from Judy Miriga
Folks,
This is truely sad. The Government is blundering and totally confused. Al-Shabaab’s head is in Kenya, and the tail in Somali, which means, the power of Al-Shabaab is in Kenya in Eastleigh, then, why not deal with those in Kenya and do a thorough clean up first. I now believe this is a conspiracy since the Government officials has indicted the Government to prove they are aware the Head of Al-Shabaab is in Kenya:
1) It is a way to solicit for money to support the war
2) Pre-empt for war to escape New Constitution implementation of Devolution of Counties so Kibaki and Raila can have an execuse for war to avoid election in August 2012
3) Instigate an offense to create mass killings against Kenyans by Al-Shabaab as a retaliation since the Government have been in to and forth consultations with Al-shabaab….
What can we say but to ask the Coalition Government that it has no more moral to provide security to Kenyans and protect Kenya from external terrorism invasion.
Kenyans stakeholders of Migingo have a right to sue Kenya Government from putting their lives in danger by allowing Uganda to invade Migingo, terrorize, manipulate, itimidate, steal and kill many Luo fishermen of Migingo. Uganda must be made to pay the County of South Nyanza/Nyatike in compensation.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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Government demand on Somalia president
Uploaded by standardgroupkenya on Oct 26, 2011
The Kenya government wants Somalia’s government to clarify their official position on the Kenyan military offensive in that country. The government says the military offensive against al shabaab was endorsed by the Somalia government and has been baffled by the announcement by Somalia’s president opposing the presence of kenyan troops in somalia. But, as ktn’s shem oluchiri reports, the government says the operation will not be halted.
‘Al Shabaab must down weapons for talks’
By Steve Mkawale and Cyrus Ombati
The Government has demanded that Al Shabaab militant group renounces violence as a condition for any negotiations to bring peace in Somalia.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka said on Thursday the Government was aware of the presence of Al Shabaab members in Kenya.
“The truth is Al Shabaab is frequently and constantly in touch with the Kenyan Government. The Government position has always been we are frequently engaged with all the stakeholders of crisis in Somalia. Our position has always been we must use both military, if need be and consistently diplomatic channels to try and negotiate and discuss,” Onyonka told journalists at a news conference at Parliament Buildings on Monday.
However, earlier Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua had denied Government plans to negotiate with the militant group, saying he was not aware of any such plans and that Kenya does not negotiate with criminals.
“There have been no indications whatsoever, and Kenya does not negotiate with criminal organisations like Al Shabaab,” said Dr Mutua.
Onyonka said discussions taking place were not based on whether Kenya military will be staying in Kismayu or Somalia but on achieving peace and security in that country.
President’s blessings
He said the military operation has the blessings of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed of Somalia.
“We have supported him and his Government. Amison troops are being killed in Mogadishu, he asked us to send the troops there. We delivered them. We have been defending and protecting him hoping he meant what he said,” said Onyonka.
Reports indicated the militia leaders were reaching out for possible negotiations two weeks after Kenyan troops stormed into Somalia to hunt for Al Shabaab, which Kenya blames for recent kidnappings of foreign aid workers in Dadaab refugee camp.
The militia is also accused of having kidnapped two British tourists from Kenyan coast in the past month.
Mutua said Al Shabaab has not contacted Kenya and that they would not talk to the gang even if they wanted.
Kenya declared self-defence justifies crossing the border with Somalia, saying a recent spate of kidnappings threatened its security and constituted an attack.
President Ahmed thanked Kenya on Wednesday for helping battle the extremist group two days after he accused the nation of overstepping its boundaries.
Mutua was speaking in Nairobi where he said Al Shabaab presents a clear and present danger to the security of the world and the East Africa region in particular.
He said African Union and Inter-governmental Authority on Development have sanctioned an intervention to rout out the terror organisation to provide peace in the region and to help the Somalia Government establish its authority.
Dismissed remarks
“The Government’s objective is to pursue and curtail the operations of Al Shabaab, which has become a threat to our security and economy,” said Mutua.
But Onyonka dismissed Mutua’s remarks, saying it was the policy of the AU and Igad to engage all sides involved in the conflict.
He said the military would withdraw if Al Shabaab renounced violence.
The Kenyan troops, he added, are fighting alongside those of the Transitional Federal Government of Somali and the strategy is to destroy Al Shabaab’s network within the shortest time possible.
“We have looked at the statements made by Ahmed. He does not want our troops to occupy a part of Somalia, and that is not our intentions at all. It has never been,” said Mutua.
— On Thu, 10/27/11, Joseph Lister wrote:
The economy is in tatters; the people’s purchasing power is on low ebb. Inflation has hit on the rooftops. The latest incidents of the Al-shabab militia have added insult to injury on the lives of Kenyan people. Its fear and fear everywhere.
On the streets, cafes, bus tops, and shopping malls, on matatu terminals, and inside churches; Kenyans are in perpetual fear when the next explosion will hit. Whenever one hears ambulance sirens in town or in the estates, the stomachs churns with butterflies; evoking memories of an explosion.
The Somalia militiamen have created havoc to our people; robbed us of our peace and made us prisoners in our own land. In fact, the life of Kenyans especially in the urban centres is similar to what the Israelis go through daily in city of Tel Aviv. Those of us living abroad are not in peace either, when we get a phone call by a relative, our hearts race due to the phobia of the Al-Shaban militias.
We applaud the government’s commitment to send our defense forces to Somalia to flush out the Militiamen. However, it’s shocking that the statement released today by the assistant Minister for foreign affairs Mr. Momoima Onyonka, left many Kenyans in suspense and anxiety. To opine that the government is aware of Al-Shabab’s underground deals in the Country is purely an act of omission on the part of the government.
We have already lost Kenyan lives, while others have been physically maimed. In North Eastern Kenya, O’ level students were inconvenienced from sitting for their exam paper because of the Al-Shabab.
Secondly, the same government now accepting the knowledge of the illegal militia’s operations in the Country including their financial dealings is extremely worrisome. Many of us are thinking bigger and deeper on Mr. Onyonka statement stipulated in the link below.
Truly, what will prevent some of our corrupt politicians from giving a safety haven to the Alshabab in exchange for campaign funds for next year’s elections? This is a solid fact. We saw many of our current leaders in the comfort zone when Kenya was smouldering in 2007/ 2008. They don’t care so long as their families are safe. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Renounce+violence+and+we+will+negotiate++Kenya+tells+Shabaab/-/1056/1262828/-/txh96s/-/index.html
What the government should do if what Onyonka his saying is true:
1) Investigate how people running from a war torn nation will come to a foreign land and purchase property worth millions without questioning the source of their huge funds.
2) Fighting terrorism is similar to fighting drug cartels. Unless the flow of their money is nipped through garnishing their bank accounts, it will be elusive to break their cells. Without money, which they are using to entice jobless Kenyans like the suspect who appeared in court yesterday, this group will be toothless. You cut their money flow, you break their backbone.
3) Take stock of all properties which have been purchased with suspicious names or companies i.e. most buildings in Eastlands and lower Nairobi which are on the hands of Somalis.
4) Investigate the militia’s links with the business community, government bodies and individual politicians in the country.
5) Track down the militia’s funding through working with local banks and garnish all suspicious accounts related to this terrorist group. We can’t mortgage the lives of our people through blood money.
6) Use Kenyan Somalis to help with intelligence.
7) Sending an olive branch for negotiation with an amorphous illegal group is a sign of cowardice and must not be done if the government is confident to completely destroy the Al-Shabab.
8) There is a lot of spade work that need to be done in the home front even more than what our troops are doing in Somalia. Recent Al-Shabab attacks in Nairobi and Mandera attests to this point.
Taking drastic steps to protect Kenyans is a moral and political responsibility by the government.
— On Thu, 10/27/11, sang kip wrote:
Subject: AL SHABAAB IN KENYA:SUE THE GOVERNMENT!
By admitting that they have all along known where al Shabaab’s head is, the government has indicted itself.Anyone maimed or harmed by the terrorists can now sue the government for failing its constitutional mandate to protect it citizens.