Maina Kiai also gives his 2 cents....
I shudder when Kibunjia talks since it reminds me of the old Nyayo order
By MAINA KIAI ( email the author)
Posted Friday, February 8 2013 at 18:39
NCIC chairman Mzalendo Kibunjia has joined the ranks of those spouting baloney during this campaign season.
His view that talking about historical injustices is tantamount to incitement portrays an ignorance that is worrying, or worse, suggests that he is unlawfully partisan. For his statement echoes Uhuru Kenyatta on Al Jazeerah, that history is irrelevant.
And not to be outdone, our new Inspector General of Police has also joined the fray, warning against discussing land issues on the basis that they are emotive!
Am I missing something? Did we not pass a new Constitution that protects the freedom of speech to international standards? Are these guys still in the old Nyayo era?
History is crucial to Kenya, and we need to know it all: The good, the bad and the ugly. For as Confucius said: "Study the past if you would define the future."
From the Rift, Central, Coast, Western, to North Eastern provinces, the history of land is vital; how it was acquired, how it was distributed, and who got what, where, and how.
All the political players understand the centrality of land and historical injustices. Where they differ is on whether and how they will deal with these issues if they are elected.
And it is here that their personal histories - as beneficiaries, status quo believers, or agents of change­ - are crucial for us to ascertain their ability to deliver these promises.
But it's not just land and historical injustices that have fallen victim to electoral baloney. Many politicians are telling barefaced lies. They think and take us for fools, and we must challenge them. Here are a few choice ones:
"We will bring back ICC cases to Kenya," by Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi:
They can't. Until we have a police force capable of doing proper, professional, and independent investigations - which in the best of circumstances; given the rot in the force is at least five years away - this is a pipe-dream.
And if the utterances by the new police boss are any indicator, we have perhaps longer to wait. It is not even clear what law would apply for these cases if they were to be brought back here, as the International Crimes Act came into force in 2009, and does not cover the post-election violence. This means the accused can't be charged here with the same crimes as they face at The Hague, which is necessary.
"Winning the election means that Kenyans question the ICC process, which should be taken into account," by Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto:
Popularity has nothing to do with justice or judicial processes. Might is not right. Hitler was elected in a landslide in 1933 even as he planned genocide.
Juvenal Habyrimana was popular even as his regime plotted genocide in Rwanda. And let's not forget that Daniel Moi was declared the winner of elections in 1992 and 1997 despite credible reports that his regime was behind the "ethnic clashes" in the Rift Valley.
"We will provide free university education," by Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka:
Only if they mean like the "free education" where new fees like cleaning fees, staffing fees, sitting fees, food fees, breathing fees etc emerge! Let's first improve the quality of our public primary education by pumping resources so that public schools can compete with private academies and give poor ordinary Kenyan children a chance at life.
And then focus on making secondary education really free, and of such quality that even if students do not get into universities they are able to make a middle class life for themselves.
"We will not be affected if we become a pariah nation because we can always turn to China," by TNA activists:
It is good that China has become an important partner, balancing the different political and economic interests internationally. So why would we want to have only one major partner - creating a new dependency and oppression­ - when we could have more?
The trade imbalance with China is massive as it does not import our coffee, miraa, tea, beef, or flowers. Nor do Chinese visit Kenya in significant numbers.
Remember Robert Mugabe tried this idea, but came to such grief that to rectify things, Zimbabwe had to give up its currency for the US dollar.
And recently Myanmar - for decades a pariah and closed state with China its only ally - decided to expand its international allies to include the West.
This would be a painful option. Do we need to try it to see if it really burns?
mkiai2000@yahoo.com
I shudder when Kibunjia talks since it reminds me of the old Nyayo order - Blogs - elections.nation.co.ke
