shortly after the presidential elections results were announced.

Now everybody knows that it was President Daniel Arap Moi who literally invented tribal clashes. His motive for doing this was to speed up the fulfillment of his prophecy to Kenyans in 1991; “Multi-party itawachoma.” (multiparty politics will burn you to ashes.) Moi in bowing to pressure and allowing the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in Kenya in 1991 had bitterly warned Kenyans that it was not good for them, Lakini mtoto akililia wembe mpe (But if a child cries to be given a razor, give it to them so that they cut themselves and learn their lesson the hard way.)

There is overwhelming evidence (including the one given by former powerful minister of State in the office of the president under Moi, Burudi Nabwera) that the president was deeply involved in formenting and establishing regular tribal clashes in the Rift Valley. Nabwera toild shocked Kenyans through a press statement that Moi personally imported bows and arrows into the country from a certain Asian nation. These crude weapons were then distributed on the ground and the people provoked to “remove the enemy.”

I happened to be in Nakuru (playing rugby) during the height of the tribal clashes under the Moi regime in 1992 and I bumped into a friend of mine whom I had not seen for many years. He worked for the airforce and flew helicopters. We caught up on a lot of things over a few drinks and then I suddenly asked him what his mission in the Rift Valley was all about. I will never forget the look on the poor guy’s face. This chap was actually a great friend of mine and we had no secrets between us. But that day he looked aside avoided eye contact and said that his mission was top secret and there was no way he could discuss it with me. A chill went up my spine watching him squirm in his seat. He behaved in the right way not telling me anything. But his squirming spoke volumes.

Anyway back to what I was saying. By the time Kibaki took over as president, Moi had fine-tuned his tribal clashes game in the Rift Valley. Remember that these so-called clashes only emerged just before a general elections ONLY.

Any fool in Kenya had this information and the great mystery on my mind to date is did Kibaki guess what the consequences of a stolen election would be on the ground that Moi had cultivated in the Rift valley for a number of years? Did the intelligence community and security forces in the country not guess what would happen in the Rift Valley? I ask this because even the response by the government initially mainly focused in Kisumu while parts of the Rift Valley went up in flames. In fact things got so bad that it was the Kenya Army which was sent into the Rift Valley together with the GSU. That is very telling because this has never happened before in the history of the country. That a civilian problem necessitated the sending in of the military. Not only that. What was the Ugandan military doing in Kisumu and Eldoret?

I would like to give President Kibaki the benefit of the doubt and assume that he did not guess that there would be any serious problem in the Rift Valley because I don’t want to believe that he did not care. But it is strange how the president would not have a clue when ordinary folks like me knew and cringed when the election results were announced.

Somebody somewhere has to answer for all the unnecessary deaths, rapes and maiming of innocent Kenyans that went down. I don’t want to believe for one minute that all those fellow Kenyans died in vain.

Meanwhile the scene inside State House shortly after the troubles in the Rift Valley erupted is interesting and rather instructive.

It is said that the president took the first few calls from the then secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The calls were calling for his urgent action because the international community was very concerned about what was happening in Kenya. It is said that the president was rather casual and saw no need for concern or panic assuring Ms Rice that things were under control. And yet it was obvious that they were not.

Shortly after that, the president stopped taking the calls even as Ms Rice desperately tried to reach him again.

Admittedly, here the president cannot take all the blame. He received lots of help from the Bush administration to rig the 2007 elections and this must have been one of the reasons why the calls annoyed him. If you are short of evidence to point to Americans fully backing Kibaki in his evil deeds, then ask yourself why the World Bank was still doing deals with Kibaki’s Finance Minister Amos Kimunya in late Decemeber when intelligence reports on the ground were saying that at the very least it would be a close election. More accurate reports pointed to a Raila Odinga win by a landslide.

And then also remember that the Americans were the first and only Western nation to congratulate Kibaki on his re-election. They later quickly withdrew this congratulatory message. Don’t ask me how one withdraws a congratulatory message because I also have no idea how it is done.

American had many reasons not to want a Raila Odinga win at all costs. One of them was the suspect secret funding of ODM from certain Arab nations linked to terrorism. But as usual the Yankies greatly underestimated the cost that would have to be paid on the ground in terms of the innocent blood of Kenyans being poured for them to fulfill their desires.

(To be continued)

Dark secrets of the presidency will continue on Thursday right through to the end of the holidays. However it will be interrupted tomorrow by my weekly column Drums and Nyatiti. Meanwhile I take this opportunity to thank all those wonderful Kumekucha readers who sent me messages of goodwill over the Christmas period. I was very touched reading each and every one of them. Thank you very much my brothers and sisters.

Get a Free copy of almost the entire book Dark Secrets of the Kenyan Presidency

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

18 comments:

  1. @ Chris, i very good article indeed.
    I remember shortly before the elections when you published an article about the coming elections and what the intelligence community knew and didnt want people to know.
    Well we know that the Bush adminstration didnt want Raila Odinga, the BIG question is will he ever get the nod from the new Obama adminstration. sources are saying that part of Raila being in the goverment is to pay back the funds he got from some countries and people."using clean methods of course"
    @ Chris, is Uhuru still America´s preferred choice given that Ocampo is "working" around the clock?

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  2. Can't see how you can blame the USA; USA has always stood for democratic freedoms including multi party elections in Kenya.
    the harsh reality is that kenyans are tribalistic and racists...which was the cause of violent clashes...one man...moi cannot cause violent clashes..moi quit in 2002...the clashes were in 2007..?!?!?

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  3. chris i agree with you Kibaki stole elections, but you are not connecting the PEV with Raila involvement. You have to shed light on this else some quotas might accuse you as biased. Could you also clarify on what Raila said on hard talk

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  4. seems to me all kenya's problems started with tribal hegemony 1961 onwards; if the people at the top act tribalistic and racist then all the rest of the population will. I must say I think Moi was the exception in comparision ...
    here was a true nationalist...

    if you do not create a system of merit when it comes to promoting govt employees, awarding tenders etc but instead make these decisions based on race, tribe, family connections... this is a prescripton of disaster..sooner or later

    You need to have a system of merit close to the systems in USA, Canada, and Singapore.

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  5. Blaming Moi for tribal clashes is an absolute lie. Moi was the most unity minded leader Kenya has ever had in my assessment. Sure,underlings like Biwott and Njonjo did incite tribalism but I choose to take Moi at his word on peace, love and unity because i experienced all three in his 24 years of leadership. Moi balanced the tribal interests by targeted appointments to important posts as rewards to keep tribal passions at bay and you dare say he invented tribal clashes?! I can only say in this case your tribalism has blinded you to the facts. You must be "projecting".

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  6. Really!! I just can't believe I am reading this. Moi had been out of office for 5,-FIVE years- and he is now responsible for PEV! clearly this is a Kibaki apologist article. If Kibaki could not provide sufficient changes in five years to eliminate the toxic social environment Moi allegedly created, pray, tell us, what was Kibaki's Job supposed to be?

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  7. moi built churches; some kenyans burnt churches.....

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  8. JOHNSTONE KAMAU aka JOMO KENYATTA is the grand author, architectural engineer and purveyor of all things negative ethnicity in post colonial KENYA.

    You don't have to be from the Kamba, Luo, Kikuyu, Somali, Taita, Indian, Luhya, Turkana, Pokomo, Rendile, Teso, Maasai, Kisii, Giriama, Kalenjin, Samburu, Borana, Digo, Bulushi, Kuria, Bajuni, Meru, Marakote, Zungu-leo (left-over-settlers) or whatever ethnic background to figure out how VERY POOR NATIONAL FOUNDATIONS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE BY A MAN some of us love to dearly refer to as "BABA WA TAIFA" are the prime source of what Kenya is still suffering from, forty some years later.

    The genesis of it all being the KIAMBU MAFIA aka KENYATTA'S KITCHEN CABINET.

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  9. @ 12/29/09 11:43 AM.

    I couldn't agree more

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  10. Good one Chris, Moi, Kibaki and US should go to hague and leave innocent ODM headed by Raila who never rigged any election. Infact the two ODM MP's whose elections have been declared a sham by the judges is just mere witch hunt. ODM won fairly, Raila never introduced divisive politics. Infact Kibaki is the one who called Kikuyu Kabila adui, while Moi talked of Madoadoa and lesotho. The Hard Talk where Raila was defending Kiambaa Church Massacre was simply fictional. Raila is a born again christian just like Ruto and we all know they cannot shed innocent blood.

    Ingenious chris, we love you for such VERY INFORMATIVE AND ACCURATE POSTS.

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  11. ^^^^^
    now Chris, someone just pulled the rag from under your feet and he writes like one Taabu.

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  12. hope Raila can bring more peace.....but Prof Wangari Maathai
    Nobel prize winner will be better for the environment..and therefore prosperity...unless she becomes environment ministere, not asst minister

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  13. ''Any post/s breaking the house rules of COMMON DECENCY will be promptly deleted, i.e. NO TRIBALISTIC, racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive, swearing, DIVERSIONS, impersonation and spam AMONG OTHERS. No exceptions WHATSOEVER.''

    chris,do people really adhere to these rules?then it means there are some who pretend to be educated and IT compliant but cant read simples instructions!!!

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  14. Of course Kibaki knew the absolute dangers of rigging an election. NSIS under the command-ship of his fellow Nyeri boy Maj Gen Michael Gichangi warned Kibaki several times through some intelligence briefings.

    Kibaki in his legendary arrogance, aloofness and naivety ignored the NSIS. Why did he ignore them? Simply because the president doesn't care about the common pumbavu mwananchi.

    Two years on, IDPs most who are Kikuyu are still stuck in refugee camps like in Mawingu. Millions of shillings for resettling the IDPS ended up in private bank accounts and to date-as you have already guessed- no one has been arrested, questioned or jailed, just like in the missing billions for free primary education.

    History will judge this reluctant president very harshly for his snobbish attitude and for presiding over a reign of corruption and impunity. The next president must mete justice and deliver reforms which Kibaki has failed/refused to deliver! Raila must be regretting his "Kibaki Tosha!" endorsement every night as he retires to his bed!

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  15. In every election and bye election in Kenya from 1991-2007,only two things have been consistent-VIOLENCE & RAILA!! It catches up with you

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  16. A group calling itself the WAN WAN WAN from Nyanza predicted an outbreak of violence in the 2007 2007 elections.They conducted a massive leaflet campaign and Radio Interviews on Ramogi FM-and fingered Raila on the same-what is your take on this Chris?

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  17. did Raila have anything to do with the 1982 attempted coup...or Njonjo?

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  18. "What was the Ugandan military doing in Kisumu and Eldoret?"

    That old chestnut again? FFS, its a tired record which remains unsubstantiated.

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Any posts breaking the house rules of COMMON DECENCY will be promptly deleted, i.e. NO TRIBALISTIC, racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive, swearing, DIVERSIONS, impersonation and spam AMONG OTHERS. No exceptions WHATSOEVER.