For the past two weeks, MPs have held charged rallies where they have
been anointing their tribesmen to run for the presidency in 2012.
Some of the meetings have been characterised by hate speech and foul
language that are likely to incite Kenyans along tribal lines and
defeat the spirit of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008.
Political observers have warned that should if the trend continues
unabated, the nation is likely to slide to the hostility and tribal
animosity witnessed after the last General Election.
During a recent rally at Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta's Gatundu
South constituency for instance, Kamukunji MP Simon Mbugua's language
was clearly antagonistic.
Ill wind blowing
While pushing for an alliance between the Kikuyu and the Kalenjin ahead
of the next polls, the PNU MP said: We were doing well before the last
elections until an ill wind started blowing from Lake Victoria and
separated us. He was referring to ODM leaders mainly from Luo Nyanza.
This is the kind of language that Kenyans were treated to during the
2007 election campaigns and its aftermath was felt soon after the
announcement of the disputed presidential poll results.
Mr Mbugua spoke during a reconciliation meeting at Burnt Forest
attended by Agriculture minister, William Ruto and a host of Rift
Valley MPs.
And in Gatundu, he was one of those who anointed Mr Kenyatta as the Mt
Kenya spokesman. Let everybody know that Uhuru is the undisputed
leader of Central Kenya, said the Kamukunji legislator.
Other MPs pushing Mr Mbugua's line were Government chief whip George
Thuo, Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragua), Ephraim Maina (Mathira) and
Agriculture assistant minister Japheth Kareke.
But retired Anglican Bishop David Gitari warned that the region risked
being marginalised by other communities if they insist that one of
their own must succeed President Kibaki. They risk being treated the
same way the Baganda of Uganda were treated by other communities who
ganged up to ensure that no Baganda is elected president.
Former Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere termed the Kamukunji MP's kind of
talk as bad as Raila Odinga's call for majimbo… as if they have
forgotten that that is what set this country on fire.
Speaking in Webuye at the weekend, Mr Odinga called for the majimbo
system of Government arguing it would address unequal distribution of
national resources.
Serve tribal kingpins
Similar calls were blamed for evictions of some communities from Rift Valley Province after the 2007 elections.
Mr Kenyatta had also been endorsed in another meeting organised by GNU
secretary-general and former Mathira MP Nderitu Gachagua in his home.
ODM leaders from Rift Valley also recently held a public rally at Burnt
Forest and vowed to support one of our own, in reference to
Agriculture minister William Ruto, for the 2012 presidential contest.
MPs Julius Kones (Konoin) and Joshua Kutuny (Cherangany) pushed for a
Kalenjin and Kikuyu alliance. Those people (Kikuyus) helped us during
the censure motion against Mr Ruto. ODM leaders were nowhere to be
seen.
Mr Kutuny was referring to the support Mr Ruto got during the no-confidence motion against him last month.
Observers have questioned the motive of these rallies that have
suddenly become the feature every weekend across the country. City
lawyer Harun Ndubi says tribal unions such as the Kikuyu-Kalenjin
alliance that is being mooted are aimed at serving tribal kingpins and
defeat justice for victims of the post-election violence.
It is shows that impunity pays and that warlords can call for
ceasefire in place of justice for the internally displaced families and
women raped during the violence.
GNU leader Mwangi Kiunjuri asked Kenyans to reject tribal alliances and
leaders behind them. It is just a year since Kenyans harvested seeds
of discord planted by the same politicians.
He says instead of preaching national healing, politicians had started
building tribal alliances. Kikuyu's want to team up with Kalenjins
over claims that the latter have been short-changed by the Luo in ODM.
Such brand of politics is divisive.
The hate rhetoric has reared its head only a year after the historic
peace deal and at a time 10 million Kenyans are faced with starvation
and the nation sliding to bankruptcy due to corruption and wasteful
spending on a fat government.
Co-operative Development Minister Joseph Nyaga is one of the few
politicians who have expressed concern about use of reckless and
insensitive language by colleagues.
Kenya is basically a nation of 42 states and we have to tread
carefully by weighing our words. We are still in a very fragile
situation and we do not want the country to go back to where we found
ourselves soon after the last elections, says the minister who is a
member of the elite ODM Pentagon club of six.
Mr Nyaga who describes himself as the bridge between the two sides of
the political divide, cautions especially the new MPs to guard against
getting carried away by the urge to get headlines by making
irresponsible statements. The minister is the only ODM MP from central
Kenya. He is nominated.
His Cabinet colleague Paul Otuoma at Fisheries warns that politicians
have failed to provide leadership and have their priorities wrong.
They have kept the country in a permanent election mood.
He dismisses leaders preaching hatred as juvenile politicians who should concentrate in maturing their politics.
Mr Wamwere also warns that ethnic alliances that lack ideology can
explode into another round of vicious violence proving true Judge
Johann Kriegler's observation that the 2007 chaos will look like a
Christmas party in 2012 unless the country enacts reforms.
ODM Parliamentary Group Secretary Ababu Namwamba blames President
Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga for failing to provide
leadership to stem the disturbing trend among their troops. The two
captains must take control of the ship now, otherwise, we could easily
suffer a major catastrophe, warns the Budalang'i MP.
Hate language as well as discrimination along tribal lines has been
criminalised in law, through the National Cohesion and Integration Act.
The Act, however, is yet to be enforced.
For the two to allow this to go on is unfair and a great disservice to
the country. They must take charge and read the Riot Act to their
ministers and MPs. We have seen ministers hopping from one place to
another lambasting the Government they are part of and their colleagues
in public, adds Mr Namwamba.
Mr Ndung'u Wainaina of the International Centre for Policy and Conflict
says with politicians on the loose, there may not be a conducive
environment for the formation of the envisaged Justice, Truth and
Reconciliation Commission.
For the TJRC to succeed there will need to be a conducive environment
where communities have a sense of readiness to engage in constructive
dialogue.''
He advises politicians to use positive language bridge the gap between
communities instead of whipping tribal sentiments. According to Mr
Wainaina this would prepare the country for the reconciliation.
US ambassador Michael Ranneberger expressed concern about inciting
statements by politicians and asked the President and Prime Minister to
intervene.
The US is concerned about the continued culture of impunity in
Government. We have noted statements bordering on incitement that are
being issued by politicians. We urge President Kibaki and the PM to
ensure this does not happen, he said on Tuesday at his residence.
But even as politicians continue to balkanise the country, the buck
stops with President Kibaki and the Prime Minister who are supposed to
spearhead national healing.
Otherwise, when the foul-mouthed politicians speak without a reprimand,
they will be deemed to be voicing the coalition leaders' position.
Daily Nation
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