From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
THE HAGUE SPECIAL TAKE-2
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
The trial of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto opened yesterday at the International Criminal court, with the Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda saying Ruto deliberately orchestrated deadly violence in the aftermath of his country’s disputed 2007 election.
Intentionally I chose the headline of my take-1: “KENYANS ARE ALL GUILTY OF POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE” to see the reaction of Kenyans. It was amazing-many of our readers opposed to Uhuruto Jubilee camps, and who feel their ethnic communities were robed of their victory were angry with me.
Majority of ethnic communities with Raila Odinga asked me to delete them from my blog, while others were asking me how much I was paid by the two accused so that I could shamelessly say that Kenyans are all guilty of post-election violence.
This is a clear indication that Kenyans are not only strongly divided along tribal lines but also very bitter. To heal this wound is not going to be an easy task in Kenya as long as politicians still divide us along tribal lines.
This clip by Boniface Mwangi-The Price of Tribal Politics – Scribd (also see attachment) demonstrates clearly how the price of tribal politics haunts Kenya. The case was taken to The Hague to avoid impunity if it were to be tried locally here in Kenya.
Yet still, the ICC is to demonstrate it can successfully prosecute an African leader if Ruto and President Uhuru Kenyatta will be found guilty. Uhuru stands trial in November with similar charges, crime against humanity.
Ruto and broadcaster Joshua Sang are both accused of murder, deportation and persecution of political opponents in Kenya’s Rift Valley region in late 2007 and early 2008. Both men pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Bensouda called the attacks “a carefully planned, co-ordinated and executed campaign of violence” targeting Kikuyu supporters of the Party of National Unity. And while Ruto allegedly armed and organized the attackers, Sang is accused of using his popular radio show to whip up hatred against Kikuyu tribe members and even broadcast coded instructions to direct attackers to their targets, referring to them as ‘madowa dowa’ (tinted people).
Tribal politics in Kenya dates back in the early 1960s when Daniel arap Moi, Masinde Muliro, and Ranald Ngala of KADU supported regionalism against Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Thomas Joseph Mboya and KANU’s nationalism (associated with the centralised system). These two major tribes (Kikuyu and Luo) excluded minority tribes from their political and party agenda.
KADU was formed to challenge KANU and it opted for ‘Majimboism’ (Federal government). These two parties were already divided over the type of system that would serve their ethnic communities’ interests.
When Kenya gained “independence” from Britain in 1963, it inherited non-democratic institutions and cultures, which later fell into the hands of corrupted politicians and governments.
Tribal politics in Kenya can therefore be said to have been inherited from post-colonial “officials” lavished themselves with political and economic favours in a pattern that has extended into the post-post-colonial era (Moi who was a member of KADU and later KANU, Kibaki who was technocrat in KANU from 1963, and now Uhuru Kenyatta (son of Jomo Kenyatta).
When Kenya became a one-party state in 1969 Kenyatta ruled the country with a clique around him mainly from his ethnic Kikuyu, who eventually alienated other groups in Kenya from the political and economic order for his entire reign (1963-1978).
Those he deemed as a threat to his government died mysteriously, including Pio Gama Pinto (Kenyan Indian), JM Kariuki (Kikuyu) Tom Mboya, D.O Makasembo, Arwgings Kodhek (all Luo) Ronald Ngala (Mijikenda of Coast), Seroney (Kalenjin) among others.
This strategy was adopted by Moi. People assassinated during his regime include Robert Ouko, Owiti Ongili, Otieno Ambala, Hezekiah Oyugi (all Luo) Bishop Kipsang Muge, (Kalenjin), Adungosi and Muliro (all Luhya,).
Many students, journalists, lecturers, and politicians like Raila Odinga, Charles Rubia, Keneth Matiba, Martin Shikuku, among others were detained and tortured ruthlessly.
Since then, the political competition that followed immediately after independence has not only given birth to the mechanisations, manipulation of the institutions responsible for electoral process and the blatant rape of the constitution to suit those in power, it has also created sharp and bitter divisions among Kenyan ethnic communities.
When Moi took over from Kenyatta upon his death in 1978, during his 24 year reign he exploited the Kenyan diversity and politicised ethnicity to levels where he could instigate clashes in districts and provinces with mixed groups, a practice he perfected in the 90’s in order to discredit the onset of multiparty democracy in Kenya.
Politically motivated ethnic clashes were used to disrupt and displace populations and groups that supported the opposition (mainly the Kikuyu in Rift Valley, Luo in the slums of Nairobi and Mombasa).
He also used divide and rule tactics, pitting on group against another and at times bought politician through patronage in order to have more support in parliament. These tactics ensured that the opposition lost the elections of 1992 and 1997.
When Moi was voted out of office in 2002 and Kibaki became president, the same system continued. Anger against his leadership was real when he was accused of massive nepotism.
The 2007 elections also saw a new trend of ethnic alliances, which were formed for political expediency. The same was seen in March 4 elections when Uhuru and Ruto joined their ethnic communities to ascend to power.
With this historical background you can tell how Kenya has a long way to achieve nationalism, a Kenya which we can call ours. Yet some of you are wondering whether Kenya can be united. My take here is not, as long as politics is based on tribal.
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
excerpt from …
The-Price-of-Tribal-Politics-1[1].pdf
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Award Winning Kenyan Photojournalist BONIFACE WAS THE EYE of Kenyans during the post-election violence and showed courage and compassion to capture the images across the country that made newspaper headlines all over the world. To capture the moment,he had to be on the frontline where everything was going down.During the post-election skirmishes he took thousands of photos, some so gory they couldn’t be published. He covered the post-election violence ata great personal risk and sacrifice, more so given the heavy-handedness that the Kenyan police displayed at times.His coverage of those attacks entailed great danger as, more often than not, he had to falsify his ethnic identity. He had to show courage in documenting the plight of ordinary Kenyans caught up in the pre and post election violence that rocked the country and see the story through.He has worked on assignments in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, China, Somalia, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, France and he covered the election ofPresident Barack Obama in the USA. His work has been exhibited at the French Cultural Centre Nairobi, Goethe Institute, the national Museums ofKenya, The Godown Art Centre and New York at the Tank Art Studio. His work has appeared in virtually all the important newspapers in the world, from The New York Times to The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, LosAngeles Times, The international Herald Tribune, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Boston Globe and the BBC Focus on Africa magazine among other International publications. He is the first Kenyan to be named the CNN Africa Photojournalist of the Year in 2008. In 2009 his post electionwork was highly commended in the CNN Africa Photojournalist of the Year Award. He went on to win the Award in 2010.”Your photography is absolutely stunning and tells an important and powerful story for the world to hear,” said Hillary Clinton, the USSecretary of State in a 2009 letter she wrote to Boniface Mwangi commending his Post election violence work.Currently he is the project director of Picha Mtaani, a UN-funded initiative that focuses on reconciliation through photographic exhibitions and debate.www.pichamtaani.orgpink-foot consultcreative@pink-foot.net
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