The prediction has come true once again. Kenya is currently experiencing yet another notorious spell of senseless killings that happen every five years, just before the national parliamentary and presidential elections. These killings of innocent people are usually instigated by amorphous terror gangs that seem to have the ability to permeate through a tight net of crack security personnel, kill using crude weapons and automatic rifles, burn, loot and rape, before slipping though the same cordon. On being questioned, the well armed security personnel often promise that they will diligently hunt down the assailants, and promptly disappear into the bush before they can answer any questions. The arm of the government responsible for security seems just as vague about the nightly orgies. Unfortunately, reports on the ground often seem to indicate that the terror happens in the full knowledge of the government sponsored security. In some instances, the raiders are even ferried using government vehicles!
And now, it seems as if nature has borrowed from us. In the last few days, Kenyans have lived in terror as mild earthquake tremors rock various parts of the country. No one seems to be quite sure just what is happening. On Sunday, the government department responsible for such occurrences reported that the tremors are being caused by seismic activities originating from a neighbouring country. If we did not know any better, we would assume that the government has failed once again to protect its people from outside aggression as often happens when raiders from across the border attack its citizens.
Anyway, on Sunday people rested with a sigh of relief, but as the tremors continued yesterday and today, worry is almost turning to panic. Every radio station is jammed with calls with anxious listeners wanting to know exactly what is happening.
Part of the reason why the mild tremors have caused a lot of hullabaloo is because a few months ago, a self proclaimed prophet appeared on prime time TV news to inform the public that the Nairobi City will soon be destroyed by a powerful earthquake. The reason he gave was because God is angry especially because of the rampant sexual immorality in the society – including the church. The prophet mentioned the area that will suffer the most damage. I wonder how many people are considering moving away from Westlands?
I stayed late in town last night, and just from a glance I could tell that it is the wrong people that are worried. I was tickled by the fact that while the church going, sexually moral people were horrified in their beds as they wonder what fate God has for them, in town the party was still kicking as strong as ever. Despite being a Monday, clubs were jumping and the prostitute infested Koinange street’s red light was blazing full on. This reminded me of the politicians whose concern never seems to go beyond issuing press statements when the election year killings are going on. At that time, each one of them is busy planning their campaigns and aligning themselves with political parties to pay much attention to anything else. And yet, it is an open secret that some of them sponsor the terror gangs. In the meantime, innocent men, women and children cower in their tiny houses waiting for the next attack.
We are all hoping that the prophet on TV was misadvised and the earthquakes will not go beyond the current murmurs. Let us also hope that the violence that is currently taking many lives in our society will come to a stop, once and for all. In the meantime, we can find courage in the remarkable words that were uttered by Abdullahi Yusuf, the president of Somalia during a peace meeting held on Sunday in Mogadishu: “Do not fear,” Yusuf said, as anxiety spread through the packed hall after three explosions rumbled in the streets outside “You will only die when your stated time comes.”