Post by Wainaina on Oct 25, 2006 5:48:59 GMT 3
KIKUYU-PHOBIA: ODM-K MUST STOP THREATS AGAINST SOME COMMUNITIES
Dear Mzee Charles Njonjo,
As a Kenyan whose grandfather lived in Central Province, I consider
the Central Kenya Initiative the most shameless exhibition of
tribalism in 21st Century Kenya. My relatives are married into Luo,
Luhya, Taita and other communities and I was born and brought up in
the Rift Valley Province. My closest childhood friends had the names
Chemng'orem, Lihanda, Shihemi, Mwangi and Opar. I even learnt a
little Kisii from my neighbors Maosa and Kerubo and I am building a
home in what was once known as Maasai land. My roommate and
confidante in high school was called Ohanya and all the Kikuyu ladies
I have shared offices with over the past four years were married to
Kamba, Luhya, Taita and Luo men. The fact that my friend Wamungah
from Alego Usoga is not qualified to join, makes the Central Province
Initiative as desperate as the call for Luhya unity. It is as
fraudulent as the 2001 attempt by Raila Odinga to unite the Luo or
the GEMA-like Central Province Development Support Group's bid to
unite the Kikuyu so as to make them "co-operate with KANU". It is
only tribalists who would threaten a community with "vote for us or
else". If ODM-Kenya formed the next government, does it mean Central
Kenya (read Kikuyus like my grandmother) will be denied their
rightful share of national resources? Are you threatening my
grandmother with economic isolation because you believe that she
supported the Wako draft constitution? What other "Isolation" should
scare a Kikuyu woman enough to make her into vote for Odinga,
Kalonzo, Uhuru or William Ruto? Will my grandmother be isolated if
she supports Ford-Kenya?
In your statement, you invoked the names of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga claiming that, if they were to arise, they
would ask Kenyans to unite. You further claim that the isolation of
the Kikuyu community "has never been experienced even at the worst
moments in Kenya's history". I would like to remind you that the
Kenyatta era and the Moi days during which you and Jaramogi played a
role were the foundation of the "Kikuyuphobia" that Philip Ochieng
wrote about in February 2001 in his analysis of the "Historical root
of our phobia for the Kikuyu". Jaramogi Odinga and Mzee Kenyatta are
the pillars of tribal divisions between Luo and the Kikuyu. They used
the names of the Kikuyu and the Luo in pursuing their political
ambitions and they divided the two communities for no good reason.
Their sons Uhuru and Raila were brought up in the two homesteads that
divided this nation. You should not be asking either of them to vie
for the Presidency of this nation. Kenya needs to heal and after all,
as the wise men of your generation taught us young Kenyans, "mtoto wa
nyoka ni nyoka".
Sir, you asked what was wrong with a "Luo presidency". The first
wrong thing about that question is that there is no such thing as a
Luo Presidency. In Kenya, there can be no Luhya Presidency, Rendille
Presidency or, for that matter, Kikuyu Presidency. No President
should be voted in to represent a community. For instance, your
preferred candidate Raila Odinga has tried to be President twice
before and both times lost to Mwai Kibaki, Wamalwa Kijana and others.
If your concern is that the next President must speak Dholuo, why not
try or my half-Luo-half-Kikuyu nephew or Raphael Tuju, James Orengo
or Shem Ochuodo? For Raila to lose, Kenyans did not have a problem
with a President whose grandparents hail from Luo Nyanza. They simply
do not think Raila Odinga should be the "Luo President" you so
erroneously pray for. When you fail to realize that and imply that
Raila's or LDP's woes are due to President Kibaki real or
imagined "tribalism", you reveal your deeply held tribal biases. No
Kenyan should accept to be grouped into tribal outfits such as
Central Kenya Initiative every time someone is desperate for votes.
Politicians must face the electoral music as individuals not as a
community. Uhuru should go and endear himself to all voters and not
run to Siaya demanding for "Luo Nyanza Initiative" to campaign on his
not-so-wrong "Gatundu South Presidency". If Raila wants votes from
Kerugoya, Othaya, Githunguri or Limuru, he must go there "yeye
mwenyewe" to convince voters that he will improve the economy better
than Kibaki has and that they will not be denied their rights if they
do not vote for him. Unlike it was in the years gone by, this is not
about being Luo or Pokomo as ODM-Kenya would want us to imagine.
I would like to correct you on the basis you keep using as an
indicator of Kikuyu isolation. Kindly do not mislead Kenyans that the
divisions at BOMAS were about being Rendille, Marakwet, Nandi or
Kipsigis. The divisions were about the desired appointment of Raila
Odinga as Prime Minister as per an [unconstitutional] Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) that should have seen LDP members receive more
positions in the NARC/Kibaki government. You may benefit from a
reminder that the only reason Odinga's men defected to NARC was that
Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta instead of the then Secretary General, Raila
Odinga who had traded in NDP to KANU in the hope of great things. In
revenge against Moi, Raila had to painfully declare "Kibaki Tosha"
and campaign for the very man he swore in March 2002 that he would
never vote for. The Official Leader of the Opposition Mwai Kibaki
became President.
Back to BOMAS, all those opposed to the MoU were branded "Mount Kenya
Mafia" and Kenyans were told that these Mafia wanted to "scuttle the
process". It is these two camps that fuelled divisions during the
referendum and the Orange campaign machinery was very effective in
whipping up euphoria to tip the scale against the Banana side. They
were very effective in claiming that a hurriedly non-consensus BOMAS
draft constitution was "people-driven". To defeat rational thinking,
they continued to use xenophobic terms as Mount Kenya Mafia and
deceived the Maasai that people from "Mount Kenya" wanted to steal
their land while men were urged to oppose the right of women to
inherit. The most prominent woman in the Orange campaign was even
quoted opposing the women's right to property on the basis of
culture. It is interesting to note that ODM-Kenya now claims it wants
minimum reforms that will guarantee the rights of women as proposed
in the Wako draft. Strangely, even Muslims were urged to vote against
a draft constitution that would have seen them gain more than any
other Kenyan. It is the same Orange campaign that discouraged Kenyans
from reading the draft constitution so that non-constitutional issues
such as the NARC MoU and tribal divisions dominated the campaign. As
an opposition party, KANU only joined LDP so as to punish the NAK
faction that had remained loyal to the Kibaki government. KANU was
upset that Kibaki had appointed opposition MPs to his Government of
National Unity (GNU) without negotiating with Uhuru Kenyatta.
Unfortunately, the disorganized YES campaign, led by LDP's nemesis
NAK, had their strongest support in Central Kenya, South Nyanza and
parts of Western Province while LDP and KANU were strongest in Luo
Nyanza, Coast and the Rift Valley. The battle between LDP and NAK has
now become the so-called two-horse race between ODM-K and NARC-Kenya.
It is wrong for Sir Njonjo, Raila and company to pretend to unite
Kenyans in a desperate attempt at revenge against President Kibaki
for trashing of the unconstitutional demands of the NAK/LDP MoU. The
issue of the MoU remains the main division between Kibaki and Raila
camps. Keep my Kikuyu and Luo friend out of this narrow battle for
control of my country.
Finally, Sir Njonjo, you referred to yourself as an opinion leader.
To say the least, that was the greatest over statement of your
significance in modern Kenya. Times have changed and in this day and
age, Tony Gachoka and Uhuru Kenyatta are the worst choice for allies
in your tribal club. Mr. Gachoka, who garnered 91 votes in 2002, has
a support base the size of an estate nursery school. Believe it or
not, Mukhisa Kituyi and Raphael Tuju would be a better choice for
getting you support from Central Kenya. Uhuru Kenyatta, on the other
hand, has failed the leadership test in KANU and is the weakest
Official Leader of the Opposition Kenya has ever had. Uhuru cannot
lead a quarter of Kenya's population into ODM-K because he has also
made it clear that he is not a representative of any tribe. If you so
much want the country to unite and believe that President Kibaki
single handedly controls 43% of the voters as per the 2005 referendum
results, doesn't it make more sense to negotiate with him instead?
You would have served a better role had your shifted the debate from
tribe to a demand for equitable distribution of resources for all
constituency. Equitable distribution means Kenyans would be
comfortable if the Coast Province should be seen to develop in
proposition to the growth of tourism industry while Lake Victoria
region would benefit more from fishing industry. Without calling
someone a Rendille or Pokomo, you may politely demand explanations as
to why the Kenya Roads Board allocated more money for road in to
Nyeri district. Modern Kenya, dear Sir, is not what it was when you
were in politics. Wind up the Central Kenya Initiative and campaign
for integrity and equitable distribution of resources by asking
tainted colleagues in ODM-Kenya such Ole Ntimama to apologise for his
role in fueling tribal clashes. Rise above the fray.
I remain Proudly Kenyan,
Wainaina Mungai
Dear Mzee Charles Njonjo,
As a Kenyan whose grandfather lived in Central Province, I consider
the Central Kenya Initiative the most shameless exhibition of
tribalism in 21st Century Kenya. My relatives are married into Luo,
Luhya, Taita and other communities and I was born and brought up in
the Rift Valley Province. My closest childhood friends had the names
Chemng'orem, Lihanda, Shihemi, Mwangi and Opar. I even learnt a
little Kisii from my neighbors Maosa and Kerubo and I am building a
home in what was once known as Maasai land. My roommate and
confidante in high school was called Ohanya and all the Kikuyu ladies
I have shared offices with over the past four years were married to
Kamba, Luhya, Taita and Luo men. The fact that my friend Wamungah
from Alego Usoga is not qualified to join, makes the Central Province
Initiative as desperate as the call for Luhya unity. It is as
fraudulent as the 2001 attempt by Raila Odinga to unite the Luo or
the GEMA-like Central Province Development Support Group's bid to
unite the Kikuyu so as to make them "co-operate with KANU". It is
only tribalists who would threaten a community with "vote for us or
else". If ODM-Kenya formed the next government, does it mean Central
Kenya (read Kikuyus like my grandmother) will be denied their
rightful share of national resources? Are you threatening my
grandmother with economic isolation because you believe that she
supported the Wako draft constitution? What other "Isolation" should
scare a Kikuyu woman enough to make her into vote for Odinga,
Kalonzo, Uhuru or William Ruto? Will my grandmother be isolated if
she supports Ford-Kenya?
In your statement, you invoked the names of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga claiming that, if they were to arise, they
would ask Kenyans to unite. You further claim that the isolation of
the Kikuyu community "has never been experienced even at the worst
moments in Kenya's history". I would like to remind you that the
Kenyatta era and the Moi days during which you and Jaramogi played a
role were the foundation of the "Kikuyuphobia" that Philip Ochieng
wrote about in February 2001 in his analysis of the "Historical root
of our phobia for the Kikuyu". Jaramogi Odinga and Mzee Kenyatta are
the pillars of tribal divisions between Luo and the Kikuyu. They used
the names of the Kikuyu and the Luo in pursuing their political
ambitions and they divided the two communities for no good reason.
Their sons Uhuru and Raila were brought up in the two homesteads that
divided this nation. You should not be asking either of them to vie
for the Presidency of this nation. Kenya needs to heal and after all,
as the wise men of your generation taught us young Kenyans, "mtoto wa
nyoka ni nyoka".
Sir, you asked what was wrong with a "Luo presidency". The first
wrong thing about that question is that there is no such thing as a
Luo Presidency. In Kenya, there can be no Luhya Presidency, Rendille
Presidency or, for that matter, Kikuyu Presidency. No President
should be voted in to represent a community. For instance, your
preferred candidate Raila Odinga has tried to be President twice
before and both times lost to Mwai Kibaki, Wamalwa Kijana and others.
If your concern is that the next President must speak Dholuo, why not
try or my half-Luo-half-Kikuyu nephew or Raphael Tuju, James Orengo
or Shem Ochuodo? For Raila to lose, Kenyans did not have a problem
with a President whose grandparents hail from Luo Nyanza. They simply
do not think Raila Odinga should be the "Luo President" you so
erroneously pray for. When you fail to realize that and imply that
Raila's or LDP's woes are due to President Kibaki real or
imagined "tribalism", you reveal your deeply held tribal biases. No
Kenyan should accept to be grouped into tribal outfits such as
Central Kenya Initiative every time someone is desperate for votes.
Politicians must face the electoral music as individuals not as a
community. Uhuru should go and endear himself to all voters and not
run to Siaya demanding for "Luo Nyanza Initiative" to campaign on his
not-so-wrong "Gatundu South Presidency". If Raila wants votes from
Kerugoya, Othaya, Githunguri or Limuru, he must go there "yeye
mwenyewe" to convince voters that he will improve the economy better
than Kibaki has and that they will not be denied their rights if they
do not vote for him. Unlike it was in the years gone by, this is not
about being Luo or Pokomo as ODM-Kenya would want us to imagine.
I would like to correct you on the basis you keep using as an
indicator of Kikuyu isolation. Kindly do not mislead Kenyans that the
divisions at BOMAS were about being Rendille, Marakwet, Nandi or
Kipsigis. The divisions were about the desired appointment of Raila
Odinga as Prime Minister as per an [unconstitutional] Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) that should have seen LDP members receive more
positions in the NARC/Kibaki government. You may benefit from a
reminder that the only reason Odinga's men defected to NARC was that
Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta instead of the then Secretary General, Raila
Odinga who had traded in NDP to KANU in the hope of great things. In
revenge against Moi, Raila had to painfully declare "Kibaki Tosha"
and campaign for the very man he swore in March 2002 that he would
never vote for. The Official Leader of the Opposition Mwai Kibaki
became President.
Back to BOMAS, all those opposed to the MoU were branded "Mount Kenya
Mafia" and Kenyans were told that these Mafia wanted to "scuttle the
process". It is these two camps that fuelled divisions during the
referendum and the Orange campaign machinery was very effective in
whipping up euphoria to tip the scale against the Banana side. They
were very effective in claiming that a hurriedly non-consensus BOMAS
draft constitution was "people-driven". To defeat rational thinking,
they continued to use xenophobic terms as Mount Kenya Mafia and
deceived the Maasai that people from "Mount Kenya" wanted to steal
their land while men were urged to oppose the right of women to
inherit. The most prominent woman in the Orange campaign was even
quoted opposing the women's right to property on the basis of
culture. It is interesting to note that ODM-Kenya now claims it wants
minimum reforms that will guarantee the rights of women as proposed
in the Wako draft. Strangely, even Muslims were urged to vote against
a draft constitution that would have seen them gain more than any
other Kenyan. It is the same Orange campaign that discouraged Kenyans
from reading the draft constitution so that non-constitutional issues
such as the NARC MoU and tribal divisions dominated the campaign. As
an opposition party, KANU only joined LDP so as to punish the NAK
faction that had remained loyal to the Kibaki government. KANU was
upset that Kibaki had appointed opposition MPs to his Government of
National Unity (GNU) without negotiating with Uhuru Kenyatta.
Unfortunately, the disorganized YES campaign, led by LDP's nemesis
NAK, had their strongest support in Central Kenya, South Nyanza and
parts of Western Province while LDP and KANU were strongest in Luo
Nyanza, Coast and the Rift Valley. The battle between LDP and NAK has
now become the so-called two-horse race between ODM-K and NARC-Kenya.
It is wrong for Sir Njonjo, Raila and company to pretend to unite
Kenyans in a desperate attempt at revenge against President Kibaki
for trashing of the unconstitutional demands of the NAK/LDP MoU. The
issue of the MoU remains the main division between Kibaki and Raila
camps. Keep my Kikuyu and Luo friend out of this narrow battle for
control of my country.
Finally, Sir Njonjo, you referred to yourself as an opinion leader.
To say the least, that was the greatest over statement of your
significance in modern Kenya. Times have changed and in this day and
age, Tony Gachoka and Uhuru Kenyatta are the worst choice for allies
in your tribal club. Mr. Gachoka, who garnered 91 votes in 2002, has
a support base the size of an estate nursery school. Believe it or
not, Mukhisa Kituyi and Raphael Tuju would be a better choice for
getting you support from Central Kenya. Uhuru Kenyatta, on the other
hand, has failed the leadership test in KANU and is the weakest
Official Leader of the Opposition Kenya has ever had. Uhuru cannot
lead a quarter of Kenya's population into ODM-K because he has also
made it clear that he is not a representative of any tribe. If you so
much want the country to unite and believe that President Kibaki
single handedly controls 43% of the voters as per the 2005 referendum
results, doesn't it make more sense to negotiate with him instead?
You would have served a better role had your shifted the debate from
tribe to a demand for equitable distribution of resources for all
constituency. Equitable distribution means Kenyans would be
comfortable if the Coast Province should be seen to develop in
proposition to the growth of tourism industry while Lake Victoria
region would benefit more from fishing industry. Without calling
someone a Rendille or Pokomo, you may politely demand explanations as
to why the Kenya Roads Board allocated more money for road in to
Nyeri district. Modern Kenya, dear Sir, is not what it was when you
were in politics. Wind up the Central Kenya Initiative and campaign
for integrity and equitable distribution of resources by asking
tainted colleagues in ODM-Kenya such Ole Ntimama to apologise for his
role in fueling tribal clashes. Rise above the fray.
I remain Proudly Kenyan,
Wainaina Mungai