Martha Karua, Kenya's Minister for Justice and Constitutional affairs, today walked out of a Party of National Unity (PNU) parliamentary group meeting that was discussing the stand to take on the Waki Commission report. The meeting was being chaired by the Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka. Apparently, she was angered and prompted to walk out when she adopted a stand that was at variance with her PNU colleagues. The overriding view, that has also been articulated by President Kibaki and the Vice President, is to shelf the Waki report, apparently for fear of a political fallout. This stand was also adopted by ODM MPs yesterday who have opposed the report as 'shallow', 'shoddy' and 'based on rumours'.
Martha Karua has previously been labeled the only man in PNU, in recognition of the role that she played in the negotiations that culminated in the signing of a cease-fire agreement between Kibaki and Raila. She was always at the forefront defending and articulating Kibaki's and PNUs position in the forum chaired by former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan. During the negotiations, she easily became the face of PNU's harshest defender, even being labeled a 'hardliner' by the ODM negotiators. She fought hard for what PNU managed to get out of the negotiations.
The agreement resulted in the cessation of hostilities between Raila's supporters, mainly drawn from ODM, and Kibaki's supporters, drawn from PNU and ODM Kenya, led by Kalonzo Musyoka. The hostilities, which occured immediately after Kibaki was declared President after the December 2007 elections, had resulted in the death of over 2,000 persons and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps mainly in Rift Valley and Central Provinces. The agreement also ushered in the Grand Coalition through which the two sides formed the government (GCG) on a power sharing basis.
Martha Karua has never shied away from articulating her positions on any issue, whatever feathers it could raffle. Like the decision to take Narc Kenya, an affiliate party of PNU, out of the PNU after differences occurred on the issue of holding party elections later this year. She is gunning for the presidency, having declared her interest for the seat in 2012 elections, using NARC Kenya as her vehicle.
Now she has gone against the political tide and called for the full implementation of the Waki report. While a majority of politicians have trashed the report, she has chosen to stick her head against their stand. But she should take comfort in knowing that she is not alone. Opinion polls carried out by TV stations yesterday have shown that the public sentiment is for the implementation of the report. This blogger also is of the view that the report should be implemented.
Is she the messiah that Kenyans have been waiting for deliverance from tribal bondage? Only time will tell.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Raila Makes an about-turn on Waki Report
Faced with a possible disintegration of his party,Orange Democratic Movement(ODM), Prime Minister Raila Odinga has made a 180-degrees about-turn on the Waki report on Kenya's December 2007 post-election violence. He has, within days, changed tune from 'full implementation' to trashing the Waki report as incompetent. According to the press conference after ODM held its Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting, the party has effectively disowned the Waki Commission report.
The move by Raila is not entirely surprising as those who have been keen to follow his career knew very well that this turn of events was inevitable. He has thrived mainly in avoiding adopting positions that are detrimental to his political career. This one is definitely a hot potato. With growing rebellion within ODM fraternity, mainly emanating from the Rift-Valley province block, he had very limited options. The forthcoming ODM elections were likely also in his radder and a fall-out at this point in time could lead to even a loss of the Prime Minister position.
Kenya is at cross-roads, as it has always been. Most of us were hoping that Raila will provide leadership on the Waki report issue and ensure that impunity is punished, once and for all. But that he chose to allow partisan interests to carry the day is really sad. Where i come from there is a saying that you should hit the rod when it is hot, as that is the only time you can manage to mould it to whatever shape you wish. The Waki report implementation is a golden opportunity to mould our country the way we want it to be run.
Now with President Kibaki calling for amnesty for post-election violence perpetrators and Raila changing his stance, it is unlikely that the names in the Waki and Kofi Annan envelope might never see the light of day. The two leaders' positions on this issue is slowly being taken by a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) and therefore the necessary legislation to ensure the report's implementation might not get support in Parliament. The two gentlemen are also faced with a real threat that the implementation of the report might lead to the collapse of the Grand Coalition Government (GCG).
What options do we have now? With a civil society that is growing losing teeth by the day, our only hope might be the international community to exert pressure on both Kibaki and Raila to implement the report. Already the American and German ambassadors are trying to provide a soft landing to the perpetrators by suggesting that the list of ten need not be taken to the Hague and that the country can constitute a local tribunal to investigate and prosecute the crimes.
What Kenya needs urgently is a nationalist. A person who is prepared to sacrifice their political career to rescue us from the claws of impunity. Any takers out there? Please come forward and be counted.
The move by Raila is not entirely surprising as those who have been keen to follow his career knew very well that this turn of events was inevitable. He has thrived mainly in avoiding adopting positions that are detrimental to his political career. This one is definitely a hot potato. With growing rebellion within ODM fraternity, mainly emanating from the Rift-Valley province block, he had very limited options. The forthcoming ODM elections were likely also in his radder and a fall-out at this point in time could lead to even a loss of the Prime Minister position.
Kenya is at cross-roads, as it has always been. Most of us were hoping that Raila will provide leadership on the Waki report issue and ensure that impunity is punished, once and for all. But that he chose to allow partisan interests to carry the day is really sad. Where i come from there is a saying that you should hit the rod when it is hot, as that is the only time you can manage to mould it to whatever shape you wish. The Waki report implementation is a golden opportunity to mould our country the way we want it to be run.
Now with President Kibaki calling for amnesty for post-election violence perpetrators and Raila changing his stance, it is unlikely that the names in the Waki and Kofi Annan envelope might never see the light of day. The two leaders' positions on this issue is slowly being taken by a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) and therefore the necessary legislation to ensure the report's implementation might not get support in Parliament. The two gentlemen are also faced with a real threat that the implementation of the report might lead to the collapse of the Grand Coalition Government (GCG).
What options do we have now? With a civil society that is growing losing teeth by the day, our only hope might be the international community to exert pressure on both Kibaki and Raila to implement the report. Already the American and German ambassadors are trying to provide a soft landing to the perpetrators by suggesting that the list of ten need not be taken to the Hague and that the country can constitute a local tribunal to investigate and prosecute the crimes.
What Kenya needs urgently is a nationalist. A person who is prepared to sacrifice their political career to rescue us from the claws of impunity. Any takers out there? Please come forward and be counted.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Waki Commission Report should be implemented to the letter
Justice Philip Waki's commission of inquiry in Kenya's post-election violence (commonly known as CIPEV) has come up with clear evidence that key politicians, some of them in the Grand Coalition's cabinet, together with some moneyed businessmen were at the heart of planning and orchestration of the violence. This particular event is solely responsible for the loss of thousands of human lives, destruction of property and almost dispatching some of our cities to pre-historic times.
The inhuman aspect of this event is manifested in the presence of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in deplorable camps throughout Central and Rift Valley provinces. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes on suspicion that they voted in a particular manner, the said suspicion being based on the ethnicity of the persons. Those who were slow to heed the quit notice were killed, some of them torched and burned in a church. Women were raped in full view of husbands and other close relatives. There are reports that oathing orgies widely attended by top politicians and other financiers, took place in the affected regions before the atrocities took place. The IDPs are yet to be fully relocated back to their homes. Despite the meager compensation being given out by the government as incentives to go back home, there are still fears of further reprisals from their neighbors.
On the economic front, the economic ruin is just beginning to register as recently the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) released revenue collection figures showing a shortfall of Ksh 9 billion in the first quarter (July-September 2008). Despite assurances by the authority, revenue collection projections for the 2008/9 period are unlikely to be met. The implication is that implementation of government projects is likely to halt due to lack of funds. On the other hand, the continued widening of the budget deficit is inevitable. Other effects of the post-election violence have been job losses as some of the companies whose property as destroyed have been unable to re-open for business, increased cost of doing business attributed to destruction of the Nairobi-Kisumu railway line, the weakening of the Kenya Shilling against the US Dollar making our imports, especially oil and equipment, more expensive.
These and many other effects has made the lives of ordinary Kenyans unbearable, adding to the misery that was already there. That a few individuals can cause this amount of damage to the country is an indicator of a country headed to the dogs. That is why the perpetrators of the post-election violence should not be let to go scot-free, as this will encourage the perpetuation of impunity in the (near) future. With all eyes focused on the 2012 elections, failure to take action is likely to lead to the same events repeating themselves.
That is why this blogger is advocating for the full implementation of the Waki report. Whether it is The Hague or other internationally constituted tribunal, those implicated, as a logical avenue, should face trial. But before that, anybody who is implicated in the report, directly or indirectly, should immediately do the honorable and immediately resign or be forced to quit their positions in the cabinet, parliament, civil service, etc because for the reasons given above, they are unfit to hold any public or other office.
As the country stands in a cross-road, the Waki recommendations, if fully carried out will be one way save our country from impunity. It is also a sure way for Kenyans to take back their country from a few power hungry politicians who would do anything to be 'leaders'.
It is important to note that impunity has been our main hindrance to attaining a new constitution as a few individuals have tried to hijack the process in the past. Once Kenyans take back their country we would be on a clear route to a new constitution. The people's constitution.
The inhuman aspect of this event is manifested in the presence of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in deplorable camps throughout Central and Rift Valley provinces. Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes on suspicion that they voted in a particular manner, the said suspicion being based on the ethnicity of the persons. Those who were slow to heed the quit notice were killed, some of them torched and burned in a church. Women were raped in full view of husbands and other close relatives. There are reports that oathing orgies widely attended by top politicians and other financiers, took place in the affected regions before the atrocities took place. The IDPs are yet to be fully relocated back to their homes. Despite the meager compensation being given out by the government as incentives to go back home, there are still fears of further reprisals from their neighbors.
On the economic front, the economic ruin is just beginning to register as recently the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) released revenue collection figures showing a shortfall of Ksh 9 billion in the first quarter (July-September 2008). Despite assurances by the authority, revenue collection projections for the 2008/9 period are unlikely to be met. The implication is that implementation of government projects is likely to halt due to lack of funds. On the other hand, the continued widening of the budget deficit is inevitable. Other effects of the post-election violence have been job losses as some of the companies whose property as destroyed have been unable to re-open for business, increased cost of doing business attributed to destruction of the Nairobi-Kisumu railway line, the weakening of the Kenya Shilling against the US Dollar making our imports, especially oil and equipment, more expensive.
These and many other effects has made the lives of ordinary Kenyans unbearable, adding to the misery that was already there. That a few individuals can cause this amount of damage to the country is an indicator of a country headed to the dogs. That is why the perpetrators of the post-election violence should not be let to go scot-free, as this will encourage the perpetuation of impunity in the (near) future. With all eyes focused on the 2012 elections, failure to take action is likely to lead to the same events repeating themselves.
That is why this blogger is advocating for the full implementation of the Waki report. Whether it is The Hague or other internationally constituted tribunal, those implicated, as a logical avenue, should face trial. But before that, anybody who is implicated in the report, directly or indirectly, should immediately do the honorable and immediately resign or be forced to quit their positions in the cabinet, parliament, civil service, etc because for the reasons given above, they are unfit to hold any public or other office.
As the country stands in a cross-road, the Waki recommendations, if fully carried out will be one way save our country from impunity. It is also a sure way for Kenyans to take back their country from a few power hungry politicians who would do anything to be 'leaders'.
It is important to note that impunity has been our main hindrance to attaining a new constitution as a few individuals have tried to hijack the process in the past. Once Kenyans take back their country we would be on a clear route to a new constitution. The people's constitution.
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