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KENYA: UDF IS A TRUE REPLICA OF THE DEFUNCT kadu AND IS OUT TO CAUSE CHAOS AND POLITICAL MAYHEM

Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo

READING about who is who among the leading political personalities and UDF supporters who converged at the party’s delegates conference in Nairobi and endorsed the Hon. W Musalia Mudavadi as the party’s flag-bearers in the 2013 presidential race, I am not amused in saying that this purely a Neo-KADU.

Those who have lived in this country long enough like myself, especially during the colonial area and the pre-independence days politics of the late 1950s and early 1960s will agree with me in principles that the UDF is a replica of the defunct Kenya African Democratic Union {KADU].

The UDF has truly balkanized all the Kenya tribes and communities which had supported KADU and collaborated well with the white settlers in a conspiracy to cause the delays in the attainment of Kenya’s political independence, which eventually was ushered in by KANU in 1963.

In the forefront of KADU were the late Ronald Gideon Ngala a Griama from the Coast Province, Henry Masinde Muliro a Bukusu from Western Province, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi a from Tugen sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups and Taaitta Araap Towett, a diminutive Kipsigis politician from the South Rift.

The UDF is therefore a true replica of the defunct KADU because it has amalgamated of Kenya’s tribes and communities which had a very negative attitudes toward the politics of true nationalism and patriotism. These communities have gone down in the history of Kenya as those who had collaborated well with the die-hard white settlers and colonialists, which were vehemently opposed to the country’s liberation and the struggle for independence.

The communities which I mentioned above had ganged up with the white settlers who were heavily funding KADU with intention, aims and objectives of delaying the Kenya’s political independence under the pretext that they were representing the marginalized minority groups.

They were the blue-eyed boy of the white settlers and colonialists who had hatched a secret plan to make Kenya a dominion country under the British Empire like Southern Rhodesia, New Zealand,Canada,Australia, and the defunct Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland then under the white settlers Prime Minister Sir Roy Welensky.

Kenya was then viewed as a Whiteman’s country and its fertile highlands christened The White-Highland. The collaborating KADU politicians dined and whined in high places and five star hotels in Nairobi with the white supremacists, led by the late Group Captain L.R. Briggs of the whites only United Kenya party, the late Sir Michael Blundell of the multiracial Kenya National Party, which was later late transformed into the New Kenya Party.

The conspiracy against nationalism began in earnest immediately after the British Colonial Office in London lifted the state of emergency and lifted the restriction on the formation of the countrywide Africans political movement. Hitherto Africans were only allowed to form district political associations. But immediately after the first round table constitutional conference, which was held in the Lancaster House in London from Fabruary 1960 to April the same year.

This saw the birth of the Kenya African National Union [KANU} AT Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu on June 30th 1960. Ngala, Moi, Muliro were conspicuously missing at the meeting that witnessed the formation of KANU in Kiambu. However, Taaita Arrap Towett was present, though he was roughed by KANU youths.

But within two weeks thereafter, the three Ngala Muliro, Moi and Towett with the help of the colonial administration and white settlers brought together the Maasai United Front then led by David Lemomo, The Towettled Kalenjin political Alliance led by Taaitta Toweett, Mombasa African Democratic Union [MADU] led by F.J.Khamisi, Coast African People Union [CAPU] led by one D.N.Korokoro and Msanifu Kombo and other Coastal politicians like Apollo Kilelu, S.Roggers Msechu

And that came the birth of KADU.Ngala Muliro and Moi declined the position offered them in KANU during the party’s inception at Kiambu.But readily accepted the positions allocated to them in KADU.

This is exactly how Mudavadi, Eugene Wamalwa, Gideon Moi,Nick Salat and others have been behaving since the clamor for the formation of political alliances

The only Rift Valley politicians who stood firm and remained steadfastly with other early nationalists were Danile Moss of the Mount Elgon District Congress and John Marie Seroney.

The late James Samuel Gichuru was made the first President of KANU on interim capacity while awaiting for the release of the late Jomo Kenyatta from the colonial detention and restriction camps in the northern

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was made the vice president of KANU while Tom Mboya was named the party’s secretary general. The trio had the backing of other true nationalists like Julius Gikonyo, Kiano,

Dr Mungai Njoroge,Josef Stanley Mathenge, Eric Edward Khasakhala, J.D.Otiende,Mohinga Chokwe, Eliud Ngala Mwendwa, Mister Mister Arap Korir, Christopher Kiprotich Arap Murei,William Mbolu Malu,George Nthenge F.J Mukeka and others.John Kebaso, Washington Ondicho, Lawrence George Sagini,James Nyamweya and others who stood firm and steadfast with KANU and flatly refused to be manipulated by the colonialists and white settlers.

The coming weeks will certainly rove the like of Wamalwa, Mudavadi, Khalwalewrong when Kenyans would be deciding as to which group is best suited tor the Amani Group, Jubilee or CORD. However, all the indications are that CORD would overcome the two other groups which are full of masters of political deceits. I am really sorry and sympathized with Musalia Muadavadi and wondered why should the son of my old friend the King of MululuMoses Sabstian Budamba Mudavadi should be prone to political conmen and miss the boat once again as he missed in 2002.

In this context, I am not ashamed to say that politics of tribal balkanization has no room in the modern day Kenya. Therefore the time for reflection will come soon and those who are there simply to protect their status quo and stood on the way of political reforms in this country will be taught a good lesson that they will live to regret for the rest of their lifetime.

I also beg to request the Hon Najib Balala the Mviuta Mp to correct a statement which he uttered during the TNA/URP alliance rally at the Tononoka ground in Mombasa recently touching on the horny issue of land redistribution at the coast and redress against the injustices committed against the coastal communities over their ancestral land.

Could Hon Balala be more specific and honest to tell us who owns the Taita Concessions Limited, the TaitaSisal Estate,at Mwatate which is measuring close to 36,000 hectares of land. How about rhe Ziwani Sisal Estate in the neighborhood near Mwakitau,

How about the ownership of \Jipe Sisal Estate, Taveta Sisal Estate and 0ther prime land at the coast. It is high time those defending impunity be told in a clear cut-sort of terms that Kenyans are tired of leaders whose families are associated with land grabbing.

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Raila had no role in the Mau Forest eviction exercises he a just implementing the cabinet decision

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

The younger generations of politicians, particularly the Kalenjin MPs who of late have been pointing accusing fingers at the Prime Minister Raila Odinga blaming him of complicity in the Mau Forest evictions and rehabilitation of this important water tower are simply not telling the truth about the historical background of the matter.

The political history of Mau Forest and other injustices related to the land distribution could as well be traced back to the final constitutional talks on the future of an independent Kenya, which were held inside the famous Lancaster House in London, UK in 1962.

These problems are inter-related to the dismantling of the so-called “White Highland”. It has since emerged that during the round table constitutional talks, the African delegates who were then representing two major political parties of the time, namely KANU and KADU were subjected to too much blackmailing by the White Settlers representative and those representing colonial authorities.

And due for the then clamor for political independence and the liberation of the country fro the colonial York to an independent African government, they hastily and hurriedly rubber-stamped many clauses in the then new Lancaster House constitution that wee only meat for the protection of white settlers and their properties.

Kanu delegates were led by the founding President the late Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Tom Mboya, James Samuel Gichuru, Eliud Ngala Mwanda, Muhinga Chokwe and other party stalwarts like Dr Julius Gikonyo Kiano,Samuel Onyango Ayodo, and Mbiyu Koinange.

The KADU team was led by Ronald Gideon Ngala, Daniel T. Moi, Masinde Muliro, Taaitta Arap Toweett, Marie John Seroney,Peter Habenga Okondo, William Murgor and John Keen.

The moderate white settlers were led by Michael Blundell, Sir Charles Markham, Mrs Agnes Shaw, Mrs Dorothy Hughes, Bruce Mackenzie,Sir Alfred Vincent ,Culwick and Crosskill, R.S Alexander and Humprey Slade.DEREK Eriaskin and others.

There were also extremist’s racists’ white supremacists like major BP Roberts, Major F Day, Aircomodore Howard Williams and others. Ex-officio representatives included the Governor, the deputy Governor,Sir Patrick M Renson, the Chief Secretary, W.F.Coutts and Minister for legal Affairs Griffith Jones ,Q.C. and others.

The Indian community were represented by the likes of Avind Jammidar, Ibrahim Nathoo, D.B Kholi, J.S Patel, F. De Souza, C.B.Madan, K.P Shah

Due to the clamor for political independence, KANU AN KADU delegates to the talks were coerced and blackmailed by the representatives of the Her Majesty government at the Whitehall and Colonial Office led by the then Secretary of State for the British Colonies Duncan Sandys to succumbed easily to the white settlers demands for compensation for those who wished to leave the county at the independence.

The British government at the same time readly made available millions of sterling British pounds, which was to be given to the new Kenya government headed by he late Jomo Kenyatta. The money was meant to be utilized in compensation payout to the departing white settlers and partly to be used in the purchasing of the farms owned by European settlers and other for properties and partly for the settling of the millions of the landless African people of Kenya.

Immediately when the independence came and the white settlers had realized that the new African government had the money for the compensation of their land an property, there was mass exodus of whites despite of the repeated assurances given by Jomo Kenyatta and member of the post-independence cabinet that their property would be given maximum security protection under the Bill of Right entrenched in the Lancaster House constitution, the majority of the whites settlers numbering about 200,000 in population opted to go out of Kenya for green pasture elsewhere.

The new independent government half-heartedly used the money in settling few African population in Subukia, Rongai, Londiani, Molk, Olkalou, Nyahururu, Laikipia, and other places.

The settlement scheme the re-distribution of the lands were , however, biased and only dished out selectively to favor one particular community [the Kikuyu] at the expense of other needy Kenyans.

The Kikuyus were given farm lands in areas previously considered as the indigenous Kalenjin regions in total disregards of the local indignant communities.

Members of the Kalenjin community dissented to this, but the senior Kalenjin politician of the time who were none other than Daniel Arap Moi and Dr.Taaitta Arap Towett, were happily serving in he post independence cabinet an never raised any objection to the settling of Kikuyu people in area previously considered as the Kalenjin land.

Two Kalenjin politicians, however, were vehemently opposed to the spread of Kikuyu settlement in what they considered as the Kalenjin land.They were Marie John Seroney then the MP for Tinderet and Morogo Saina then the M for Eldoret North. This was the source of hostility between Seroney and the KANU government, which led to both Seroney and Saina being jailed and landed in detention camps following the no in famous Nandi Hills Declaration.

It was the same money given by the British government for the settlement o landless African people of Kenya that Kenyatta is being alleged to have used in acquiring vast plantation s land in Taita Taveta, Mwatate, Ziwani, Laikipia, Ruiru and Salgaa near Nakuru.

Jomo Kenyatta died on August 22nd and hi hen Vice President for 12 years Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi stepped into his shoes at the mantle of power. It was during Moi’s presidency hen the government half-heartedly opened up the Mau Forest and other areas for Kalenjin settlement, most of hem illegal squatters.

The first tribal land clashes between the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Kisii, Luos, Luhyias were believes to have been launched with the full knowledge of members of the security apparatus during the Moi’s Presidency.

It was also the Moi KANU regime which encouraged tribal land clashes which were meant t cleanse the region of what were commonly called madoadoa colours out of the region

The dreaded Kalenjin warriors were secretly trained an armed with crude weapons in the Embobut Forest, Ndoinet, Marigat and Mau Forest and then ferried on government vehicles an other tracks donated by wealthy Kalenjin businessmen and farmers when they launched three prongs full scale attack on the Kisii in Sotik, Luos in Nyando Valley, Nyakach an luhyias in Lugari and along he Rift Valley-Western Provinces boundaries causing the first internally displaced persons in 1996/97 and the last clashes and the worse of all was in 2007/2008.

The original intention was to keep a bay those who were clamoring for the multi parties system of politics then opposed to the KANU doctrine of the monolithic one party dictatorship.

On the latest opposition to Raila Odinga roe in the Mau Forest saga, the Prime Minister had no personal interests in the forest, but was just executing and implementing the collective decision of the cabinet. Some of the now outspoken MPs like William Ruto were members of the cabinet and at in the cabinet meetings when decision and government plans on the rehabilitation of Mau Forest were being deliberated upon, but they did not raise any objection.

Mr Odinga should be exonerated out f these malicious accusations and falsehood a he has done nothing wrong to the Kalenjin community because the source of injustices done to this particular community as the land redistribution is concerned lies elsewhere and not strictly with Raila Odinga.

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