Post by Letter from KCA on Sept 20, 2005 0:52:02 GMT 3
From: Mkawasi Mcharo <mkawasi@y...>
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 07:39:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [kca-info] Kenyan Leaders and Sexual Offences: A Stop Campaign Press Release
September 19, 2005
To the President of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki:
RE: Kenyan Leaders and Sexual Offences
From the STOP Campaign Against Rape and Child Molestation: A KCA (Kenyan Community Abroad) Initiative
Mr. President, it has come to our attention that the Kenyan ambassador to the US, Mr. Leonard Ngaithe, has been recalled to facilitate an investigation where he is accused of sexual assault against his junior.
We, the STOP Campaign against rape and child molestation, find it appropriate to raise our voice immediately and resolutely in absolute and total condemnation of sexual offences especially those committed by persons in leadership. Our stand is not a declaration of guilt or innocence on any party, but a vigilante watch that the investigations be fair and truthful.
We also firmly caution that no party shall receive hush money to thwart the course of justice, or be made to
suffer undue victimization through loss of employment or any manner of threats.
While investigations have only just begun, we nonetheless deem it fit to write directly and openly to you because this scandal touches on a rising social injustice that cannot be ignored. We realize that in the past, offences of this nature committed by well-placed leaders who got away with the crime have with time become laughable legends while the victims continue to suffer.
Silence, complacency, and victim intimidation have bred more sex offenders. Some of the accused even acquire a perverted badge of honour for their "manly triumphs."
Why, Hon. Nicholas Biwott earned the title "Bull of Auckland" after he was charged with sexual assault in 1995. It is a reflection of a sick society that turns crime into honour.
Our leaders must set the example of integrity at all times no matter what the circumstances, failure to which they must face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law if their indiscretion becomes a criminal act. Rape is one of the most despicable crimes against a person, and by extension, a family. It is also a crime that can be successfully addressed through zero-tolerance campaigns, empowerment of the most vulnerable in our society, and a no-compromise enforcement of the law against offenders. Mr. President, we trust that you will join Kenyans of goodwill in nipping this cancer in the bud before we become a nation dotted with sex offenders from border to border. Their victims, who number in the thousands, continue to grow under your watch.
This scandal must also remind us Kenyans abroad to stand with the most vulnerable of us back home when local authority continuously fails them. Police officers and Chiefs are getting away with rape charges at every turn. Only this year, Mr. President, a ten year old girl gave
birth. She had been raped by a certain "Askari Sammy", a police officer who lured her to her fate. We call on Kenya's good leaders to ensure that our country does not become a backyard of fear and insecurity veiled behind a facade of economic growth. Social justice must be intertwined with economic growth and political goodwill.
We realize, sadly, that it takes a long time for our leaders to get horrified by social injustices happening right in their backyard, crimes they themselves perpetrate. It is reported that a recent Kenyan delegation to Rwanda was horrified and humbled by what they saw that had been the result of hate crimes and tribal vitriol. It is a shame
it took them this long to understand this. We hope that it does not take them that long to get horrified by the staggering statistics of thousands of children who get raped and molested daily in Kenya, with hospitals now unable to bear the burden of tending to them freely.
Part of the problem of "deaf" and "blind" leaders, Mr. President, is that they are cultivated through recycling thugs into government. This is embarrassing, unacceptable, and does not augur well for an anti-rape campaign that has everything to do with fighting against
those who assert power through violent means. For that is what rape is.
Finally, we Kenyans abroad know that we must actively be part of a sober and long-term solution. We therefore challenge the government to open doors of engagement with us towards establishing these solutions especially in the schools. The children of Kenya need empowerment,
enlightenment, and protection when it comes to dealing with sexual offences. The STOP campaign is composed of dedicated men and women who are ready to make this happen, for the sake of every child that deserves to become tomorrow's goodwill ambassador.
Sincerely,
Mkawasi Mcharo: Vice President, KCA
For: The STOP Campaign, a KCA initiative.
www.kenyansabroad.org, vicepresident@kenyansabroad.org
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 07:39:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [kca-info] Kenyan Leaders and Sexual Offences: A Stop Campaign Press Release
September 19, 2005
To the President of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki:
RE: Kenyan Leaders and Sexual Offences
From the STOP Campaign Against Rape and Child Molestation: A KCA (Kenyan Community Abroad) Initiative
Mr. President, it has come to our attention that the Kenyan ambassador to the US, Mr. Leonard Ngaithe, has been recalled to facilitate an investigation where he is accused of sexual assault against his junior.
We, the STOP Campaign against rape and child molestation, find it appropriate to raise our voice immediately and resolutely in absolute and total condemnation of sexual offences especially those committed by persons in leadership. Our stand is not a declaration of guilt or innocence on any party, but a vigilante watch that the investigations be fair and truthful.
We also firmly caution that no party shall receive hush money to thwart the course of justice, or be made to
suffer undue victimization through loss of employment or any manner of threats.
While investigations have only just begun, we nonetheless deem it fit to write directly and openly to you because this scandal touches on a rising social injustice that cannot be ignored. We realize that in the past, offences of this nature committed by well-placed leaders who got away with the crime have with time become laughable legends while the victims continue to suffer.
Silence, complacency, and victim intimidation have bred more sex offenders. Some of the accused even acquire a perverted badge of honour for their "manly triumphs."
Why, Hon. Nicholas Biwott earned the title "Bull of Auckland" after he was charged with sexual assault in 1995. It is a reflection of a sick society that turns crime into honour.
Our leaders must set the example of integrity at all times no matter what the circumstances, failure to which they must face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law if their indiscretion becomes a criminal act. Rape is one of the most despicable crimes against a person, and by extension, a family. It is also a crime that can be successfully addressed through zero-tolerance campaigns, empowerment of the most vulnerable in our society, and a no-compromise enforcement of the law against offenders. Mr. President, we trust that you will join Kenyans of goodwill in nipping this cancer in the bud before we become a nation dotted with sex offenders from border to border. Their victims, who number in the thousands, continue to grow under your watch.
This scandal must also remind us Kenyans abroad to stand with the most vulnerable of us back home when local authority continuously fails them. Police officers and Chiefs are getting away with rape charges at every turn. Only this year, Mr. President, a ten year old girl gave
birth. She had been raped by a certain "Askari Sammy", a police officer who lured her to her fate. We call on Kenya's good leaders to ensure that our country does not become a backyard of fear and insecurity veiled behind a facade of economic growth. Social justice must be intertwined with economic growth and political goodwill.
We realize, sadly, that it takes a long time for our leaders to get horrified by social injustices happening right in their backyard, crimes they themselves perpetrate. It is reported that a recent Kenyan delegation to Rwanda was horrified and humbled by what they saw that had been the result of hate crimes and tribal vitriol. It is a shame
it took them this long to understand this. We hope that it does not take them that long to get horrified by the staggering statistics of thousands of children who get raped and molested daily in Kenya, with hospitals now unable to bear the burden of tending to them freely.
Part of the problem of "deaf" and "blind" leaders, Mr. President, is that they are cultivated through recycling thugs into government. This is embarrassing, unacceptable, and does not augur well for an anti-rape campaign that has everything to do with fighting against
those who assert power through violent means. For that is what rape is.
Finally, we Kenyans abroad know that we must actively be part of a sober and long-term solution. We therefore challenge the government to open doors of engagement with us towards establishing these solutions especially in the schools. The children of Kenya need empowerment,
enlightenment, and protection when it comes to dealing with sexual offences. The STOP campaign is composed of dedicated men and women who are ready to make this happen, for the sake of every child that deserves to become tomorrow's goodwill ambassador.
Sincerely,
Mkawasi Mcharo: Vice President, KCA
For: The STOP Campaign, a KCA initiative.
www.kenyansabroad.org, vicepresident@kenyansabroad.org