Drums of violence in Kenya are beating, CJ Willy Mutunga and church warn

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and Swedish Ambassador Johan Borgstam Swedish launch the Democracy and Human Rights Programme at Intercontinental Hotel Friday. The programme seeks to improve access to justice. [PHOTO: EDWARD KIPLIMO/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Politicians, religious and civil society leaders have warned that the country could be thrown into violent conflict of the 2007-2008 post-election violence magnitude if runaway corruption is not tamed.

Speaking at The Hotel Intercontinental in Nairobi, Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga warned that the country needs an urgent intervention to deal with the myriad of grave challenges it was facing.

“I have said in public that the country is dancing on a precipice and it may flip over. The economic, social, cultural and political problems we face are worsened by a never-ending political crisis in the country,” the CJ said.

And in Nyakach, Kisumu County, CORD co-principal Raila Odinga accused the Jubilee Government of infiltrating independent institutions and interfering with their work.

Speaking at Urudi Village in Nyakach, during the installation of Omolo Kanyamala as Nyakach branch chairman of the Luo Council of elders, Raila singled out the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for allegedly being compromised by the Executive.

He expressed his displeasure that the EACC did not hold to account Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru over the loss of millions in her ministry and instead made recommendations for the overhaul of the National Youth Service (NYS).

Raila said: “Waiguru should not be overseeing operations at the ministry because she is a suspect.”

Ghai and the National Council of Churches led by Canon Peter Karanja.

National Council of Churches of Kenya General Secretary Rev Peter Karanja took a swipe at corruption in the national and county governments. “In my view, this rot must be dealt with by all. The threat of corruption remains high as long as those accused of corruption go unpunished,” he said, adding that “President Uhuru Kenyatta must now take the lead, the citizenry must demand greater accountability, the civil society and media must play their watchdog role as independent institutions to ruthlessly act on fiscal indiscipline”.

Former Constitution of Kenya Review Commission Chairman Prof Yash Pal Yash Pal Ghai said the political space in Kenya had diminished, citing brutality by security agents.

LAND GRABBING

Prof Ghai also raised concerns over heightened corruption in both levels of government, adding that land grabbing by senior government officials had also soured.

Addressing journalists in Kisumu, Minority Chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo said he would seek to push for a new law law to place a cap on lending rates to save Kenyans from the spiraling inflation. Mutunga warned that high-level corruption, ethnic animosity, political tension and the poor state of the economy could throw Kenya into civil conflict.

Speaking in Nairobi yesterday, the leaders said the country risked another round of deadly political violence as the 2017 elections approach.

They said all the ingredients that sparked violence eight years ago are evident today, and if left unaddressed, Kenya would “flip over”.

The Chief Justice, the General Secretary of the National Council for the Churches of Kenya, Canon Peter Karanja, and constitutional law scholar Yash Pal Ghai said the runaway corruption in the counties, the economic turmoil, political tensions and negative ethnicity could plunge the country into violence.

Speaking at Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi, Dr Mutunga said: “I have said in public that the country is dancing on a precipice and it may flip over.”

The Supreme Court president went on: “The economic, social, cultural and political problems we face are worsened by a never-ending political crisis in the country. Our elites do not seem to have a consensus on what is in the national interest and how to build our state and nation under the Constitution.”

According to the Chief Justice, the country’s politicians have worsened the difficult economic situation the nation is facing through an unending political crisis.

“As we approach the elections, the drums of possible violence are being heard by all of us,” Mutunga said.

The CJ was speaking during the launch of the Democracy and Human Rights Programme sponsored by the Swedish Government. He said the country has 30 months to fix the problems before the next elections and asked the civil society to step up the push for national cohesion and civic education on human rights and democracy.

The Swedish government has allocated Sh525 million for the Democracy and Human Rights Programme that is being coordinated by Diakonia, a Swedish faith-based organisation that champions for a just, equal and sustainable word, and will incorporate 12 local non-governmental organisations.

Swedish Ambassador to Kenya Johan Borgstam said his government is committed to supporting civil society, saying the funding would help to run the programme for the next two years.

Dr Mutunga said the Judiciary will support the programme and requested that the 12 organisations participate in promoting peace in the country.

“I would like to humbly suggest that the 12 organisations that have been brought together under this programme constitute themselves into a social movement – call it Kenyans for the implementation of the 2010 Constitution – and become a beacon for other movements that want a united, democratic, peaceful and progressive country,” he said.

Prof Ghai blamed the government over what he claimed to be lack of commitment in promoting human rights, saying there is an increasing tendency of the government using police to teargas protesters.

Ghai said poverty is still a major challenge in Kenya with majority of the population unable to afford basic needs.

“We are not a free country, demonstrators are not given space. We are driven by police into coercion,” Ghai said, adding that the country needs to move from coercion to consent.

RAMPANT CORRUPTION

He observed that Kenya is more riddled by “class” and not ethnicity since the gap between the rich and the poor has continued to expand.

Rev Karanja said the counties have displayed utmost disregard to the needs of the electorate by wasting resources on benchmarking trips that do not add value to the common mwananchi.

“In the last two years, Kenyans have been treated to utter display of petty power plays; clamour for and display of power, rampant corruption, misuse of public resources and infighting between county assemblies and county executives,” said Rev Karanja.

He said the infighting has made governors and the executive vulnerable to manipulation by Members of County Assemblies (MCAs).
He claimed that close to 30 per cent of Kenya’s budget was being embezzled in the both levels of government.

Karanja said President Uhuru Kenyatta must now “lead the pack, the citizenry must demand greater accountability, the civil society and media must play their watchdog role as independent institutions to ruthlessly act on fiscal indiscipline”.

He said the situation was dire that even independent bodies playing watchdog roles are not spared.

“Our news is now full of financial impropriety. Key institutions such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Judiciary, Parliament and Executive have been implicated,” he went on.