MUTUNGA’S DEATH THREATS BY MUNGIKI IS NOTHING NEW IN KENYAN POLITICS

From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga’s death threat by outlawed sect Mungiki is not something new in Kenyan politics. In April 2012 Parliamentarian Gitobu Imanyara shocked parliament when he claimed his life was in danger after a midnight encounter with presidential aspirant Uhuru Kenyatta goons who forced him to kneel on tarmac road and pray facing Mt Kenya.

To spare his life the goons ordered him to recite “Uhuru tuko Pamoja” (Uhuru we are together), which is the aspirant’s presidential campaign slogan, three times as he knelt on the road with his hands raised. The incident took place along State House Crescent and Members of Parliament said such attack in the neighbourhood of State House raised serious security issues.

Imanyara told Parliament that he was driving home at about 11.30 pm when he spotted a white saloon car that appeared to have stalled along State House Crescent and he slowed down to check if he could be of any help to its occupants. Immediately he stopped, four men brandishing knives pounced on his vehicle.

Imanyara was asked not to attend a political rally called by politicians to counter an earlier Gema meeting, which endorsed Uhuru as their presidential candidate, planned for that day. Beheading people and placing heads in strategic places has been the outlawed Mungiki trade mark.

The Imenti Central MP was warned not to take Prime Minister Raila Odinga to Meru and keep off anti- Uhuru campaigns along with other central Kenya politicians he said were the subject of discussion by Gema leaders in a recent meeting at the late Njenga Karume’s Landmark Hotel in Nairobi.

It is the same venue assistant minister Nguiyai told the International Criminal Court (ICC), during the confirmation hearing of the case against Uhuru that he used to meet with Mungiki members during 2008 post election crisis. Click here for more information-DAILY POST: REVEALED: Uhuru, Njenga and Thuo: The Mungiki

In March 2009, two activists from the Oscar Foundation Free Legal Aid Clinic Kenya, a human rights non-governmental organization (NGO), Executive Director Mr Kamau King’ara and the Foundation’s Programmes Co-coordinator Mr Paul Oulu were shot dead along State House.

The Oscar Foundation had been active in highlighting the issue of extrajudicial killings of suspected sect members according to Washington Post 7 Mar. 2009; BBC 6 Mar. 2009; and US 25 Feb. 2009, Sec. 1a.

The killings occurred within hours of a government spokesperson Dr Alfred Mutua calling the Foundation a “front” for the Mungiki sect (Washington Post 7 Mar. 2009; Welt Online 6 Mar. 2009; Times Online 7 Mar. 2009). Dr Alfred Mutua accused the Oscar Foundation of fundraising abroad to support Mungiki activities locally.

Mutunga received death threats two days before a ruling on petitions seeking to block Jubilee presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto from the March 4 election. He received a poison-pen letter from a group claiming to be the outlawed Mungiki sect.

It warned against a ruling locking the two leaders from the presidential race over the charges they face at the International Criminal Court. The CJ said the letter, dated February 13, was signed from the ‘Mungiki Veteran Group/ Kenya Sovereignty Defence Squad’.

The Mungiki wanted the ruling to be in favour of Uhuru and Ruto which a High Court ruling, delivered on February 15, throwing out four petitions challenging the suitability of Uhuru and Ruto for public office.

Mutunga also said he had been subjected to an embarrassing situation at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when an immigration officer temporarily blocked him from travelling to Tanzania. Immigration officer claimed he had received orders from Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia to block Mutunga from travelling.

In his statement, Mutunga said a poison-pen letter was delivered at his office February 18, by a group calling itself Mungiki Veterans Group/Kenya Sovereignty Defence Squad, making threats against Judges, ambassadors and himself.

Mungiki has shifted political alliances a number of times, they have been accused of random and brutal attacks on political and business opponents, playing the role as clients in previous elections.

According to ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, the slain Mungiki officials were instrumental in the sects’ participation in the violence that rocked the country after the bungled 2007 presidential polls.

She revealed when she visited Kenya recently that the witnesses believe the killings and forced disappearances was part of a post-election violence “clean-up” conducted by State agents to conceal the involvement of the accused and other senior officials.

“Several senior Mungiki members disappeared or were murdered by suspected members of the Kenyan security apparatus in the immediate aftermath of the PEV. These individuals had direct knowledge of the accused contributions to the crimes charged,” Bensouda said.

Bensouda, who made an extensive tour of the country, had complained that some key witnesses have been intimidated, compromised, or threatened with death and execution.

Historically Kenya has been in threats and violence whenever certain communities felt that their powers were under threats. When Kenya became the Republic of Kenya in December 12, 1964, and Jomo Kenyatta became President.

Many Kikuyu elites believed that they had suffered the most during the colonial period and therefore they should benefit the most from independence. Tom Mboya, the Luo-Suba secretary-general of KANU was assassinated in 1969 when Kenyatta inner circle gurus expected he could succeed Kenyatta as the president.

In order to stick to power President Kenyatta banned the Kenya Party Union (KPU) of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and detained its leaders. The idea was to make Kenya a de facto one-party state. Many Kenyans considered Kenyatta’s repressive response as a means of consolidating the power of the KANU and the Kikuyu.

Several Kikuyu political leaders were associated with a tribal organization called the Gikuyu/Kikuyu, Embu, Meru Association (GEMA) which was aiming to keep Kikuyu political hegemony.

Despite the country’s independence, land claims of communal pastoral groups such as the Maasai and Kalenjin who were evicted from the Rift Valley area during the colonial period were not accommodated in his government.

GEMA went as far as trying to introduce a constitutional amendment to prevent non-Kikuyu Vice President Moi from succeeding Kenyatta but failed because they did not get the majority support from other ethnic communities.

When Daniel arap Moi eventually became the president he chose Mwai Kibaki (a Kikuyu) as Vice President to get attraction support from some Kikuyus, with the aim to stick to power just as Kenyatta did for 15 years.

Moi’s problem began shortly he disproportionately appointing Kalenjin to positions of power in his regime and by granting economic advantages to the Kalenjin. This led to formation of vigilante groups known as Mwakenya to work for his downfall.

Like Kenyatta, Moi’s government assassinated Dr Robert Ouko, a former foreign minister who had criticized his regime. Kalenjin elites feared Ouko would succeed Moi, so the assassination.

The Kalenjin Assistant Minister Kipkalia Kones declared Kericho District a KANU zone and stated that the Kalenjin youth in the area had declared war on the Luo community in retaliation for several Kalenjins killed in earlier violence.

In the Chemichimi (the Bungoma District), the Kalenjin attacked the Luhya community. The brutal attack against non-Kalenjin ethnic groups caused retaliatory attacks against Kalenjins in many areas.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

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