I read the papers finally, after a long hiatus. The same is going on. Nothing has changed. Kenya is still in a delicate state of affairs.
I haven't been reading papers. I have been listening to people's opinions. I have heard from many people. And I must tell you this, if anyone believes this is over with yet, or heading that way, they are very wrong.
I read today that
Odinga says that "nothing will deter Kenyans from their quest for justice. I unfortunately think he is right. He may think this is a good thing for him. There I disagree.
Let me state that a lot of what I'm about to write will be deemed as offensive to some, but if you are one of those that feel that way, spend an extra few minutes and allow the truth to sink in. That country is in a real ugly state, the only confusion about that being provided by the facade that has been created through a cloud of shaky order.. Allow yourself to know what others are feeling, thinking and experiencing. Don't be caught by surprise.
I say don't be caught by surprise because many Kenyan kikuyus, now refugees, are expressing great shock at being attacked by their neighbours. They knew there existed resentment against kikuyus but they just didn't think that anyone seriously was that mad at them since after all they had no personal disagreements. These very set of Kenyans, amongst them lie people with long lists. Lists with names of their neighbours. People they saw hack others, throw families into pit latrines and others bury other families alive. Some of these very same people are telling stories of survival that would have any Hollywood director running to get the rights to cover their stories. Those lists are not for decoration. They are for marked men.
These very people were crying for peace, and now they want anything but. They don't want a status quo. They want justice. They want to be avenged. They want their hard earned property back and they also want vengeance for the lives of their family members lost.
Since many of these are kikuyus, some whom escaped home invasions and road blocks narrowly, you might be tempted to think that they are looking to Kibakis government for assistance with this. You would be wrong. Carrying forward that incomplete understanding of the role of a president, they are very peeved that Kibaki has "allowed them to be killed this way." He is no longer considered useful to these aggrieved persons. They intend to help themselves. How is not clear. But be rest assured, they are not sitting back and doing nothing forever. They are weighing their options as we speak.
Let's talk about the so called church. They all should be ashamed as they have taken sides along tribal lines. You'd think they'd be the first call to truth and reconciliation, but they are definitely not going to be it. If these thoughts of vengeance are not intercepted a whole new hoard of innocent blood will be shed. However, these people do need justice. Our judicial systems should be working overtime since many "murderers" can be identified by their own neighbors. the government (whichever one) must lawfully give the people vengeance. Not just ask them to "return home." This interception might be the only way to a blood free permanent end.
I've heard from ODM supporters that elections were rigged and that justifies the madness going on. No, kit doesn't. It cannot justify the death of so many children in the hands of machetes. Elections are allowed to have disputes. That's why the constitution has a process for this exact scenario. If your leader has told you to go about resolving it any other way, you've been wrong to believe him and much worse, you've got blood on your hands for having failed your own human abilities to think for yourself.
Raila is calling for no end with this quest for justice. I hope he is wrong. Because whose justice do we seek? The one who lost a way of living, a home and worse a relative, while being told it was because he came from a certain tribe, or the one who is still running amok on the streets, because he feels he has been cheated via elections?
All actions have consequence. And it is highly possible that we are well past the "peaceful" solution. My opinion is that heads have been buried in the sand about the reality of hatred so much that even the few times I address it via this blog I get attacked for suggesting it exists. well it does. And if you ever had a doubt, visit mashada.com, as far back as many years as you can and then tell me that this is not our reality.
To Raila: Should I read anything into this statement? "We should have seven of the 10parliamentary seats in Kisii, but Kibaki men stole the votes and we only got four. The Kisii are our people. We must not touch them," as
quoted by the standard. Does this mean there are those whom you should touch? And exactly how do you touch them?
And as you chant, no schooling, etc, etc...be rest assured that "the universe will still be unfolding as it should' And you are the ones who will wake up 5 years of war later, uneducated and poorer, therefore having lost hope.
The way I see it, two things could end the madness in Kenya. It has nothing to do with who is the current president. That's all over with. The war is now personal to many. We could sit back and let Kenya bleed. Then it would be all over with, when the war ends. The anger, the hurt, the fallacies, the stereotypes, the hatred; all replaced by truth earned through painful losses. Or we can get a dictator who has the heart to lead Kenya to greatness. This one leader will need to be all about Kenya, not a tribe, prioritize resettling all displaced Kenyans back home, exactly where they were before and creating a safe environment for them. I am calling for government interference to the level of soldiers placed at CBDs and neighborhoods deemed to be in danger of attacks. The worst thing that could happen is a dictator with tribal affinities. Basically, the solution is to take a step back away from democracy (which I will argue loudly and clearly that Kenya is not ready for as proven by recent events) or expect fully to go to war. And then pick up and start rebuilding Kenya from scratch a few years from now.
There are no simple choices anymore. The choices that have been made by a few and by many in the past few weeks have eliminated the simplicity of daily life. Human weakness now rules Kenya. Let's all sit back and see what its fruits will be.
May the government of Kenya bear in mind how many people stand to be affected by total chaos in Kenya, both Kenyans and not. May the inciters of Kenya pray to their choice of God for the wisdom to make the right calls to their fickle followers. May the church redeem itself and face themselves to God for direction. And may most importantly, each and every Kenyan develop themselves to a worthwhile citizen of the world, a person worth sharing humanity with.
PS: This has been written with a great deliberate effort to avoid rumor mongering as has become accepted as truth within various communities. However, some things are worth being investigated because some many similar comments from perpetrators of mayhem seem to have been repeated to would have been victims over and over again. So if you wish to comment, don't quote rumors as fact here, I've heard them all... just can't verify them, hence choosing to ignore them.
