This intolerance/intimidation by Kikuyu political elites must stop

13 February 2012

On 30 March 2011 we made a public statement denouncing Hon Uhuru Kenyatta’s comments made in Muranga on the Sunday 27 March 2011. Mr Kenyatta had been quoted as having said that ‘ ... we will not allow ourselves to be killed just because we do not follow our leaders. Those who fail to do this we will follow to their homes and expose them as the ones who are betraying us ...”

In our press statement we stated very firmly that those comments were completely irresponsible, especially coming from a leader who served as a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (then) of the Republic of Kenya. We also stated that these comments ‘were not only dangerous, but were also intra-ethnically and inter-ethnically divisive as well as detrimental to the national cohesiveness most of us were working so hard for, following the 2007 PEV’

On 6 February 2012, under the KikuyusforChange Programme we initiated a series of forums under the name ‘Engaging Ethno-Centric Prejudice’. This was done in the first such forum held at Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, as a prelude to a series of subsequent town-hall forums to be held in Nyandarua, Muranga, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Kiambu Counties, where the Prime Minister of Kenya (Rt Hon Raila Odinga) will meet with local opinion leaders from each county to answer to/challenge personality stereotypes being circulated by sections of the region’s political elite, about him.

The reason behind this initiative is that after working for over four years on the issue of interethnic cohesion and nation-hood we are convinced that personality-based political stereotyping must be challenged, and it is best done by publicly exposing any such stereotypes to all parties involved, and confronting them. This is the only way we will avoid inter-ethnic tension during political competition.

Unfortunately we have learnt that this initiative is being resisted, mainly by some political elites from the five counties above, who are benefitting politically from the stereotypes against the Prime Minister. This was expected.

However we are now informed that such resistance has taken the form of inciteful comments against those involved in the programme, as well as physical attacks on the properties of participants invited, as a means of intimidating the County populations from participating. For example, on 12 February 2012, at a Church Service at Kanderedu AIPCA Church, an aide to the Tetu MP (Hon FT Nyamu) by the name of Mr. Njanjo made comments that implied that ODM should not be allowed anywhere in Tetu Constituency. In another incident the house of one of the participants during the Nairobi launch (Mr Gitau Kiarie), situated in Kikuyu, Kamuguga, was invaded at 3pm by unknown people. The group ransacked the house, wrote ‘Raila X’ on two walls in his house and scattered documents on this initiative all over his house.

These acts of violence and intimidation, especially when viewed with the attack against Hon David Njuguna’s family in his home, where his car was burnt allegedly because he made comments that were interpreted as support for the Prime Minister, are quite unfortunate.

It is our belief that these actions are directly and/or indirectly related to the comments Hon Kenyatta made in the Muranga rally close to one year ago. We also believe that for as long as these comments are not rebutted, overzealous supporters and/or unscrupulous political brokers in the region will continue to organize attacks against people perceived not to toe his political line; attacks that will certainly lead to injury, loss of life and/or further loss of property, and that could adversely affect his defence at the International Criminal Court. We also believe that if unchallenged, especially directly by him, these comments could also lead to violent political confrontations between his supporters and those of his rivals during the political campaigns that start in a few months

We therefore call upon him to first and foremost publicly denounce any interpretation of his Muranga comments, as incitement to attacks on his political rivals or their supporters, and to desist from any further comments that could be (mis)interpreted as incitement to attack Kikuyus who do not agree with his political positions. We also expect that, as the national leader he is, he will publicly denounce those behind the attack on Hon Njuguna’s home and property, as well as those speaking out against the activities of the KikuyusforChange initiative.

We also call upon President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as the leaders of the Coalition Government formed to stop such violence, as well as upon the Minister of Provincial Administration & Internal Security Hon George Saitoti, to protect Kenyans from politicians out to incite Kenyans against each other, especially for political gain. We also remind them that Kenyans depend on them to ensure there is no repeat of the kind of violence seen in the last general elections, during the forthcoming one.

Finally we urge Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia and his colleagues in the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to publicly expose and denounce anyone they know has been dividing Kenyans through political/ethnic stereotyping, and to do so publicly rather than in secret. Only such 'naming and shaming' of such people will help Kenya move beyond politics of dividing Kenyans, to a united nation.

Signed By:

Ngunjiri Wambugu, Executive Director, (0724 958 331) Change Associates Trust (Hosts of the Kikuyusforchange Initiative).

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