The violence that saw the murder of Luos in Naivasha and Kikuyu areas was planned as revenge attacks following the killings of Kikuyus in Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces, according to the US-based group Human Rights Watch.
The group is now calling upon the coalition government to support the Truth and Justice and Reconciliation Commission established under the mediation process to investigate the abuses by state forces and those responsible for the election problems and to bring them to justice.
Addressing the media in a Nairobi hotel during the release of a detailed book report of how the post election violence was pre-planned,  the group’s African Director Georgette Gagnon said inciting violence along ethnic lines almost destroyed Kenya and now the new government has chance to repair the fractures and restore the trust of Kenyans through the coalition goverment
According to the group’s African consultant Ben Rawlence (main speaker) and witnesses interviewed, the post election violence in Rift Valley Nairobi, Western, Nyanza and Naivasha were planned by local leaders, politicians and businessmen from all sides and who are best known to the victims.
Citing Naivasha, for example, one young Kikuyu man testitified to having been involved in the violence. He said, “This was not done by ordinary citizens , it was arranged by people with money;they bought the jobless like me. We need something to eat each day.”
In Kisumu a fifteen year old narrated how the police shot him in the back of the leg as he tried to run away from a police car. According to the boy, “They put off the headlights of the car and I realised that I was near because I heard a gun shot. I started running then I heard the second, when I tried to step forward my leg had no power, I fell down.”
Back in Naivasha, one man claimed to have seen three trucks with armed men arriving one Saturday night on January 26 in the Marera/Karacta area in company of a local businessman. On the same day in the afternoon, there was a meeting of local businessmen who had campaigned for a PNU candidate and former MP.
A youth present at the meeting said, “We were told that only Luo houses should be burnt and that the mission starts in the morning. Every person was given 100 or 200 shillings.”
However Human Rights Watch says that most of the leaders of the Mungiki Sect interviwed stated that they are not ready to work with the Kibaki goverment. The police also believe that there was little involvement of Mungiki in the violence but since any rebellious Kikuyu youth group uses the name “MUNGIKI” as it instiLls terror on people, some peopple like former Mungiki leader Ndura Waruinge are recruiting defectors to a fake Mungiki, following an order from Kikuyu businessmen and leaders from Rift Valley.
In Eldoret the violence was as result of costant inflamatory ethnic rhetoric aganist the Kikuyus and over land ownership in the run up to elections. The group however did not find any evidence directly linking William Ruto to the violence. However, Kikuyu victims blame Ruto because of his anti-Kikuyu rhetoric prior to the elections.
A youth who attended a meeting in Turbo chaired by a local ODM campaighner said “He (and the local elders) said that if there is any sign that Kibaki is winning, then the war should break ….they said the first step is to burn the Kikuyu homes in the village, then we will go to Turbo town, (and) after finishing Turbo then we organize to go to Eldoret… They were coaching the young people on how to go to war” and in some instances some ODM politicians would say “we have a snake, we have to get rid of it.”
Human Rights Watch says that it did over 200 interviews with victims, witnesses, perpetrators, police magistrates, journalists, lawyers, MPs, local councillors, diplomats, NGO’s and businessmen and that the interviews were conducted in person and via telephone in English and Swahili without any tranlators.
The group is now calling for independent investigations and nonpartisan prosecution of all those implicated in the violence.
At the same time, it blames the police for using execesive force on protestors and extra judicial killings especilly in Kisumu and Kibera.
A detailed report is posted the at http://hrw.org/reports/2008/kenya/0308
If the Kibaki group rigged election, as it apears,it is highly possible that the same people orginised for extra judicial killings in Kisumu and Kibira(Nairobi). The Kibaki government planned this
in advanced because these two areas were bound to demonstrate against the government because of rigging. There fore ,it is well known that it the government which started the killings. Places like Eldoret,Kakamega,Kericho,Mombasa, Narok ,etc people reacted because of the killings in kisumu,nairobi . The government plan of countering the demonstration was only forcusing on luo dominated areas.
For real reconciliation ,the government should punish the people
who planned rigging and killing .
Otherwise, the reconciliation process is good but it will be undermined by few corrupt leaders who are still surrounding kibaki. These people would like take the whole kenya’s wealth for themselves.
Look what is happening in the city council. It is now in a real financial problems. The city leaders cheated the citzens of nairobi by leaving the treasury with debt of billions. Outwardly,
Nairobi appreared well managed ,but inwardly the city was rotten. It was being run by debts. These people should tell kenyans where they were taking revanues. The former mayor and City clerk should be arrested for this mess.
If proper auditing can be done in all public institutions ,you will that they are all in a mess.