Paraphrase

"I'm saddened by the brutal killing of innocent unarmed people demonstrating peacefully," Odinga told Reuters......

Over coffee, I was talking to an American who had lived in Kenya. He was heartbroken over the death and destruction being fomented for the benefit of the ruling class. He paraphrased the above statement of Railia:

"I'm really very pleased by the chaos, death and destruction being perpetrated by my deaf, dumb and blind sycophants............."

I thought this was a bit cynical, but as we discussed all things, I agreed with him. Wananchi are being used as canon fodder for the gain of the rich. On this side of the Atlantic, the "all black people look alike" joke still gets a lot of play so the idea that some Luo guy could live next door to a Kikuyu guy for 15 years, say, "Hello" to him in the market, share tea with him in the afternoon, and then decide to beat him up and burn him out because of an election is inconceivable.

There is a very great ignorance being exploited by the ruling class over the very poor and the not-so poor in Kenya. The leverage of this ignorance is calculated. The ruling class is very well aware of its existence and they are adept at using it for their personal gain. The poor are pawns.

I ask anyone, "Is there a single, selfless statesmen in Kenya?" The politicians have programed and released their robots. They are passionate, intoxicated by "rigging" and "democracy" and smoke and blood, hell-bent on destruction in the guise of attaining "justice."

I told my friend that I thought the genesis of the immediate chaos was premeditated. When the polls got tight, Raila started beating the drum of "rigging." Panga sales increased as people prepared for armed conflict.

In the run up to the election, was the message of peace preached? It is no exaggeration to say that everyone interested in the elections knew that the presidential election was going to be close. Without a doubt, someone was going to win, someone was going to lose. Again, I emphasize that the issue of "rigging" was plainly, deliberately and exhaustively discussed. When the rigging alarm bell was rung, there should have been absolutely no surprise. Did any politician call, first and foremost, for their supporters to behave peacefully, to behave with dignity? Did any politician repudiate all forms of violence?

I don't think so.

I was in Nairobi when the American Bishop T. D. Jakes was holding his crusade in Uhuru Park. I had a room at the Intercontinental overlooking the park. I watched in amazement as thousands upon thousands of people in an endless, unbroken stream made their way to the park. This stream of humans began early in the day and continued even until the Bishop began to speak. The crowd was enormous. "Surely, the people of Kenya have a hunger for the message of Jesus Christ," I thought at the time.

Today, I wonder how many of those at the crusade have been murdered - possibly at the hands of another person in attendance that day? How many have had a house or shop burned? How many have been injured or lost a loved one? How many of the attendees have picked up a weapon and wielded it in anger?

"I'm saddened by the brutal killing of innocent unarmed people demonstrating peacefully," Odinga told Reuters......"

The Maasai have a saying, essentially, "Can there be such a thing as a harmless snake?" I suggest that, "Can there be such a thing as a peaceful demonstration?" is appropriate for Kenya.

Raila wants more demonstrations. Raila needs continued destruction and chaos as this is his only bargaining chip - to get what he wants. If Kenya returns to business as usual, then Raila will be forgotten.

Does Raila ever address directly the gangs of Luo and Kalenjin roaming Western Kenya, the gangs that are killing, raping, burning, interdicting and chasing away hundreds of thousands? Does he ever address the Kikuyu gangs cutting and killing? Does Raila ever address directly the tens of thousands of women and kids who are refugees in their own country?

Raila is sad for the demonstrators. Is he sad for the old woman strangled by a "youth?" Is he sad for the 3 year old wrestled from his mother and thrown into a fire? Is he sad for the farmer who was burned out and sent packing with only the cloths on his back? There are thousands of cases of truly innocent folks being cut, burnt, raped, threatened and sent packing who did not demonstrate, or even vote, for that matter. All they did was exist.

I'm sick of this nonsense! I'm sick of the apologists. I'm sick of Raila and I'm sick of Kibaki and I'm sick of Kenya politics. I'm sick of "No Raila, No peace." I'm sick of the perversion of the term "justice." But more than anything, I'm sick of chaos, death and destruction being fomented for the benefit of one man and his cronies.

Maybe my friend was right after all, "deaf, dumb and blind sycophants" doing the bidding of their master.

"We are fighting and dying for Raila and Kibaki and they don't even care for us," said Mary Atieno, 27, as she waited for protesters to stop throwing rocks so she could collect her children from school. "Only the ordinary man is suffering."

Mary Atieno expresses everything I've tried to say in two sentences.

Calculated Nonsense

The ODM has reversed itself and is again calling for more protests. A bunch of people were killed in last week's 3 days of demonstrations, some at the hands of mobs and some by the police.

Released to the media and shown extensively is a video of a policeman chasing two guys and shooting them, then kicking one while he is down. The video is gruesome. It is a testimony to the reality of these present demonstrations.

The policeman in the video has been vilified by many. However, this is a knee-jerk reaction to a few seconds of horror. I have yet to read why the policeman was pursuing these men. The video does not include the transgression, if any, that these men had committed. Is it really difficult to imagine that these men had been engage in some nefarious act?

The last 3 days of protests have had the desired effect sought after by the ODM: chaos, death and outrage - primarily by the donor community. The ODM's goal was to have sensational news bites that could be fed to the Europeans and Americans. They got some and now they want some more, therefore, more protestations for next week.

"Killing fields" - the term has been pointedly used to describe police action, primarily to foment outrage, disparage the governement and fan the flames of chaos. The use of this term is outrageous, and calculated. Outright lies, masqarading as hyperbole, simply used to manipulate.

The fact is that the vast majority of Kenyans simply want to go about their normal routines. The elections finished badly. The systems that allowed for the irregularities need to be fixed, but the remedies must follow the law and the constitution. Certainly, anarchy is not a way to fix an election gone bad.

How can one return to normalcy in the face of a rigged election? Kenya did it for years and years and I don't know why there is such gnashing of teeth over doing the same in 2008. However, at this time, there is genuine hope that parliament can enact the changes necessary to run better elections next time. After all, many of the old gaurd were not reelected. Is this not a harbinger of positive change?

The average Kenyan must rely upon himself. It has always been this way. The governement is not going to do anything, regardless who's president. Chaos is not going to help the average Kenyan. Destruction is not going to help the average Kenyan. The continued disruption of business is not going to help the average Kenyan. The suspension of foreign aid is not going to help the average Kenyan.

Who is helped by chaos? Who wants distruction? Who is calling for a disruption of business? Who is calling for sanctions? These are the people who benefit, not 98% of the Kenyan people.

By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer 17 Jan 2008

Excerpt:

"We are fighting and dying for Raila and Kibaki and they don't even care for us," said Mary Atieno, 27, as she waited for protesters to stop throwing rocks so she could collect her children from school. "Only the ordinary man is suffering."

The above is one of the most profound statements I have read in a long time. All of the nonsense from Kibaki and caterwauling from Raila, all of the gas from pundits & etc., is put into its proper perspective by the crystal clear common sense of a working class Kenyan.

Fact: the ruling class exists for itself.

Running out of steam

I watched Raila on the BBC's HARDtalk.

I completely support a person's right to free assembly. The problem in Kenya is that demonstrations are never peaceful. Certainly, with morgues around the country overflowing with bodies - bodies which are the direct result of post-election chaos - its seems that the government's banning of further protestations is reasonable. Yet, the ODM continues to play the demonstrations card. This card is further augmented by incendiary statements regarding police actions against "certain communities [sic]."

Thankfully, this strategy seems to wearing a little thin. Not enough people, not enough smoke and chaos were created yesterday. Therefore, the ODM is reading off of a new cue card. The new arm-twisting tactic is the calling for international sanctions against the government of Kenya, aka, withholding cash.

Just like violent demonstrations, the withholding of aid from Kenya only hurts Kenya, and particularly, the poor.

Raila's relentless media campaign is running out of steam. He took a couple on the chin on HARDtalk. He remained on his feet, but a little dazed.

I was reminded of my grandmother and grandfather. Their relationship was a little contentious at times. Grandpa was a military man, an army engineer, and he had a repertoire of interesting military phrases. When Grandma was being especially irritating, Grandpa would say, "Hortense, you sound like a man with a paper asshole."

I'm not sure of the origin of this phase, but I think I understand the meaning.

The Christian Science Monitor

The real reason for Kenya's violence

Contrary to popular belief, it isn't simply 'tribal' or 'spontaneous.'

By Jacqueline M. Klopp

from the January 14, 2008 edition

NEW YORK - Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the three weeks since Kenya's hotly disputed presidential elections. Once considered an island of stability in Africa, the country is suffering what the media has called a "shocking outbreak of violence" and "tribal clashes."

The key questions we should be asking are: Who is responsible for this violence? How is it happening? But we will not ask these questions if we continue to see the current violence as simply a spontaneous outburst of anger at the election rigging or "tribal warfare."

The international community must realize that Kenya's violence today is fueled by strongmen on both sides of the political divide. They are exploiting ethnic identity, pitting one community against another, as a means to gain power. It is a practice with a long history in Kenyan politics.

The fury of the violence may look like "tribal warfare" linked to election anger, especially in the worst instances of ethnic cleansing – as in Eldoret, where women and children were burned alive in a church. A common explanation is that members of the Kikuyu community are facing retaliation from others for their longtime "dominance." Like Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, President Mwai Kibaki is Kikuyu; opposition leader Raila Odinga is Luo.

Part of the violence is not directly organized and is instead linked to confrontations between protesters and police, who have a history of brutality. Many understandably feel rage at the election fraud carried out on behalf of Mr. Kibaki. But much of the ethnicized violence is linked to organized efforts by political strongmen who have experience playing divide-and-rule.

Remember Daniel arap Moi? He was Kenya's president from 1978 to 2002. He and most of his cohorts during this time were Kalenjin. In the 1990s, they faced the probable loss of power in multiparty elections to an opposition that included many Kikuyu. In response, Mr. Moi's men filled their campaigns with hate against all Kikuyu and convinced many that any member of that group, from a child to a poor farmer, represented "Kikuyu domination."

This ploy conveniently shifted blame from Moi and his mostly non-Kikuyu crowd who had been in power for years. It shifted attention away from the massive land grabbing and corruption they continued from the previous government that helped put the poor, including the numerous Kikuyu poor, in slums or sent them across the country in search of a small patch of land to eke out a living.

Sadly, this anti-Kikuyu campaign gained supporters among unemployed youth who learned to project their problems onto a Kikuyu face. Poor men were given weapons and paid to kill and displace. In return, they were promised or sold vacated land. Ultimately, in the 1990s, thousands of people died and almost half a million were displaced. This violence helped Moi's small group of corrupt "big men" stay in power for a decade. In the deeply flawed elections of 1992 and 1997, displacement became a form of gerrymandering.

Not one person has been tried, let alone convicted, for these killings and displacements. The international community at the time seemed quite ready to forget as well.

Since his election in 2002, Kibaki has collaborated in this deliberate forgetting. Part of the reason was that he had brought into his ruling coalition many of the worst perpetrators of violence. They could deliver votes in key areas and were willing to drop their anti-Kikuyu rhetoric once in power.

Mr. Odinga, the opposition leader, has also brought notorious ethnic cleansers into his coalition. Their anti-Kikuyu rhetoric is a useful political tool against the Kikuyu incumbent.

All these advocates of violence have lived with complete impunity. They have learned that they could preach hate, organize youth to kill and displace, and be rewarded with a cabinet post. They could get rid of voters who were unlikely to support them. They could use violence for bargaining power at the national level, something that appears to be happening today. The current project of "ethnic cleansing" in the Rift Valley suggests that some politicians, this time allied mostly with the opposition, have learned these lessons well.

The key lesson for the international community to learn from past violence is that a new government alone, especially if it welcomes perpetrators of violence into its core, cannot fix this deep problem of strongmen politics.

This time we must demand a thorough and independent investigation into all forms of violence. We should demand that those guilty of organizing, funding, or authorizing killings from any ethnic community be, at a minimum, excluded from high office. Let us not forget that this violence has a history and perpetrators and that there are responsibilities to be assigned. This time let us demand justice and not repeat the mistakes of the past. Otherwise, we set more roadblocks on Kenya's path toward a just, democratic, and truly civil society.

Jacqueline M. Klopp is a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

The Big Stick

I suppose it was inevitable that the US State Department would threaten Kenya with the old "big stick." Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has broached the topic of withholding US cash from Kenya. She couldn't get Raila and Kibaki to meet face to face so, being peeved, she now goes to the closet and pulls out the old "big stick." Back in Teddy Roosevelt's day, the "big stick" was overwhelming military power, but today it is money.

In my opinion, withholding cash is not a very useful diplomatic tool and a lousy excuse for inept diplomacy. Withholding cash to Kenya only hurts poor people. Raila and Kibaki certainly don't need US cash, they are very rich men. Scuttling programs for institutional reform, economic progress and development only move Kenya in reverse, not forward.

Kenya is the cornerstone of the Horn. Kenya is so important to stability in the Horn that Ms. Frazer spent four whole days in Nairobi. When instant success did not manifest itself, she pulled out the "cash card" from her deck of diplomatic tools.

At a time when a humanitarian disaster looms, it is certainly time to withhold cash from Kenya.

This is standard procedure for Ms. Frazer.

What happened in Eritrea? The US abdicated its responsibility to the demarcation of the Ethio-Eritrean border and President Afeworki has been an angry man ever since.

Now, Afeworki has succeeded in completely destroying the economy and the people of Eritrea are suffering. Most people in Eritrea depend completely upon remittances from their relatives and friends in the diaspora.

Afeworki has been behaving badly recently and Jendayi reaches into her bag of diplomatic tools, digs even deeper, and pulls out the dreaded "State sponsor of terrorism card." Playing this card would make it a crime for an American to send cash to a relative in Asmara. Remember, hundreds of thousands of people are directly dependent upon cash remittances from family in the United States for survival. Placing obstacles in the way of these remittances only causes more suffering of poor people.

Once again, my point is: I don't think hurting poor people is a very effective diplomatic tool. Fat cats and despots are completely unaffected. Threating poor people with more poverty simply highlights the fact that Americans are not very good diplomats.

Kenya is in acute crisis now. It needs skilled diplomacy now, not the "just add water" stuff from the Americans or the "cut and run" of Kufuor.

Puppetry

Why must wananchi be marionettes? The master puppeteer is obliged to put on an encore performance for his own benefit. The first performance did not have the desired effect. I suppose it has always been like this: the rich and powerful using the poorest of the poor to obtain even more power and more riches.

The problem with mass demonstrations in Kenya is that they are never peaceful. Ethno-fascists and criminals use the chaos for their own nefarious purposes. Protests have proved to be destructive.

The smell of smoke is still in the air and hundreds of thousands are homeless. What will more of the same accomplish?

The electoral process may have been corrupted, but at least there was a process. In my opinion, improving the existing systems is the best way forward. More smoke, destruction, maiming, homelessness and death, what can they possibly accomplish? Are the poor going to leave the slums? Are the unemployed going to find a job? Are the sick going to be treated? Kids educated?

Cut the stings, people of Kenya.

Ignorance

At the time, I did not understand my father's statement, "Ignorance is a great evil, maybe the greatest." World events of the 21st century are helping me see that my dad was spot-on correct.

Ignorance is fuel of today's ethno-fascism.

The poorly executed elections in Kenya last year were not the cause of the murder and mayhem. The "rigging" was only a catalyst. Each Kenyan reacted to the perceived rigging in some fashion. One man chose to chose to pray; another man chose to grab a panga, join a mob and chop people up, still another chose to join a road block and extort money.

Some politicians made statements that amounted to a justification of violent behavior. Which is more egregious, an ignorant man killing another because he is from another tribe or a politician justifying the behavior for his own gain?

I am hopeful that the present fiasco in Kenya will be resolved soon. To move forward, it is essential that the extermination of ignorance be a priority.

Raila & etc.

I watched Raila on the BBC Africa web page today.

It seems to me that there is a continuum of motives within the mobs roaming the cities and countryside in Kenya. In my opinion, many are opportunistic thugs and criminals; some are demonstrators with no violent intentions. How does one separate those with criminal intentions from peaceful political protesters?

In my opinion, the only way to react at this point in time is to call for a complete cessation of protestations. Too many criminals are using this present chaos for nefarious purposes.

Yet, Raila still stirs the pot of instability. He suggests that wananchi, robbed of their votes, are utilizing the only tool left in their arsenal, political protest. To be effective, these protests must be made en masse.

Mass, peaceful political protests are a good way to capture the attention of a government. Huge masses of people cannot be ignored. But in Kenya presently, the sheep cannot be separated from the wolves.

Raila wants to keep the coals under Kibaki's feet red hot. He is desperate. The most effective tool he has at his disposal is the mob. And he is wielding it.

How would things be different today if Raila had responded differently to the rigging of the elections? What if Raila had, in the strongest terms, called for calm?

Raila could have highlighted that the ODM would take its majority in Parliament and push for changes in election law. "I guarantee that there will be no ambiguity regarding the elections in 2012." he could have stated.

In my opinion, the quality of life for the "average" Kenyan - and certainly the poor urban slum-dweller - would not have been been changed perceptibly by the election of Raila. The average Kenyan would continue to "just get by" and the dirt poor would continue to struggle for today's provision.

What has not been communicated successfully is that Kenya has been making real economic gains and moving forward. Certainly attempts have been made, but it remains that the exceedingly poor and many average Kenyans have not benefited. The status quo has remained.

However, the only way forward - the best and only hope for a better tomorrow - is though economic development. The greatest asset of the country is its economic growth. Certainly, it takes time - decades - for the poor to be the beneficiaries of economic growth, but without it, there is absolutely no chance.

Presently, the economy of Kenya is being sacrificed on the alter of personal political power. Two guys are consuming the hope of an entire nation. Remember Solomon's resolution regarding the baby claimed by two women? Solomon only threatened the use of the sword. In Kenya, the baby is being chopped to pieces.

Kenya's mess

Kenya's politicians have long stoked the coals of ignorance for their personal gain. This calculated perversion, in my opinion, is a great evil. While many are expressing a measure of surprise at the scope of violence that has befallen Kenya presently, it was most predictable.

This election was going to be close. There was going to be a winner and a looser. All parties should have been exhorting their constituencies to vote and, above all else, remain peaceful in the aftermath. The vast majority of Kenyans have done just that: voted and remained peaceful. A very small minority, however, have used a tainted election as an excuse for criminal behavior.

In my estimation, the behavior of the miscreants today has very, very little to do with the elections. There is a seething anger that lives within these people that only requires a tiny catalyst to burst forth. These are the very same people who hang "Cuban neckties" on thieves who steal a kilo of maize from a neighbor. These people like violence and look for opportunities to become violent.

What is this thing that grips humans and turns them into animals? Words are inadequate but photographs of the destruction and the faces of the perpetrators do a good job of defining it. Something sinister has gripped these people, and once manifested, is difficult to control. Furthermore, it is contagious.

Some commentary has drifted away from hyperbole and entered the land of fantasy. This is not productive, just entertaining - if not disturbing - reading. I refer spcifically to individuals who advocate insurrection as a legitimate response to a tainted election. Is a coup - or even guerilla war - a justifiable, constructive reponse? In my opinion, people are free to express their views, even if bizarre, but those advocating violence and illegal acts need to be islolated.

I've read in many articles and posts the notion that Raila must be installed as president as a precondition for satisfaction. I have yet to read a single response highlighting the critical, and in my opinion - fatal - flaw in this suggestion. It would be a coup. Raila would be "installed" as president outside of the legal and constitutional processes of Kenya. Really, is this a solution? The election of Kibaki was tainted. How do we know that it was tainted? We know becuase it went outside the boundaries of the election process that were legally and constitutionally established. These boundaries are the bedrock of free and fair elections for it is only by these guideposts that we can assertain whether an election was, indeed, free and fair.

What boudaries exist in a coup? I maintain that the installation of Raila as president based upon the perception that he was cheated is infinately worse for Kenya than a rigged election. Electorial mechanisms can be fixed, legally and constitutionally, by the people through their representatives.

In this present crisis, all who love Kenya - and particularly politicians - should be ceaselessly and tirelessly calling for peace. In my opinion, however, critical time was lost with Kibaki sitting on his hands and Raila seething and crying about rigging. Both had the opportunity to exert genuine statesmanship and both failed - with extraordinary consequences. When Raila should have been heading for higher moral ground and exorting his supporters to remain peaceful, he was instead promoting this absurd notion of a parallel government and being installed as the "people's president" via a mob of his supporters in Uhuru Park. If this was not enough, when the "coronation" was forbidden by the government for Tuesday Jauary 1st, the event was rebadged with a religious connotation and rescheduled for Thursday January 3rd. In my opinion, ODM calling for one million people in downtown Nairobi while passions were running hot and parts of Kenya were burning was blatantly irresponsbile, clearly unstatesmanlike and tantamount to thowing kerosene on a fire. It was selfserving and obscene grandstanding.

This crisis highlights my conviction that moving forward requires three things: 1. A concentrated campaign to extinquish ignorance. 2. Relentless economic development. 3. Time - not measured in months or years, but generations.