HELP Stop Raila - Stop a repeat of Rwandan genocide in Kenya by Raila Odinga:

HELP Stop Raila - Stop a repeat of Rwandan genocide in Kenya by Raila Odinga:
Reader comment on: The Kenya Connection

Submitted by Fr. Gabriel Muteru, Jan 22, 2008 02:18

1. I am surprised that the western diplomats and the press that is reporting about the state of the Kenyan politics and national affairs are so much sympathetic with the ODM leader Raila Odinga and not with the current Kenya Government of president Kibaki. It is a known fact that Raila, educated in the then communist East Germany adapted communist ideals with such a strong commitment to their champions that he even named his son Fidel Castro. With his communist ideals, he is committed to violence in Kenya where innocent people are dying. It was reported in the press that during the Election Day his supporters refused fair and democratic exercise of the election process by coercing people to vote for him and suppressing those who would have otherwise voted for the Party of National Unity. They even killed policemen who were guarding the polling station. It should also be noted that the tribal violence that is being reported in Kenya is very much one sided. The Kikuyu are not fighting back but are only joining other Kenyans in prayers for peace as their lives are taken and their properties destroyed. There is a problem in reporting because most of the coverage is failing to condemn the killings whose silence look like a justification that it is OK to kill the Kikuyu people. It is not OK to kill the Kikuyu, for they are Kenyans like any other Kenyans and they have the right to live and own property in Kenya . To put the record straight, it is not the Luo people as a tribe who are attacking the Kikuyu people. Common Luo folks are good, peaceful, well educated, and have lived side by side with Kikuyu people ever since the Colonial times and they have never attacked one another. Of course the Colonialists who used the divide and rule method told Luos that the Kikuyus are bad and vise versa they told the Kikuyus that the Luos were bad people. However, with the fact that the two tribes do not share common ancestral boundaries, there was never a chance for them to practice what was taught them by the colonialists, to hate one another. They fought for independence together and they won. With the influence of foreign governments the past Kenyan regimes have suppressed the Luo and Kikuyu people alike until the government of Mwai Kibaki who have led Kenyans to the taste of true democracy. During the dictatorial rule of former regimes, nobody could have criticized the government. It was President Kibaki who removed the taboo.

2. Kenyan Elections were free and fair before the eyes of International observers, Journalist and Diplomatis: Foreign press and diplomats were invited to Kenya by president Kibaki as observers to Kenya to monitor the state of affairs during the presidential election exercises. At the end of the day, they all agreed that the elections were done in a peaceful and transparent way that was fair. However, nobody mentioned that the constituents where the opposition had stronghold were no go zones for the Party of National Unity (PNU) or the Kibaki supporters. The counting of the ballots started with most of the opposition constituents where Raila was winning. Before the election council had gone through half of the counting, Raila asked President Kibaki to concede defeat. Kibaki gave the commonsense answer that they should wait until the last votes were counted. When finally the Election Council started counting ballots from the PNU stronghold constituents Kibaki started winning. Raila started protesting saying that the votes were being rigged. However, the international observers and diplomats who were at the counting venue testified that the elections were fair and free. It was only after that the story was changed and Kibaki was accused of rigging the elections. Kibaki agreed for a recount but Raila refused. He asked for dialogue but Raila refused. While President Kibaki has continued deploying the police to restore peace and security in the country, he is being accused of genocide. I think this is too much one sided. The opposition was asked why their followers are killing other people and perpetuating violence and they said that they are not in charge of security in the country. So they want to say even if they are the ones responsible for violence, they are not to blame but the president who is trying to stop it. They know that the president of Kenya has the responsibility of ensuring security for all in the country. The international community should even commend the good job done by president Kibaki.

3. Repeat of Rwanda : What is happening in Kenya is like a rehearsed copy of what happened in Rwanda in 1994. In Rwanda the first and last bullets were fired in the presence of the international media while diplomatic negotiations were still going on. This is the same game plan that has started in Kenya . The British diplomats have not condemned Raila. Neither have the American, the German or the Australians. Nobody has given Raila as condition to stop violence for the peace process to start. Raila is dictating terms his seems to be the only truth for the Kenyan observers. During interviews, Kibaki supporters are not represented. The media is very much blind to the fact that Kibaki supporters have the right to support their candidate. They should also interview them and report their views without prejudice. There should be a balanced reporting without prejudice towards the Kikuyu people who are not fighting but praying for the end of violence. The Kikuyus should not be forced to take arms against Luos as a way of defense and then something like Rwanda be repeated. President Kibakis peace efforts should be supported .

4. Kibaki brought unity and development to Kenya, Raila brought division and destruction to Kenya : When Kibaki took over power five years ago Kenya was in an economic depression. Foreign governments had refused to support the Kenyan economy saying that corruption was rampant in the country. Kibaki asked Kenyans to pay taxes and rebuild the country. through the good leadership of President Kibaki the country came back to what is not being praised by the foreign governments as a huge economic growth. While Kibaki was doing all the heavy lifting, Raila was out campaigning against the Government. He led his supporters to reject the government proposals for a new constitution which they still blamed the president for its derailment. They refused government jobs forcing president Kibaki to reach out to the then official opposition in parliament to form a government of national unity for the good of the country. Kibaki promoted not only the members of his Kikuyu tribe in his government but also other tribes. He closed his ears to insults directed at him by Raila and his supporter to the point that many saw him as a fool. His response has been very clear, freedom of speech is a mark of democracy. If foreign diplomats and the international community have seen the good done by Kibaki to bring the country to economic growth and freedom, why cant they give him a chance?. Why cant they see any credibility in Kibaki instead of being so one sided and listening only to Raila. It looks as though the international communities do not wish Kenya any good but are waiting for the situation to get out of hand and things being repeated as they happened in Rwanda . Please help us with your prayers. Please help Kenya with good mediation. Please help Kenya by not supporting a person whose intention is to get in power through violence. Please help by telling the Luo people not to be driven into killing other people for the sake Raila Odinga. Both the Luos and Kikuyus were oppressed the same way by the dictators since independence. Both Luos and Kikuyus and all Kenyans must stop violence and reconstruct the country. Destroying of property in the major cities will not only affect the kikuyu tribe but the whole country. God safe Kenya . God safe our people.

My name is Fr. Gabriel Muteru, a catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Nyeri, Kenya . I am an Associate Pastor at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church , Roosevelt , New York , USA in the Diocese of Rockville Centre . I also teach philosophy at St. Johns University , Queens , New York . My telephone number is, (516)946 3210.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.

HELP Stop Raila - Stop a repeat of Rwandan genocide in Kenya by Raila Odinga:
Reader comment on: The Kenya Connection

Other reader comments on this article

Comment on The Kenya Connection

HELP Stop Raila - Stop a repeat of Rwandan genocide in Kenya by Raila Odinga: Reader comment on: The Kenya Connection

Other reader comments on this article

Comment on The Kenya Connection

HELP Stop Raila - Stop a repeat of Rwandan genocide in Kenya by Raila Odinga:
Reader comment on: The Kenya Connection