Ooops we forgot about the Central Kenya vote

2007 and early 2008 were really bad. Terrible is probably a better word.

I remember talking to a few distraught Kenyans based abroad wondering where their old parents would go if the violence spread into Nairobi. There was a real danger of that happening. One used to call me every night hoping to get inside information and would sometimes cry on the phone.

But the human mind has an amazing way of healing and forgetting old wounds. Especially if life goes back to normal, which it has for most Kenyans. And so for the vast majority of Kenyans the violence in that general election is long forgotten. For these fortunate Kenyans, when they hear that there is fresh voter registration countrywide and we should prepare for elections, it is not such a big deal.

But there are those for whom the word “elections” is the kind of thing that can easily send them to hospital for trauma treatment. I am talking about the poor Kenyans who are still in IDP camps. Those who survived the ordeal psychologically that is. I can assure you that being transformed from an employer to a beggar overnight will kill most people.

My point is that we have an election coming up in 2012 (at the very latest) and the real danger we are facing now is witnessing the most serious voter apathy in the history of the country. Some Kenyans will be too traumatized to actually approach a ballot box and the other half will be too angry (what difference did it make the last time?)

Whatever happens you can be sure that the Kikuyu vote is going to be affected in a big way in the next elections. For those who don’t know this was the community that was most affected and traumatized by the last general elections.

Traditionally the Kikuyu vote has decided general elections in Kenya. Even in 2007 when everybody was sure that the Kikuyu vote would be insignificant, it actually influenced things in the end because the community’s massive support for President Kibaki reduced his landslide defeat and made it possible for his handlers to attempt to manipulate the results which they did with disastrous effect.

Interestingly some presidential aspirants from central province have already seen what will become very obvious as the elections draw nearer. That the candidate who successfully positions themselves as the genuine defender of the traumatized Kenyans who passed through IDP camps or are still there will effortlessly carry the Central Kenya vote. Peter Kenneth is working very hard at that but more are bound to follow.

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Press Release

Villagers now paying a heavy price for kindness to Jomo Kenyatta

Hello, this is the first time am sending an email to the media, though not sure of where or who to contact. I thought this being a source of media you will be interested to know stories that are happening in small village where maybe very few are aware of their rights and because of this the city council is taking advantage of poor people and doing whatever it takes to make their lives a nightmare. Today it is happening to them tomorrow it may happen to you or somebody else.

This is the story. I am a Kenyan lady born in a small village called Kabiria. Kabiria is located near Naivasha Road, Kawangware/Riruta Satellite road. I am sure most of you do not know that in this village used to live Margaret Kenyatta, daughter of our first President the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. One day it happened that Mzee was to visit his daughter but there was a problem to get to Margaret's house, he had to use roads that were larger, so some villagers decided to give a portion of their land to make it easier for the president to get to his daughter's place not knowing in what way their kindness and affection for their president was going to affect them in future. So from there the road become a public road called Kabiria road. I recall my dad complaining because the Kenya power had erected electricity poles in his shambaa (land) without any notice.

When the villagers complained they were told that the one in charge had been given money and all the notes to give to all the landowners before the project was carried out. Sadly enough no villagers got the note or the money. What happened? It was the time when you could not say anything about the leaders or directors carrying out projects, because if you did you would be in trouble. That brought a lot of problems because the electricity was put very near the road and the people's houses. Because per the law the houses had to be 3feet.away from the fence or poles, most innocent people almost lost they homes.

CURRENTLY.2009-2010
It was early one morning, when my brother went to pickup letters from the post office. He gave the letters to my dad. One of the letters was from the city council of Nairobi, demanding part of his land to enlarge the road. All the villagers received a similar letter. A week later the village was visited by city council workers putting marks on people's houses and businesses for demolition. As I said before very few people know their rights and are brave enough to go to the city council to ask what all that meant, unfortunately some people were afraid and they started bringing their houses and businesses down. Only one or two people were brave enough to file a case because whether a law was passed or not people should be compensated. The people built houses per the laws then, a responsible city should compensate residence who loses their property for public purposes. It is only fair and it is their right. That was not enough, the villages that were able to rebuild did it but the sad thing is a month after rebuilding the city council came again, marked the houses telling the villages to move their fences back a second time. The poor villagers did exactly that AND I ask myself what is this project that is changing day and night. I thought a project is well studied before implementation. You know what, last week the villagers received another letter telling them to move 30 feet back. The third demand in less than a year. I think its time to put this into the open and find OUT what THE SO CALLED MBURU a NEWLY PROMOTED ENGINEER AT THE CITY COUNCIL wants with the villagers although he is from the same village. He is not affected by what he is implementing. He is frustrating the villagers and being brutal partly because the road doesn't affect him. Here is a message for him from the villagers, "IT IS SO SAD FOR YOU TO THINK THAT YOU ARE DEVOLPING THE PLACE. YOU ARE NOT, INSTEAD YOU ARE KILLING AND DESTROYING THE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE ARE TIRED. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.THE VILLAGERS ARE GOING TO DEMAND FOR THEIR RIGHTS AS PER THE LAW OF THE LAND".

This is a historic village with a lot of Kenyan heritage. This is where the late Paramount Chief Kinyanjui, The late mother of late Edward Mathu lived and where Margaret Kenyatta lived and was visited by the late president Kenyatta on many occasions. The people in this village are asking what next, who will stand with them. The media people need to hold the city accountable for their actions. The human rights groups need to fight for the rights of the poor, and the government needs to uphold the law by being fair to its citizens. Please join me to help the villagers fight for their rights, because it is inhuman the way this man Mburu is treating them. Making them live in nightmare. When our people are affected we are also affected.

Thank you.

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