The Real Culprits

Guest Post By Sam O. Okello

Fellow Kenyans,

The other day I heard Martha Karua speak eloquently in support of Kalonzo Musyoka's contention that those who committed crimes against humanity during the horrible weeks after the stolen elections must be punished. I fully agree with these two characters, but only if everybody is indeed punished. I don't need to go over the manner in which the election was stolen. The arrogance and impunity speaks for itself. What Kenyans need to remember, before we embark on the administration of justice, is that there are levels of responsibility in the manner in which events unfolded. Here is my list of the levels.

1. President Kibaki. This man, back in 2002, was elected by Kenyans to unite the nation. His presidency brought Kenya tribal hatred, an economy skewed against the poor and an election that he refused to concede. Now, the reason Kibaki should face punishment before anybody else is...he was the head of state. He was the one whose security apparatus presided over the killing and maiming of innocent Kenyans. Had he chosen to walk away after losing the elections, nobody would have died. For him to now turn around and blame others for the mess he orchestrated tells us a lot about this man's character. What a shameless goon!

2. Samuel Kivuitu. This man presided over a sham election. He knew that Kibaki had lost the election and yet went ahead to declare him the winner. Did Kivuitu hope that Kenyans would just fold up and accept a stolen election? And just how much was he paid to swing the thing Kibaki's way? It's my contention that had Kivuitu not accepted a bribe, and had he not called the election for Kibaki, Kenyans would not have needlessly died. For him to still occupy the chairmanship of the ECK speaks to what kind of a man he is. How dumb!

3. John Michuki. This man was in charge of internal security. He led the police force in brutalizing Kenyans, killing men women and children. If it can be proved that he coordinated efforts with the Mungiki, then indeed this is the man who killed Kenyans. He is responsible for the atrocities the forces committed against Kenyans. For him to sit out there and pretend he is innocent makes a mockery of the judicial system in Kenya. Idiot.

4. Uhuru Kenyatta. I watched this man in Nakuru at the height of the election violence. He was on a track, ostensibly on a mission to bring peace to Nakuru. But his body language spoke about his true intentions. He was in Nakuru to cheer the murderous Mungiki on. What does he know about the Mungiki? What does he know about how the election theft was planned? What made him insist he was going to be in government several months before the elections? To the extent that Kenyans died, Uhuru Kenyatta cannot escape blame for helping orchestrate the game plan that led to the death of Kenyans.

5. General Ali. The police commissioner is a man I pity. It's now clear that he so deplored the tactics employed by the Kibaki people that he resigned. But he was marched back to work. He catches blame because as the man who is responsible for the actions of his officers, he should have stopped their murderous campaign. If he feared for his life, like I'm aware he was, he should have fled the country. Honor is a great thing, General.

Guys, that's my list. Now, I know there will be people who ask why Ruto's name doesn't make my list. It's for the same reason I leave out the Mungiki and the Kalenjin warriors who raided an Eldoret church and fought like hell to drive out the invading Mungiki. What I'm saying is that The Mungiki and The Kalenjin warriors were responding to events that were planned by the five culprits I mentioned above. Did you expect the Kalenjin warriors to sit by and watch the wholesale slaughter of their children and wives? Did you expect the Mungiki to watch as their community in the diaspora was decimated by the rest of Kenya? I don't think so. These brave boys all fought to protect their people...even if they did it for the wrong reasons. By fighting like they did, they fought other people's wars. They fought a war planned by Kibaki's people.

So when the time comes to punish the evil people, we must start with Kibaki and go down the chain. This situation where the people who planned the evil are excused and the small man who valiantly fought to defend himself is blamed will not stand. It may now, but as sure as the sun sets in the east, it will only breed more discontent and will bring us the next implosion.

Is anybody listening?

If you are, here is my proposal. Punish Kibaki and his team, the people who led us down this path, or let the boys in prisons across Kenya go. We will not allow the fat cats to dump their foolishness on the small man. And to the small man, the time has come to think of Kenya in different terms. Aren't we tired of fighting the wars of these tycoons? Why do we kill each other for them?

I ask the Mungiki leadership, the young Luos around the world, the Kalenjin warriors, the youthful Luhya Brigade and the Coastal Vijana to rethink their political and economic situation. Maybe the time has come to worry about a future beyond these people. Maybe Luke Mboya is right to ask for a shift in our thinking. Maybe only younger leaders will save us.

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