Just
as Nairobians were beginning to feel that the Somalia adventure of Mwai
Kibaki's government had finally been pushed to the fringes of the
country (surprisingly, Mombasa and the North Eastern region are fringe),
the nameless, faceless warriors of, presumably, al Shabaab
struck once again, detonating an explosive device at a Nairobi landmark,
Assanand's House on Moi Avenue, injuring dozens of innocents.
Predictably, senior members of Mwai Kibaki's government, including
posturing presidential candidates, did not wait long enough for the
smoke to be cleared and the injured to be removed to hospital before
they were, rather crudely, shoving the milling public aside so that they
could get their opportunity before the TV cameras-and-microphones. Led
by the Prime Minister, ODM's Raila Odinga, the politicians excelled at
what they are good at: confusing the public and speaking at
cross-purposes.
While Mr Odinga condemned unnamed terrorists, Internal Security's George Saitoti of PNU and his assistant Orwa Ojode of Raila Odinga's ODM were appealing to the public not to jump to conclusions until the security and intelligence agencies had sufficient information to make a public statement. The Commissioner of Police publicly speculated on the possibility of an electrical malfunction, speculation that was swiftly discredited by Kenya Power. Indeed, for the first time in a very long time, the City Council's fire brigade response was swift and effective, the fire being doused within minutes and the injured swiftly evacuated. The Kenya Police and Administration Police, quite obviously and rather surprisingly, still have not cue as to proper crowd management; TV images of a plainclothes officer losing his temper as he attempted to clear the blast scene of onlookers laid his lack of preparation or training bare for all to see.
Since the Kenya government decided on "hot pursuing" al Shabaab in late 2011, the police and intelligence agencies have warned of increased terror attacks against the civilian population, events that are now occurring with increasing rapidity. It was only a week ago that there were two other grenade attacks in different parts of the country. These tow followed brutal attacks at the Coast when a Christian gathering was grenaded too. What boggles the mind is the apparently fatalistic attitude Kenyans have adopted in the face of continued al Shabaab atrocities. many now bristle at the idea that they should be searched for weapons when entering public places or venues or vehicles. many will rush to scenes of emergencies whether or not they have the capacity or training to assist in managing the situation. In yesterday's attacks, if there had been secondary explosions the casualties would have been greater than the few dozens that were hospitalised.
There must be a special place in hell for the political class of Kenya and the bootlicking members of the press who slavishly follow and report on their every move. Nothing but an Act of the Almighty Himself, it seems, will prevent Kenya's army of news editors from headlining their news reports with the goings-on of the political class. Even yesterday, while there were Kenyans bleeding, and possibly dying, in hospital, nothing would distract the Fourth Estate from dwelling at length on the ICC Four, Musalia Mudavadi's and Raila Odinga's battle for western Kenya votes or the fact that William ruto is apparently feeling left out after Uhuru Kenyatta's rather spectacular coming out party for TNA. Now it is being whispered in dark places that the instability in Kenya is a ploy to delay the elections for at least two years by which time the ICC Trials will have been dealt with.
In our continued obsession with whether Raila Odinga's march to State House will be stymied by the combined efforts of Uhuru Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto and Kalonzo Musyoka, all one-time KANU die-hards, we continue missing opportunities to consider the kind of nation the Constitution mandates for us. Despite the lofty aims of the social security provisions of the Constitution, because of their plurality and complexity, it is almost certain that none of them will be attained; those new social rights created by the Constitution will remain words on paper until we wrench our attention away from the preening prima donnas that are Kenya's political elite. For a class that has shown time and again that it is incapable of managing the affairs of state without dipping their greasy fingers in the till; that it cannot manage a crisis without stomping all over the evidence; that it will only unite the people in loathing them; our continued indulgence is becoming an expensive affair. If you do not think so, remember that even Mutula Kilonzo, a hard-eyed capitalist no less, warned that if Treasury refuses to release the Free Primary Education funds, he would go to Parliament and demand that they forego their Ksh. 3.6 billion gratuity so that it could be put towards education "Kenya's future".
While Mr Odinga condemned unnamed terrorists, Internal Security's George Saitoti of PNU and his assistant Orwa Ojode of Raila Odinga's ODM were appealing to the public not to jump to conclusions until the security and intelligence agencies had sufficient information to make a public statement. The Commissioner of Police publicly speculated on the possibility of an electrical malfunction, speculation that was swiftly discredited by Kenya Power. Indeed, for the first time in a very long time, the City Council's fire brigade response was swift and effective, the fire being doused within minutes and the injured swiftly evacuated. The Kenya Police and Administration Police, quite obviously and rather surprisingly, still have not cue as to proper crowd management; TV images of a plainclothes officer losing his temper as he attempted to clear the blast scene of onlookers laid his lack of preparation or training bare for all to see.
Since the Kenya government decided on "hot pursuing" al Shabaab in late 2011, the police and intelligence agencies have warned of increased terror attacks against the civilian population, events that are now occurring with increasing rapidity. It was only a week ago that there were two other grenade attacks in different parts of the country. These tow followed brutal attacks at the Coast when a Christian gathering was grenaded too. What boggles the mind is the apparently fatalistic attitude Kenyans have adopted in the face of continued al Shabaab atrocities. many now bristle at the idea that they should be searched for weapons when entering public places or venues or vehicles. many will rush to scenes of emergencies whether or not they have the capacity or training to assist in managing the situation. In yesterday's attacks, if there had been secondary explosions the casualties would have been greater than the few dozens that were hospitalised.
There must be a special place in hell for the political class of Kenya and the bootlicking members of the press who slavishly follow and report on their every move. Nothing but an Act of the Almighty Himself, it seems, will prevent Kenya's army of news editors from headlining their news reports with the goings-on of the political class. Even yesterday, while there were Kenyans bleeding, and possibly dying, in hospital, nothing would distract the Fourth Estate from dwelling at length on the ICC Four, Musalia Mudavadi's and Raila Odinga's battle for western Kenya votes or the fact that William ruto is apparently feeling left out after Uhuru Kenyatta's rather spectacular coming out party for TNA. Now it is being whispered in dark places that the instability in Kenya is a ploy to delay the elections for at least two years by which time the ICC Trials will have been dealt with.
In our continued obsession with whether Raila Odinga's march to State House will be stymied by the combined efforts of Uhuru Kenyatta, Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto and Kalonzo Musyoka, all one-time KANU die-hards, we continue missing opportunities to consider the kind of nation the Constitution mandates for us. Despite the lofty aims of the social security provisions of the Constitution, because of their plurality and complexity, it is almost certain that none of them will be attained; those new social rights created by the Constitution will remain words on paper until we wrench our attention away from the preening prima donnas that are Kenya's political elite. For a class that has shown time and again that it is incapable of managing the affairs of state without dipping their greasy fingers in the till; that it cannot manage a crisis without stomping all over the evidence; that it will only unite the people in loathing them; our continued indulgence is becoming an expensive affair. If you do not think so, remember that even Mutula Kilonzo, a hard-eyed capitalist no less, warned that if Treasury refuses to release the Free Primary Education funds, he would go to Parliament and demand that they forego their Ksh. 3.6 billion gratuity so that it could be put towards education "Kenya's future".
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