Mungiki
It is known by all and sundry that the absence of war does not portray the presence of peace. This is stark to the people of Kirinyaga, where tension continues to thrive in the wake of the killings by Mungiki and the retaliatory killings by the vigilante groups. Days have passed on but young men are spending days in the cold at night ‘watching’ over their homesteads with all manner of crude weapons. And who knows, pray tell me, what the Mungiki gangs in their world are planning. In areas like Kagumo, Kanyekiine and Mukinduri, only God intervention will help cure the feeling of insecurity by the locals.
It is sad to note that the security apparatus have failed to quench the Mungiki thirst for killing or the Vigilante bid for revenge. The government has spent time talking tough. Those in charge of security have used all manner of descriptions aimed at letting those killing one another fear the hand of the government. But that can just be tough talk. The men on the ground will stop at nothing and such sentiments are just making them grow in resolve.
We must come to the point where we change tact and strategy. The government is strong in its own sense. The Mungiki are unwavering and willing to meet physical force with similar brutal force. This means therefore the war will never end. And when you include the vigilantes in this kind of play, you come to realize that tough times await those to be caught in the melee.
In Kirinyaga, which has now become famous for not tolerating the Mungiki, the issue at hand is more serious and is the right time that the security agents became more serious. If talking to both the Mungiki and the vigilantes is to bring lasting peace, so be it. But who will initiate this process and see to it that it bears fruits? We have witnessed the appalling silence of the religious leaders. You all will remember how vocal David Gitari was when it came to criticizing the Moi administration. How hard is it to speak when men butcher their fellow men? Memories are still fresh of Mutava Musyimi and the role he played in the NCCK and was even at one point touted as a compromise presidential candidate in case the then opposition leaders failed to rally around one leader to face Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2002 elections. But when men use crude weapons to curtail the lives of their fellow men, he remains silent, yet this is happening a few kilometers from his constituency.
The political class has maintained an uncharacteristic silence in the Mungiki-Vigilante issue. What is a higher calling; to speak openly against murderous groups or to seek to gain political mileage through speaking on matters to do with Migingo, Anglo-leasing, Goldenberg or the ‘Typing errors’? Does it mean that our leaders are so much weaned by politics such that they can only comment on anything that earns them political expediency that matters to do with the souls of poor men never evoke feelings in them?
Martha Karua is fighting a lone battle in trying to bring sense to the people, not just of Kirinyaga but in the entire country, that hate for hate can only increase the presence of hatred; that someone must have that moral obligation to stop that chain of hatred. What the people of Kirinyaga though are worried about is the silence of the other M.ps in the whole saga. Ndia M.p Njeru Githae is perhaps over the moon by his appointment as a minister to spare thoughts on how to bring sanity to the local people. Kariuki Ngata, the M.p for Kerugoya central does not even seem to know something is happening, as is his Mwea counterpart.
The civil society on the other hand has confirmed that it is just a conglomeration of individuals whose ultimate goal is power. It is obvious commenting on matters of deaths cannot increase popularity. I am yet to see any civil activist chaining himself to protest the deaths or engaging the police in running battles to press for increased security for Kenyans. But alas, the same groups would even contribute funds to go hoist a flag in Migingo.
The Mungiki issue requires us to be sober. We need to support the government to fight these gangs. The government on the other hand must be willing to be assisted. When we do so, we shall never regret in future and will not have a Sri Lanka with the Tamil Tigers or an Afghanistan with the Taliban. We all want to enjoy peace
It is sad to note that the security apparatus have failed to quench the Mungiki thirst for killing or the Vigilante bid for revenge. The government has spent time talking tough. Those in charge of security have used all manner of descriptions aimed at letting those killing one another fear the hand of the government. But that can just be tough talk. The men on the ground will stop at nothing and such sentiments are just making them grow in resolve.
We must come to the point where we change tact and strategy. The government is strong in its own sense. The Mungiki are unwavering and willing to meet physical force with similar brutal force. This means therefore the war will never end. And when you include the vigilantes in this kind of play, you come to realize that tough times await those to be caught in the melee.
In Kirinyaga, which has now become famous for not tolerating the Mungiki, the issue at hand is more serious and is the right time that the security agents became more serious. If talking to both the Mungiki and the vigilantes is to bring lasting peace, so be it. But who will initiate this process and see to it that it bears fruits? We have witnessed the appalling silence of the religious leaders. You all will remember how vocal David Gitari was when it came to criticizing the Moi administration. How hard is it to speak when men butcher their fellow men? Memories are still fresh of Mutava Musyimi and the role he played in the NCCK and was even at one point touted as a compromise presidential candidate in case the then opposition leaders failed to rally around one leader to face Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2002 elections. But when men use crude weapons to curtail the lives of their fellow men, he remains silent, yet this is happening a few kilometers from his constituency.
The political class has maintained an uncharacteristic silence in the Mungiki-Vigilante issue. What is a higher calling; to speak openly against murderous groups or to seek to gain political mileage through speaking on matters to do with Migingo, Anglo-leasing, Goldenberg or the ‘Typing errors’? Does it mean that our leaders are so much weaned by politics such that they can only comment on anything that earns them political expediency that matters to do with the souls of poor men never evoke feelings in them?
Martha Karua is fighting a lone battle in trying to bring sense to the people, not just of Kirinyaga but in the entire country, that hate for hate can only increase the presence of hatred; that someone must have that moral obligation to stop that chain of hatred. What the people of Kirinyaga though are worried about is the silence of the other M.ps in the whole saga. Ndia M.p Njeru Githae is perhaps over the moon by his appointment as a minister to spare thoughts on how to bring sanity to the local people. Kariuki Ngata, the M.p for Kerugoya central does not even seem to know something is happening, as is his Mwea counterpart.
The civil society on the other hand has confirmed that it is just a conglomeration of individuals whose ultimate goal is power. It is obvious commenting on matters of deaths cannot increase popularity. I am yet to see any civil activist chaining himself to protest the deaths or engaging the police in running battles to press for increased security for Kenyans. But alas, the same groups would even contribute funds to go hoist a flag in Migingo.
The Mungiki issue requires us to be sober. We need to support the government to fight these gangs. The government on the other hand must be willing to be assisted. When we do so, we shall never regret in future and will not have a Sri Lanka with the Tamil Tigers or an Afghanistan with the Taliban. We all want to enjoy peace
