We revisit the ongoing violent and deadly conflict in Tana River delta must and say it ought to be halted now rather than later.
The President and the Prime Minister must come out and assure Kenyans that no more life will be lost again because it is their constitutional duty.
Angry Kenyans are asking what is the President’s and the Prime Minister’s position on all these killings?
The people being slaughtered in Tana River County are Kenyans who pay taxes. The leadership must stop behaving in a selective manner when Kenyans are confronted by violence fueled by criminals.
Kenyans countrywide and in the Diaspora are furious that government apparatus have failed to stop the heinous killings of children, women, men and police officers.
A National Intelligence Service with a budget of Sh13.1 billion, Kenya Police with Sh24b, an Administration Police allocated Sh16.2b, and Kenya Defence Forces with Sh53b budget, all totaling Sh102 billion, no taxpayer should killed like a fly as is the case in Tana River. Why is the security sector in shambles?
The extent of devastation, loss of life, destruction of property and chilling bloodbath can’t be tolerated. Worse still, are reports that police officers have become easy targets of such callous criminal acts as a government of two principals and 42 Cabinet ministers watch helplessly.
Details from the ground speak of a police van with nine officers savagely attacked by the militias and set ablaze. This the single largest police deaths in independent Kenya at one go! Not even terror outfits have managed this scale of carnage.
President Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and their more than three dozen ministers cannot be allowed to sit back and watch criminal gangs ruling sections of the country as they enjoy security detail funded by taxpayers. This is not acceptable.
President Kibaki and PM Raila have portrayed an image of a unified Executive over time devoid of public differences. They must champion unity of all Kenyans.
The duo must unite all Kenyans as we inch towards the March 2013 General Election by the day. They must rally all political support and state machinery to neutralise ethnic animosities.
If the killing fields of Tana River Delta cannot prick the conscience of the nation’s leaders then this country is slowly gravitating towards being a banana republic. Kenyans want assurance that there will be no violence and a peaceful transition in 2013 when Kibaki retires. It must not be business as usual in Tana River delta. The window for reforms in the security sector is closing and must be addressed comprehensively.
The fact that the raids began at 5am Monday, and caught napping our well paid National Intelligence Service under Major General Michael Gichangi, Kenya Police under Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere, Administration Police under new beret Samuel Arachi, and GSU’s William Saiya leaves a lot to be desired. In short, they have all failed in their core constitutional duties.
The country cannot have security agencies, which cannot prevent violence. Reports of “instructions from above” in which police officers are not allowed to shoot and kill even when confronted by heavily armed criminals must be explained to the public.
Lay down pangas
Today, Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete starts a three-day visit of the country. What will be the bureaucrats be telling the honourable visitor? Remember he was here exhorting us to lay down the pangas in 2008! What lesson of unity will Kenyan leaders and citizens be borrowing from the good neighbour?
Kenya faced the biggest crisis in its post-independence history following the General Election in December 2007. The resultant violence then has similarities with what is going on in the Tana River Delta. The fault lines of post-election violence cannot be allowed to widen.
The Tana River County massacre points to lack of a coherent approach towards the illegal criminal gangs which sources says are patronised or allied to a section of political leaders.
There are reports of militias who have pitched camp the Tana Delta area and are enjoying political protection. Why this should happen in a civilised country remains unknown?
The violence exemplifies deepening impunity because there is no prosecution of low middle and high-level perpetrators. The sacking of a chief or arresting a handful youth and transfer of the Tana police boss, will not resolve the problem.
Traditionally, the two tribes have fought over pasture and stock theft. But in such cases there was no killing of women and innocent children. But now, even as USA is busy exploring the landscape in planet Mars, it is a blot on our integrity that people are still hacking each other over pasture, constituency boundaries and water points.
All must be reminded that Kenya like never before needs national unity, peace and harmony. The army of unemployed youth must be mobilised and ethnic animosity contained.
We remind the government of its obligation to prevent and protect persons against acts of hatred, incitement and ethnic violence or any form of violence. We urge government to expeditiously, thoroughly and impartially conduct credible investigation into the violence to bring to justice those responsible and provide redress to victims of violence.
