Proof of America’s role in fanning current chaos and their solid support for Kibaki
Proof that the civil war may have already started as security forces from different tribes defy orders from their superiors
I can’t remember when it first started but recently it has become clear that it is difficult to have a discussion on the situation in Kenya with my Kikuyu beauty without one of us getting emotional and even losing their temper. (For those who are new to this blog, this blogger is the product of a mixed marriage between a Kamba father and a Bukusu mother and has been happily married to a Kikuyu beauty for over 22 years now)
This state of affairs in my house has really surprised me because going into the elections Mrs Kumekucha was a staunch Raila supporter. This is even stranger because she has no relatives in the Rift Valley and has therefore NOT been affected by any of the killings. In fact she was as puzzled as I was at the wild celebrations my in-laws were involved in after Mwai Kibaki was announced winner (despite the tension in the country and the fact that even a young child could see that the elections were stolen).
My 17 year old son has been a great help in sorting out that problem. All he has had to do is ask which side of the divide he should support and that ends the heated argument right on its’ tracks.
But I have been thinking deeply about this shift in emotions and have done my own research and I have realized that Kenya is in much bigger trouble than most people realize.
Ever since this blog was launched in May 2005, our main theme has been the tribal tensions in Kenya which started during the Jomo Kenyatta administration. We have also talked at length about the widening gap between the rich and the poor and how it has always been a time bomb waiting to explode. Few Kenyans have taken us seriously until December 30th.
The strong feeling amongst supporters of President Kibaki is that the crisis in the country has been actively promoted and sponsored by Raila Odinga and ODM and the biggest culprit is the Luo tribe (although in reality the biggest problem is clearly in the Rift Valley). They also feel that the strong anti-Kikuyu sentiments from the rest of the country are borne out of jealousy from the rest of the Kenyan tribes who are mostly lazy and do not possess the same business acumen and enterprising nature of the Kikuyu. They wonder why the Luo cannot wait until 2012, when the Kikuyu waited 10 years as former president Moi rigged 2 presidential elections (1992 and 1997). Members of this community are mostly eager to get back to work and to put the elections behind them but are greatly angered by the calls for mass action which makes this impossible.
The Luo, Kalenjin and most of the tribes in the 6 provinces that Raila Odinga won, feel that they have had more than enough of the Kikuyu who they feel are domineering and completely insensitive to the fact that there are 41 other tribes in the country. The last straw that broke the camel’s back is the disputed presidential elections of last year where to them the Kikuyu now want to rub their dominance in the face of other Kenyans by wanting to rule them by force, even after their candidate President Kibaki clearly lost the presidential election.
What has made this whole issue even more complex is the fact that blood has now been spilt on both sides. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to see that healing the differences now will take decades at best and there is a good chance that the healing will never take place. That is the reality.
As drastic as secession looks, it is increasingly looking like the only solution that can work long term. Why not give the Kibaki supporters their own country, mainly surrounding the Mount Kenya region (The Republic of Mount Kenya?) and then the rest of the 6 provinces of Kenya (The Republic of Kenya) can also have their own country. The immediate effect of this will be to dramatically cool tensions between the two sides and there are even those analysts who believe that there will be closer co-operation between the communities when they are independent.
There is little doubt that the Kikuyu will continue to dominate business in both republics because of their exceptional enterprising nature, but the difference this time is that the tensions will have been eliminated by the fact that both sides will have their own republics.
The most important result of this bold move will be that it will save thousands of lives and avert the looming civil war that now seems inevitable. Indeed there are those who believe that a low key civil war has already started in Kenya (see this article).
The biggest stumbling block to any solution remains the Americans. Recently there has been a well publicized apparent spat between the Kenyan government and the Americans. No doubt it has fooled many naïve Kenyans (as it was meant to in the wake of increased awareness of what the Americans are doing quietly as part of their foreign policy strategy for the region). Read this article that tables overwhelming proof of American mischief in Kenya and how it has contributed to the current crisis. The Americans don’t give a hoot how much Kenyan blood is spilt and indeed analysts at the American embassy are already keenly aware that the country is on the verge of a very bloody civil conflict. The Kenyan public will make a giant step forward the minute they see the Americans for who they really are.
Email I received yesterday;
Dear Chris,
First of all let me thank you for the good work that you're doing and keeping it real. I have been reading your blog for the past two years and have to admit,it's conscious about the common Kenyan Mwananchi, may God be with you always. I don't have much to say about what's happening in our country now,it's rather evident. I would like to bring something to your attention though. Yester evening on KTN Jioni, there was a very interesting piece of news that showed there's light at the end of the tunnel. There was this couple that just wedded in Mwea, the husband was luo and the wife kikuyu, you should have seen the joy in both their faces, families and friends. Chris, i was moved. This proved wrong very many people who saw it given the history between these two tribes.
One of the root problems to our current situation is tribalism which is deeply rooted amongst most of our folks. Am in such a relationship and it has not been easy. Al in all, we must shun tribalism and see each other as people. I pray for peace and Justice and that people learn from the couple in Mwea. God bless Kenya...
