From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2013

Lots of issues have emerged following my article where I said that even three bench judges will have to bar Kethi Diana Kilonzo from contesting Makueni by-election with. One writes: “Fr Beste your article on Kethi being barred by Judicial is the most logical and factual piece I have ever heard from you. Your arguments are 100 percent right”.

Another reader would like to know whether Prof Philip Kaloki can defeat Kalonzo Mutula Jr in forthcoming by-election in Makueni and whether divide and rule system where Jubilee Coalition is using Charity Ngilu and Agnes Ndetei to divide Kamba is healthy to Kenya at the time the country is yet to heal from post-election violence.

Another one wanted to know why Uhuru and Ruto seem to fear Raila Odinga and whether I read the Saturday Nation interview with Koigi wa Wamwere and if I did what is my take as politics in Kenya is concerned.

There are three reasons why Jubilee candidate, Prof Philip Kaloki will not win Makueni by-election. One reason is to do with the political ‘wave’ of Wiper supporters in Makueni. It is expected almost 98 percent Wiper supporters will vote for Mutula Kilonzo Jr. I call it political ‘wave’ because it is so strong that even if Jubilee tries to rig it will not match.

Second reason is to do with mistrust the Makueni people have put on Charity Ngilu who is behind all these political war between her Jubilee coalition and Cord. Kamba people in Makueni are so disgusted with Ngilu to the extent that whoever candidate Wiper will propose will be voted in by practically all Wiper supporters in Makueni.

Reason three is to do with bad relationship the Jubilee and Cord have. It is a certain hatred that really bites. This hatred will be very difficult to reconcile in the near future. In fact the behavior of Jubilee has strengthened Cord, not only in Ukambani but several regions of Kenya.

Recent hostile reception at a rally in Makueni Kaloki received as he proceeded with his campaign in Makueni is enough reason to judge that he will find it very difficult to penetrate through.

Kaloki reportedly got booed and heckled by residents at a campaign stop in Salama Township just minutes after he arrived with his entourage. The residents accused him of fearing to go head to head with Kethi Kilonzo saying he would not win even if the daughter of the late Mutula Kilonzo is not on the ballot.

This is reportedly the third time in as many days that Kaloki’s rally has been disrupted by Cord supporters according to the sources on the ground in Makueni that the tide has turned decisively against the Jubilee coalition ever since Kethi was stripped of her nomination to vie for the Senate seat in the upcoming by-election on Friday July 26.

Kaloki is one of four candidates that have so far been cleared to vie for the seat. He will run on Charity Ngilu Narc ticket under Jubilee. The other candidates are Harun Mwau of PICK, Jane Wavinya Muoka of LPK and Urbanus Muthoka who will run as an independent candidate.

It is because of this fear that an official of one of the parties in the Jubilee coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto says plans were at an advanced stage to take the battle back to the courts tomorrow Monday to challenge the nomination of Kilonzo Jr.

Jubilee wants to challenge the nomination of Wiper candidate, arguing that the three-judge bench that allowed Wiper a chance to name a new candidate erred in law because the deadline for the nomination of candidates had lapsed.

On the question whether divide and rule system where Jubilee Coalition is using Charity Ngilu and Agnes Ndetei to divide Kamba is dangerous in the country which is yet to heal from post-election violence, the answer is yes, and indeed it is too dangerous.

It is very dangerous because absence of efforts to debunk negative perceptions and ethnic stereotypes in Kenya is a major cause of ethnic tension that has led to bloodshed and displacements Kenyans for many years in the country, a fact that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) report states.

For a long time ethnic stereotyping has not only been used on the political arena to discredit Politicians from other communities, but it have also fuelled targeted and barbaric forms of violence against members of such communities. Such violence was meted out especially during the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

This policy became particularly evident after the re-introduction of multi-party politics in the country in the early 1990s. The introduction of multiparty politics and elections coincided with a wave of ethnic violence in parts of the country.

In politics and sociology, divide and rule, or divide and conquer, is gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. The concept refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller power groups from linking up.

Jomoe Kenyatta used this system, Moi used it, Kivaki did the same and now Uhuru Kenyatta. Elements of this technique involve: creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects to prevent alliances that could challenge the sovereign aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers.

On why Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto fear Raila Odinga, the answer to this question is very simple. It is to do with being active in politics. The Jubilee expected Raila to retire from politics after he was defeated in March 4 elections.

And now that former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is getting political strength through Cord, is why Jubilee is also expressing its fear to Kalonzo. Recently the aunt of Uhuru Kenyatta, nominated Jubilee Senator Beth Mugo wonder why Kalonzo is still in active politics when he promised that when he will be defeated he would quit politics.

Jubilee feels that if Raila quitted active politics it would be easier for them to maneuver their politics in whichever way without noticing and for that reason can easily play their dirty politics.

It explains why Jubilee wants to use all means to convince Kenyans that Raila was a dangerous man. This was evident last week when Deputy President William Ruto issued a terse statement asking Raila to avoid actions that may lead to civil instability.

That is why Jubilee functionaries have also accused Raila of being behind the teacher’s strike that lasted for close to a month. Jubilee wants to convince Kenyans that whatever chaos we have in Kenya is because of Raila. But I tell you Kenyans are not that fools.

Jubilee used the police last week to summon the former Raila’s aide Eliud Owalo for questioning for alleged involvement in subversive actions to destabilise government. This is to bring impression that Raila wants to over through the duly elected government of Uhuru and Ruto.

Another reason why Uhuru and Ruto fear Raila is to do with the ongoing ICC trials. Raila has always maintained hat Ruto and Uhuru cannot avoid their ICC cases even if they are elected president and deputy president.

Final question on whether I read the Saturday Nation interview with former Subukia MP Koigi Wamwere, and if I did what is my take? Yes, I did read the interview and my take on this is that Kenya has not gotten visionary leaders since independence.

Wamwere who abandoned the university at the age of 21 to fight President Jomo Kenyatta when it was almost a sacrilege to lift a finger against the man reverently referred to as the Burning Spear is one of the few Kenyans that have the country at heart.

That is why he is not only seen by some members of his Kikuyu community as a traitor and by a section of the public as a Kikuyu apologist when push comes to shove, but also as a threat to Uhuru government.

Wamwere thought President Uhuru could be reading a script from the discredited regimes of his father Jomo Kenyatta and political mentor Daniel arap Moi, instead he has followed their style of bad governance.

Like few Kenyans who have their country at heart, Wamwere is convinced that Kenya can only be called a country of 42 tribes the day it will stop holding elections on tribal lines, especially in 2007 when people voted the tribal wind, leading to 2008 violence.

Asked whether Uhuru and Ruto can unite Kenyans, Wamwere’s answer was absolutely not. “How can an alliance of two communities unite the whole country?” he posed.

One of the reasons why they cannot unite Kenyans he says is because of lots of suspicion which is still palpable among Kikuyus and Kalenjins, it is really a union of the two chaps at the top he says. On another note, the Jubilee win was ethnic victory.

People voted for it on the basis of tribes with the hope that it will bring goodies to their communities. It is a government of exclusion of others but inclusion of political allies. They have just appointed their cronies.

Wamwere is urging Kenyans to vote for a candidate with a history of struggle, progressive ideas and a vision to take us to Canaan like Moses who brought Israelites from Egypt through the Red Sea. Not like Mau Mau that abandoned us in the desert of poverty, where we have been all these years.

Wamwere maintains that we must criticize leaders where they go wrong even if they belonged to your tribe that is why he was able to criticize Jomo Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki even though they were Kikuyus like him.

Wamwere argues that in Kenya people cannot criticize a leader where he is going wrong because he belongs to my tribe. According to him this is thinking naïve. He fears that Uhuru and Ruto want to rule the country using Jomo Kenyatta’s script.

When he heard that Eliud Owallo, Raila’s aide, had been summoned to answer questions over claims of plot to destabilise the government, he shuddered. He was hearing echoes from past dictatorships.

This was usually the first step against a leader before jail or detention beckoned. That is why according to him Raila should be very, very careful. He would urge Raila to read the Bible and Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom. He needs patience.

Mandela waited for 27 years. Raila has a responsibility to build a rainbow nation in which all Kenyans, regardless of their tribes, live together in peace. Before that rainbow is midwifed, Raila should not succumb to intimidation to leave the scene.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Twitter-@8000accomole

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