KALENJIN MPS TOLD TO COME TO TERMS WITH POLITICAL REALITY AND STOP BLAMING PRIME MINISTER RAILA ODINGA OVER MAU EVICTION ISSUE.
Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.
Thur, Nov 19, 2009 at 10:10 AM
LEADING Kaelenjin politicians in the South Rift region have differed sharply with their cousins from the North Rift, over what they termed as falsified accusations against the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, over the controversial Mau Forest eviction of illegal squatters.
A nominated Kericho Municipality Councilor, Nicholas Tum, angrily retorted that some of the Kalenjin Mps, who are the most vocal critics of Raila Odinga, had long standing differences with the ODM leader even long before the Mau Forest eviction issue came about.
Coun Tum cited the Chepalungu MP, Isaac Ruto, who had served in the last cabinet of the Moi regime. The MP had grudges with Mr. Odinga, whom he blamed for not having fronted his name in the list of cabinet appointments, among the ODM MPs. The same MP is now hiding behind the Mau Forest eviction, while vilifying Mr.Odinga, but forgets that not all the MPs cannot be Ministers.
The same could be said of the Marakwet East MP, Mrs Linah Kilimo. She ditched the ODM, even long before the last general election, and jumped the bandwagon of Kamlish Patni’s KENDA party, perhaps hoping to reap something out of the millions of shillings from the Goldenberg mega financial scandal. This particular MP had no business criticizing Mr.Odinga, and the sooner she shut up her mouth the better.
Tum told the Kalenjin MPs to handle the Mau issue soberly, and to control their emotions as true leaders, and to stop acting like common “hecklers. If they continued this kind of behavior, they risk plunging the community into the opposition benches when the next government is formed”.
“Odm is still the darling party of the majority of the Kalenjin people. We moved out of KANU in protest the other day, and we cannot afford now to ditch the ODM. These MPs should not keep the ODM party at ransom. Those who could not be patient and work for its unity should walk out and join other parties of their choices, instead o behaving childishly”,said Coun. Tum.
He was full of praise for the cabinet Minister, Franklikn Bett, the Miinister for Roads, saying the Mp for Buret is the only Kalenjin MP who is behaving responsibly, and showing good leadership quality, that is full of political magnanimity and dynamism. Most of the MPs are inciters bent on promoting selfish issues.
Mau Forest eviction is not Raila Odinga project. It is the project of the government of Kenya, headed by President Kibaki, and the Kalenjin MPs know it pretty well that Raila is not the President and cannot take a unilateral decision on any matter of this magnitude. “Why can’t they direct their criticism to the President? Why Raila?”, Coun Tum asked.
The persistent threat of leaving ODM is the sign of political naivety and immaturity that is being displayed by some of the Kalenjin Mps, who only won the elections in 2007 due to the euphoria of the ODM in the region in 2007. “Let them walk out of the ODM now and not even half of them will see the inside of the Chamber of Parliament after the 2012 general elections. The community is closely watching their behaviors, which is full of political sycophancy”, said Coun Tum.
Coun Tum alleged that some of the Kalenjin MPs are seriously panicking over the impending Ocampo investigations and prosecutions for their parts in crime against humanity during the post-election violence and have gone publicly defending their names even before the ICC prosecutor disclosed the list of the suspects. Some have been allegedly issuing death threat to those whom they perceived to be the potential key witnesses.
ENDS
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
This is a wedge being used to divide and weaken the Kalenjin. People like this councilor, Nicholas Tum, who are the weaklings that are used to wreck our unity. Our people-Gotab Kalenjin Tugul. Should know that we have, ” Buunik Aeng’ ” Musa Arap Sirma and Nicholas Tum. These two men are being used to divide and weaken the Kalenjin Unity!
These characters must know when the Killing of Kalenjin begins, they will never be safe! Where are the moderate Hutus of Rwanda? Between 1998-2003, 5 400 000, have been killed in the forests of Congo! That is at a rate of 3000 a day.
All of them, the survivors-children, old, women and the moderate Hutus have been condemned-As genocidaires. Kagame who executed the president is cleansing the Hutus from their land so that he can resettle his Tutsi population on the Hutu land. Is this not what is taking place now 2009? What do we hear about the more than 10 million Hutu civilians who escaped to Eastern Congo? Nothing, not even with all the reports that are coming out about the murders of the Hutus.
Unless the Kalenjin cling together as one, we have to realise we have not yet seen what sorrow is. Raila can never be absolved of our suffering. He alone is responsible, for Mau and all the hate that we are witnessing against the Kalenjin. Kibaki has never said a word, it is only him and Wekesa who have been at the front of assaults directed upon our people.
What do people not understand. We are subjected to all types of hate. Our land is taken by force, in Soy, Sugoi, Burnt Forest, Turbo, Eldoret, Kamagut, Kitale, Matunda, Siwa, Moi ben, Kaptebee even as far as Kurgung’ unto Tulwetab Gony’, Mt. Elgon. And far reaching as Kapkangani, Koimos, ( Kaimosi ). How many Luyias live in our land, yet we hear an idiot such as Wekesa telling us to go back to where we came from! Will Mr. Minister , Wekesa order the Luyias living on our land to move to where they came from?
We, Kalenjin are not against forest conservation, we do want it, but we refuse to be treated in a shabby manner, like we are witnessing now.
We hear about attacks upon our Radio Station, KASS FM, our Members of Parliament, and within the past week a scathing attack on Kalenjin had been the order of the things. Why?
What we know is that we voted for Raila en masse, but we are now thanked with booting us out of our land! Before that we were told to surrender the title deeds and any paper works that we had. So what do we hear now, we were squatters on Mau, with no papers, were we not asked to hand them over?
People can only be pushed till the zenith, then there is going to be a violent lash back! A lesson that Kenyans are not able to foresee! I voted for Raila 2007, But this time round my vote has to be earned, and I can assure you, part of it is how my community is treated- hence forth.
If the PM is wise, he should count how many votes vanished with Mr. Musyoka 2007. If only he was wise , he would have courted those votes! But as I can see, it would be a miracle, unless he changes way, I am not seeing the ODM going anywhere!
TEKERE JELULE
We have said repeatedly that reducing issues to tribes, and lack of unprincipled leadership are some of the things that have made Kenya stagnate in development.
I have seen Rwandan genocide being used as an example, and wrongly so. The genocide was bred on a culture of impunity, exclusivism, and the desire to maintain the status quo. The 1994 genocide was meted out when change was imminent. The victims were those bringing the change, and the perpetrators stood for the status quo. Be informed that for change to come to Rwanda, where everything had been reduced to tribe, blood had to be shed, and indeed it was shed, and some of those who thought they were mighty are in chains, courtesy of the so called ‘minority’.
Now Tekere want us to believe that Ruto wants to bring change, and therefore being tormented. Which change can Ruto bring to the Kalenjins, and which change can Jirongo bring to Luhyas? Kenyans including Kalenjins are smarter than they are, and we know those who are for change, and those who are against. We even know those who want to protect their ill gotten wealth, and cover their dark past. Those who were not there with them, whether it is Karua, Murungi or Raila should know that the old mafia is fighting back, fronted by the likes of Ruto and Jirongo.
The arguments fronted by Ruto and propagandist Tekere, are akin to those advanced by the Hutu, when they could not match the determination of the Rwandes Patriotic Front. They told Hutus day in day out, that the Tutsis were coming to finish them, but all these could not stop the change. When Ruto was messing the economy as a KANU youth winger, was he doing it on behalf of the Kalenjin or for his stomach?
Tekere, were you with Ruto when he was sowing seeds of inflation?
I urge every Kenyan to follow events in modern Rwanda keenly. Both the President and the Prime Minister of Rwanda will not wink to kick out compatriots, who involve themselves in anti people practices like corruption. No matter what support you rendered in the past, when caught in acts of impunity, you are shown the door, and promptly jailed.
Let not this Tekere propagandist of Ruto reduce the change in Rwanda to YK92 recklessness, or Kalonzo Musyoka unbridled ambition for imperial leaderless presidency.
If the Kenyan vote is being reduced to formula-less arithmetic, I am afraid change will still come, but with more sacrifices.
Given that MAU evictions have been unfair, have you yourself been evicted? You are not an evictee, and I am not, and we can only point out to the government that something is a miss. However, if it becomes a Kalenjin affair, then becomes a basis of an alliance, then we are worried that our politics have not matured. If one is accused of corruption, principled leadership demands that whether he holds 100 million votes, you let the law takes its own course.
If Ruto’s name is in the Waki envelop, did Raila send witnesses to the Waki commission to mention Ruto? And why can he not be patient for the law to take its own course if he is innocent?
It is really sad that Kenya is in a situation where robbers are caught, but plead that if “we are let free to rob”, they are going to support your quest for political office. Is this the independence and democracy Kenyans fought for?
It is a high time reform minded people grouped together to scare the hell out of the mafia, who are in the loose blackmailing politicians.