Kenya, leaders funding violence

Who is funding the violence?

Published on February 7, 2008, 12:00 am

By Stephen Ndegwa

Kenya has always been viewed as a “stable democracy”, an “African example” in matters of peace mediation and reconciliation particularly due to its experience in handling the Sudan and Somali conflicts.

But today every political commentator thinks the country has always been “waiting to explode” and we ignored clear “signs of anarchy” and that we all buried our heads in the sand whenever suggestions were made that the country must eliminate tribalism and settle land issues blah blah.

Watching the violence escalate across the country, one wonders whether the images represent the true picture about our country. The truth is never reflected on television images.

It has been claimed variously that the violence was “pre-planned” while other people particularly ODM leaders said it was spontaneous expression of anger after Kibaki was declared the president.

The latter sounds true going by what happened on the first day in Kisumu, Kibera, Mombasa and Western Province. However, in the Rift Valley, organised gangs struck with vengeance, killing people and burning houses.

I personally spoke to a displaced person from Eldoret, now being hosted by relatives in Nairobi, who said she witnessed two lorries ferrying men and petrol in Eldoret town where groups of seven to ten burnt “enemy” property. Owners had to flee while others were butchered.

Note that television footage shows the houses were burned to ashes.

When the Ainamoi MP was killed in Eldoret last week , the Kisii were attacked and their houses burnt in Kericho and the Sotik –Borabu border has since been a place of death.

Where would poor villagers get petrol to burn houses?

Again consider the commodity has been very scarce as oil transporters have kept away from business.

Who is funding this violence?

Why did the MPs from the affected areas remain in posh Nairobi suburbs instead of talking to their supporters to stop the violence. Could the silence mean they were “guilty,” had something to hide, approved of the killings or they simply didn’t care?

The government and politicians should stop hoodwinking Kenyans. Somebody instigated and funded the annihilation of other Kenyans.

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