Why the Westgate cash will be pinched

PHOTO: Courtesy

Kenyans spirit of togetherness and love was best captured in the ensuing moments after terrorists attacked shoppers in Nairobi’s premier shopping Mall few weeks ago, and man, people gave their all, including money, assurance and even blood, in a public show of solidarity.

However, there is a new twist to the finances collected in aid of the victims.

In a land where everything turns to a full blown scandal in a matter of days, fresh fears have emerged after mobile phone service providers which initiated the assistance program announced that monies collected surpassed the expected amount by far, opening a new gateway for people with sticky fingers to reward their pockets.

300 million in days

It was reported that Kenyans raised a whopping 300 million within days, though questions were raised over whether the response could have been te same had poor Kenyans, the riffraff of the society, had been in the thick of things as has happened before.

Just a quick preview, tragedies of even bigger intensity than the Westgate have rocked Kenya, from the Sachang’wan fire tragedy where more than a hundred perished as they tried to salvage fuel from a burning tanker, to unknown numbers of others dying out of hunger and starvation in far flung Turkana.

Burnt to death

Still, dozens were burnt to death as they tried to siphon petrol from another tanker in Nairobi’s Industrial area.

However, most Kenyans watched, and pointed fingers to the victims who, quite reasonably, had shed the fear of death in a bid to feed their families, oblivious of the danger involved.

 No one came to their aid, save for the humanitarian organization, The Kenya Red Cross, and a few politicians eager to make a name out of it. So the question goes, why was the recent tragedy treated with kid gloves?

Why did it raise so many hullabaloos?

Was it because the Big fish were involved, who consequently whipped the small fish into helping them?

Why did it take so long for Kenyans to respond to the Turkana starvation?

Interestingly, the Kenyans for Kenya initiative which was formed to aid those affected by the killer drought in Turkana raised more than half a billion shillings, and though there were a few hushed questions over whether the amount was embezzled or not, that was just extra ordinary.

Back to the West gate affair. How ironical that the money, having exceeded the amount required, now lies un used, and the handlers of the said cash cannot figure out what to do with the cash?

Revolving fund

Something should be done. There are still pockets of people sleeping hungry all over the country; others have been detained in hospitals after failing to pay the hefty bills.

What about forming a revolving fund for helping those involved in such tragedies, like a fund which is always there, where people can contribute throughout?

The fund could be managed by the Kenya Red Cross and could come in handy whenever Kenyans find themselves in such tragedies.

Enough said!

Of pulling out of ICC, and elusive justice

If news doing rounds in the local scene are anything to go by, it is little secret the H.E the president of the Republic of Kenya, who is a suspect at the International Criminal Court, will not attend the hearing of his case, a move that is set to stir a heated debate over the fate of the victims of Post Election Violence.

President Kenyatta, together with his deputy and Radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing war crimes and crimes against humanity leveled against them by The Hague based court.

A fortnight ago, cabinet secretary in charge of foreign affairs insinuated that at no time in history has any head of state appeared before any court of law to answer to criminal charges.

“No” to Rome statute

Little wonder that she confirmed what the Kenyan parliament has been mulling over for quite sometimes now.

For the record, parliament has been preparing a motion to pull Kenya out of the gnashing jaws of the ICC, a motion that “is set to be tabled at the floor of the House soon,” Majority leader Adan Dualle told the press in Nairobi.

As the government grapples with the question of how to deal with the trials which have claimed the audience of the top most echelons of power , thousands of victims, still languishing in appalling conditions inside tents say any remaining hopes of ever getting justice now hang on the balance.

Political pundits have predicted dire consequences for the East African nation if the presidency makes the move, and a stall in international relations will be among the short term implications as the outside world supposedly slaps Kenya with economic sanctions.

However, a survey conducted by a private media house indicated that most Kenyans were contented with the presidency skipping the trials, claiming that the country is sovereign, while a handful thought that this will promote a culture of impunity in a country reeling from the aftermath of the 2007 post election crisis which claimed the lives of at least 1000 people.

Permanently disabled

Scores of others were injured, while dozens remain maimed, permanently disabled and unable to fend for themselves.

More than 500, 000 were also left landless and consigned to the tents.

The president is on record promising to honor court summons and to appear before the ICC, and many have now been left wondering, why the cold feet? Why now?

His deputy is already at The Hague where he is attending a hearing of his case. His conformity with the ICC could only fuel speculation that his senior will follow suit and take his stand, in a move that could have given the victims a lifeline, as justice could have been done, or be seen to be done.

nothing happened after the 2007 election

In a worst case scenario where the presidency gives the court a wide berth, PEV victims will be handed a final and fatal blow as there is nowhere else to turn to, sadly, and as expected, there is not even a local mechanism to try anyone.

It is like nothing happened after the 2007 election.

The question remains, who will fight for the victims?

The move might been seen as the best by the powers that be, but, what if a repeat of the violence recurs in the near future?

Who will try who?

Will justice be meted on the victims and the perpetrators of the violence?

What will happen to that man or woman who saw his or her children been butchered, just because they came from the wrong tribe?

Will the woman who was burnt but survived to tell the story ever get justice?

What about the orphaned? Their lives were turned into nightmares after their parents were butchered by bloodthirsty goons, all in the name of politics?

What about the yelling voices of women and children who were burnt to death inside a church where they had sought refuge, will their spirits be avenged?

Who performed the atrocities?

What happened to more than the reportedly 500 people named by the Commissions of inquiries formed to investigate the violence?

Where will they be tried, who will try them, what happened, why is there no local court trying them?

Was the ICC the only path to justice?

Where are the human rights activists, the defenders of the poor, the champions of justice?

Kenyans and the government will wish the above questions away, simply because you were not affected does not mean you will never be affected. Next time it might be you.

Sadly, it is like hiding our heads in the sand to avoid seeing a disaster.

I rest my case, hoping that God will hearken to the cry of the victims, the wretched of the earth.

GOD BLESS KENYA.

What an Uhuru-Ruto presidency means to Kenyans

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What an Uhuru-Ruto presidency means to Kenyans

The proverbial two horse race in Kenyan politics has now taken shape and no one can deny that the battle lines have been drawn between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka on one side and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyata and Eldoret North MP William Ruto on the other.

Yours truly looks into what an Uhuruto president will bring to Kenyans now that they remain the only competition for Raila Amollo Odinga and company, and constitute one of the two horses in the race to assume the tenancy of the vacant house on the hill.

Uhuruto and The Hague

Uhuru and Ruto have become synonymous with the International Criminal Court, thanks to their case; a mention of their name stirs memories of the post election violence.

Truth be told, no one will like a situation where his or her president, and his deputy, leave office from time to time to attend to hearings at the ICC, if at all they hearken to the call.

Two scenarios

There will be two most likely scenarios come March 5 or 6. Scenario one will be, Uhuru and Ruto are finally elected to state house and the duo, in their characteristic aura of impunity dismiss the ICC as a white man’s court as they have done time and again and defy orders to attend court, making Kenya to be declared a pariah state by the international community and most importantly, donor countries.

Uhuru and Ruto are facing the worst ever charges in the world, crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Hague

This is the biggest hurdle to their quest for presidency and just in case they make it, it is certain they will not honor their pledges to appear for hearing. Kenya will be a failed state if it has not achieved that already.

Here is why.

Poor Country

Kenya is a poor country which depends on donors to pay the most basic of her bills. From the unbelievably high MPs salaries to those of striking nurses and teachers, to paying ghost workers and imposters in the police force, we literally beg to even feed our population.

Such donors like the US and the UK, Norway, Germany, Japan, France, and Canada have already expressed their dislike for the impunity that is rife in Kenya and have vowed to withdraw their aid and slap Kenya with sanctions.

Secondly, Uhuru and Ruto will be banned from travelling to all those countries where they could sell Kenya’s agenda and though the incumbent Mwai Kibaki had moved east, the bulk of our aid comes from the US and the UK.

Greedy hyenas

Thirdly, rebel groups, extortionists and secessionists groups will come out in broad daylight in a bold move and take advantage of the failed state and wreak havoc in a country that has struggled to secure its people even when peace is abundant. Look at the Tana Delta and Baragoi, look at Garrisa and Eastleigh where explosive devices are hurled at will to hapless Kenyans when we have a functioning government.

Chinkororo, Mombasa Republican Council, the Mungiki, Bagdad boys and a myriad of other unlawful groupings will rear their ugly heads, slumping the country to unprecedented levels of anarchy, Democratic Republic of Congo style.

Arson, terror, assassination, murder, and theft will be the order of the day.

Joblessness.

Most youth, 75 per cent of them are largely unemployed. These are bad statistics for a sanctioned state whose leaders seeking political office have done nothing to address the situation.

The youth who make up more than 70 per cent of the adult population will surely rise against this.

While a laborer in the United States earns $8 (KSHS 868) per hour, a Kenyan equivalent earns Kshs 300 per day. In other democracies these youths will be classified as jobless because the amount cannot feed them leave alone sustain them, thus rendering them hand to mouth laborers.

A rebellion is likely to happen as these youths protest against being used while their leaders continue to steal millions.

Nurses, doctors, teachers, hoteliers, masons, drivers, pilots and people from each and every trade and profession will down their tools leading to the mother and father of all rebellions, and ultimately, a civil coup that will bundle the ineffective leaders out of office.

Impunity

Who will obey the constitution when the top leaders break laws at will and run away with it? Free press will be gagged; political assassinations will be order if the day, opposing forces will be killed for game and Kenya, following in DRC’s footsteps when all communities will rise against each other citing generational injustices over national resources, land, etc

Scenario two

Kenyans will use their heads not their hearts this time round and vote in worthy leaders and avoid all the above, for a peaceful, visionary and productive Kenya that will unite its citizen to steer the country into the next level.

At this point, I borrow a quote from squealer, a character in the book, “Animal farm” who always used this phrase to convince animals showing signs of opposition towards the rule and justification of the pigs, and I quote thus, “Or do you want man to come back and rule us?”

Obviously no one wanted man to reclaim his farm and the answer was a No.

Squealer could always win after posing the question.

And I ask, do we want a failed state?

We do not want a failed state, do we?