Two killed in day of glory, utter shame for country

On the day tenacious Kenyan athletes were asserting Kenya’s pride to the world in London, local politicians were underlining their incorrigible appetite for violent approach to political mobilisation.

The glistening glory won in London by the sweat of Brigid Kosgey’s brow was fouled by the violent death of two people following Deputy President William Ruto’s chaotic entry into Kenol, a sleepy market centre in the outskirts of Thika.

It is the conundrum that defines the Kenyan identity; hardworking citizens on one end who toil all day long to bring honor to their country and families, and another lot of conceited leadership whose obsession with power justifies every means of accessing it, including loss of lives.

In the latter, ordinary men and women become pawns in a larger game that adds little value to their individual fortunes, except tears and sometimes, like yesterday, death. The shame in Murang’a began to load at the time the race for glory in London was beginning. As the country took to TV screens to watch the marathon, a group of youths landed in Kenol, burning tyres and occasioning a deadly clash.

Stern warning

In the end, both sides of the Pro-DP and anti-DP groups traded blames, with their only point of convergence being that the chaos was sponsored by their kind. Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai would later condemn the violence and issue a stern warning.

“I have instructed the Director of Internal Affairs and two senior Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officers to carry out investigations into the matter and bring the perpetrators to book. We urge politicians to desist from engaging in inciting utterances and acts,” he said.

The violence was inevitably choreographed. One of the youth, Mwangi Kamau, said they were brought from Kiandutu and Weteithie areas near Thika town with a promise of Sh1,000.

“Majority of us did not understand the nature of the assignment before us,” said Kamau, of the events.

Of the two youths killed, one was mobbed by the rival side while the circumstances around the killing of the other remained unclear by last evening. The DP’s entry was delayed for hours as police battled with the youth perceived to have been behind the chaos that caused the destruction of property. Ruto used the Kenol-Sagana route to access the church, as police sealed Murang’a-Kenol road.

At some point, police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the youth while at the same time daring clergy and the faithful to get out of the church. The faithful resisted and more teargas was rained inside, as the DP’s motorcade advanced.

David Njoroge and his wife Mary Wanjiru fell victims of the chaos after their wedding ceremony was disrupted. As the ceremony was being concluded, three teargas canisters fell before them as they signed their marriage certificate.

This happened as Gatanga AIPCA, as Bishop Stephen Ng’ang’a prepared to deliver a sermon, awaiting the DP to preside over a harambee to complete a church project.

“It is regrettable that this could happen inside a church,” said the clerick.

Calm only returned after the DP entered, and police regrouped themselves 100 metres away. Only the DP’s guards, entourage and faithful were allowed into the church in the four-hour service that was concluded with a fundraising.

When he spoke, Ruto castigated leaders who he said instigated the chaos, describing them as people driven by personal agenda and playing retrogressive politics. He also asked police and Provincial Administration to restrain from being misused by their seniors for political interests.

“Those who sponsored the chaos went against the principles of the government founded on the religion foundation,” the DP, accompanied by more than 30 MPs, said.

But Mathioya MP Peter Kimari blamed chaos on two local MPs allied to the DP while calling for in-depth investigation.

Bad intentions

“It was a choreographed episode by the Ruto team to prove their bad intentions. The youth were transported from Kiambu County,” he said, adding that Kenol was far from his Mathioya Constituency.

The leaders that accompanying the DP condemned the violence. Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen blamed the chaos on the implosion within Jubilee Party while Mathira MP Rigathe Gachagua said Mt Kenya region should stand united and shun divisive politics.

Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege distanced herself from the chaos, and claimed that the organisers of the function imported goons themselves.

“They stage-managed it to bring hooligans then they blame it on me,” she said.