What about us?
written by Kay , December 31, 2007

Both Raila and Kibaki should sit down face to face and work things out....If you ask me they are both in the wrong...both are reacting out of emotion and hatred and that is what is driving the wananchi to violence etc....

QUESTION? To Kibaki, do we have to hear news from inernational newsrooms first? it's such a shame that Sky news had to announce the curfew imposed in Kisumu - shooting anyone found in town or in violation of the curfew, as opposed to hearing it from our very own newsrooms first...its such a shame.....

You two ( Kibaki and Raila) please unite Kenya...it's not ur families getting hurt, do you really care about the people of Kenya...more so the people of Kisumu, we understand that many may not be Kibaki fans here....but why should the innocent ones pay?????????

What is the solution out of th
written by Wuod Aketch , December 31, 2007

I think that Kenyans will not be appeased until what they view as injustice is corrected. How can this be done?
1. In my opinion, a recount would at least appease the people for sometime.

2. If nobody is satisfied then we can as well redo another presidential election.

If you tell me that this is too costly, then I retort that the actual situation is costing the country more than a recount or the reorganization of an election. People cannot access food and some other minimum commodities. Even scratch cards have gone missing - are these experienced Kikuyu businessmen shooting themselves in the feet? Does Kibaki need to remain in power at all costs to finish off what he started? That is selling off the family jewels like Telcom Kenya for the benefit of his tribesmen and business friends ?

I think that pseudo-president Kibaki has the key answer to the two demands above. Even our nobel prize asked for a recount but nobody took heed. The action should be immediate - he tried to buy a day by making Monday a public holiday but what will happen on Thursday?

The country cannot afford living under curfew and ethnic cleansing for long. A phone call I made to some friends in Mombasa informed me of an alarming situation for the people from the president's tribe there. My brothers and sisters in laws from that same tribe in that town have gone into hiding.

I am asking you Mr Kibaki for the love of your people and this country to react and correct the situation.

While trying to cling to the Money and Power, you might end up losing everything.

Spiraling out of control
written by abdulmote , December 31, 2007

Sky news reports of more than 124 killed nationwide so far during the post election protest. A BBC reporter[/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7165602.stm] counted 43 in Kisumu alone killed last night. There was also a woman and her child out of the lot! Aparently some got shot even when they had started to run away!

Personally, I cannot help but think of a possibility of the military being embroilled in all this. It is getting scary by the minute, unless a miracle happens.

re: Spiraling out of control
written by Khandi , December 31, 2007

PNU PRESS CONFERENCE; 4.04

sad acts of violence is being reported acrose the country
The Government will not abandon its resposibilty to protect its citizen
lets be united and build the country together.

(I personally as a Kenyan, term this as a delayed reaction).

Quate
written by khandi , December 31, 2007

GEN ALI; Police commissioner

Has called a press conference and refuted claims that he and Gen Kianga have resigned.
" I want to assure all kenyans that i have not resigned and i have no such intentions"

Misplaced Plea
written by InSidious , December 31, 2007

Mr.Mbuthia, in as much as I concur to your overall position, I do think you are making your plea to the wrong individual. The Onus is on Kibaki and as such, the plea to restore sanity ought to go out to him.

Flights have been cancelled, Cameroon's 'Indomitable Lion' have cancelled their training in Kenya and i'm certain other visitors to Kenya will follow suit. Hospitals are short staffed, businesses & banks are closed and salaries have not been paid or did you forget its end month?

The US State Department just reversed it position to support Kibaki, so what next?

...
written by an , December 31, 2007

Kibaki has asked for this let him bear the consequences .He had an opportunity he shud have nullified the election declared himself 'interim'but now the body count rises.The man has been exposed for who he is.He wud averted this situation even with the flawed elec to his advantage instead he has led us to bloodshed.this is not about ODM PNU anymore .Kibaki and MOi deserve death.

in Eldoret
written by Truthseeker , January 01, 2008

I just received a call from Kenya, and was informed that things in Rift Valley are bad. Kikuyu doors are being marked with X and folks in these dwellings are being hacked to death. For those on this forum advocating for democracy at all costs, is this what you really want for Kenya?? Does it please you because democracy is being "fought for" in this way?? Are these the democracy "growing pains" that are being spoken of?

Folks, all this is not worth it, it just isn't. Please, let's step back from this all and consider the consequences of what some of us are doing/advocating for. The Rwanda tragedy is not far removed from our memories folks. Tafadhalini.

from the slums
written by Truthseeker , January 01, 2008

I have being told by Slums People in the Hospital that their attackers are people who know them and yet they are sure that they didn't recognize whom they were hacking because they seem to be blindly hacking around. The reason being that in Kibera there are sections for Luhyas and Luo and Sections only for Kikuyus and some mixed with Kambas and other none Western Tribes.

In normal estates the Kikuyu neighbours are deeply embarrassed at what happened and are saying sorry. Some of them are even not leaving the house because of Shame.

Leaders should sober up and sa
written by Kobangoshe , January 02, 2008

All three key presidential candidates, Kibaki, Raila and Kalonzo should in my opinion agreet to come to the table like men, and talk out the matter starting with the question of halting the anarchy and ethinic killings going on in parts of the country.

Under the arbitration of a neutral and credible institution or person, the three should discuss the issue at hand. I would like to believe, there must be a practicale solution on the way forward that the three can come to terms on, for the sake of Kenya and her people. Let's keep everbody else in the ODM and PNU camps out of it, for now.

Head of Commonwealth election observer team, former Sierra Leone President Tejan Kabbah, seem to be far more rational and intelligent than the EU counterpart, who could not be creative in his way of handling the conflict. He opted to fuel and engineer the conflict by issueing his key observation in a reckless manner.

Finally, let EU, UK, Canada and USA remember Kenya is more important to Kenyans than to them. In fact, they have done more damage than good in the way they have involved themselves in the conflict. It was wrong for these diplomatic institutions to meet with any of the candidates or parties to the conflict. They must realize their accreditation is to Kenya as a country under the government in office and needed to follow protocal. I can not see how Kenya Embassy in USA could be meeting with a domocratic party presidential aspirant or a GOP one for that matter before and even after the elections at any point in time. We even know USA has had election problems in the past, and therefore this is not a strange or African or third world issue. Equally, the media has also shamelessly contributed to the incitement of some Kenyans against the government and supporters of PNU. The burning of houses, breaking of business premises and looting, as well as burning a church which was sheltering helpless and innocent people is a pointer to ethinic killings or call it genocide against a community. This is the saddest thing to happen at this time or any other time.

Last and not least, the conflict in Kenya about the election results is such that ECK Chairman should perhaps have warned both ODM and PNU on the risk of being put under pressure to announce results before all results were submitted by the returning officers and before issues raised by the audit team were resolved, if at all.

...
written by sio , January 02, 2008

Kibaki has accused raila of ethnic cleansing.the kibaki gov fails to realize that this is not about odinga.they remain disenfranchised with the people.The people have refused the kibaki gov.not in support of odinga they have just refused Kibaki.the situation worsens infront of us dear kenyan.Kibaki arrogantly thru mutua continue to stoke the fire of revenge .and now kikuyus will.sad wananchi it will get worse before it gets better

...
written by AO , January 02, 2008

They should re-do the elections, putting in place checks to ensure regularity, even if it's costly, what's happening now is even more costly.

In my view simply re-counting will include a recount of stuffed ballots, additionally I understand some ballot boxes were burnt following the tallies.

The people who were involved in the rigging, which appears to have happened on both sides did not recognize that by doing this they would be literally killing Kenyans and destroying the country. Ordering Safaricom to block SMS messages or disconnecting phone calls that continue beyond a certain length of time and gagging the media is not going to stem the problems these monsters have caused.
And to the person who asked whether democracy is right for Kenya, (I can't quite figure out who is being quoted) we tried government without democracy under both Kenyatta and Moi which each of whom left the country in tatters. I am surprised you didn't remember that we've done the "kingdom" rule before and it didn't work.

It's as though these people involved in the rigging thought Kenyans were stupid and it seems they did not consider the consequences of their actions. They should recognize their responsibility on an individual level - from the person who sat at a polling station and altered a tallied vote with a biro-pen to some number you made up in your head, or the coward announcing a president when you yourself have doubts about the elections instead of standing up for truth - you are individually and collectively responsible for the deaths of Kenyans, rape of women and girls, homelessness, displacement of people, destruction of homes and property, business losses small businesses that were looted might not recover, devaluation of currency, economic crash, destabilization of the nation and whatever additional sins will pile up on your heads in the days, weeks, months or maybe even years to come.

I believe organizing a new election with clearly outlined methods to ensure regularity and transparency will stem the violence. In fact the processes at the polling stations should be televised live throughout, including the counting and recording of votes. It will not be anywhere near as costly as what is going on now - the costs we've already incurred as a result of this and the costs to come.

re: Out of touch
written by aeichener , January 02, 2008

Does anyone realize that our leaders on both divides are out of touch with Kenyans?

Of course. Ombuya E. Okong'o wrote a whole article about this. Here in KI.

Now Kibaki (...) Does he really care about the kikuyus spread around kenya?

Kibaki belongs to one (small and exclusive) tribe. And the vast majority of Kikuyus to another. As simple as that. So of course he does not much care, besides he has quite lost touch with reality.

Or have you seen him in Kisumu? In Mombasa? In Likoni? Consoling the mourning, aiding the bereaved? As every responsible - not liidaah, but - servant of his people would have immediately endeavoured?

But neither did Raila. Give both of them and their cronies one-way ticket for an airdrop on Bouvet Island and Gough Island and let them stay there.

Alexander

...
written by Prof. B. Kobangoshe , January 03, 2008

Ethnic cleansing is just a by product of the protests by ODM supporters on the re-elction of president Kibaki. However, the initial protests than came soon after the announcement of a Kibaki win was normal human reaction. When you loose such a competitive election by a small margin, it is quite painful. It would have been far easier to take it as a man, had the Hon Kibaki won the election by a large margin, say a million votes number.

The projection of anger and protest to innocent persons just because they were suspected to be on this or that community and so they may have not voted in favor a particular candidate, is squearely a criminal act. Looting and use of force to rob innocent persons their property is by law a criminal. Acts of arson for whatever reason or cause, are a crime. Attacks and burning of persons and their homes as well as the sanctuary places of worship is in the eyes of law a crime. Hon Odinga has nothing to do with the commission of these crimes at all, unless it can be proven in a court of law that he incited and agitated his supporters to commit the crimes. It is very likely that these were spontaneous acts out for their frustration or that they were incited by their leaders. Hon Ruto would be the most likely inciter in this and I do not believe Hon. Odinga had anything to do with torching of the Eldoret church and the displaced persons sheltered in it. I hope when the riots and anarchy declines and life returns to near normal, the detectives will start to conduct forensic investigations and the culprits once arrested should be brought to book, no matter how long it will take.

Similarly, those in Mathare and Huruma areas in Nairobi who were causing meyhem against others in revenge of actions leswhere against their own communities, should also be traked down and brought to book. Everone must understand whatever actions they take into their hands, they must be prepared to bear the consequence. Equally, the leaders must realize these actions could easily get out of control, and they must move with speed to plead with their supporters for calm.

Out of touch
written by Wangari Otieno , January 03, 2008

Does anyone realize that our leaders on both divides are out of touch with Kenyans?

Dr. Mutua gleefully tells us that this will just stop and life goes on, like the deaths of children in churches do not matter!
We Luhyas, Luos, Kikuyus, Kalenjins have lived together for eons without problems. Now Kibaki with his act of cowardice decides to plunge the country in chaos. Does he really care about the Kikuyus spread around Kenya?