Mind Boggling
By Njeri Mucheru-Oyatta
Chapter 83
In a situation like the one Kenya is experiencing today, text messages are both an asset and a liability. Everyone is thirsting for information about what the media are not telling us. Text messages help in providing hidden information but at the same time, the information is not reassuring, it is scary.
We live in fear. Our future is uncertain no matter all the reassurances we get from our leaders telling us that ‘things are back to normal’. No agreement has been reached between the enemy camps of President Kibaki and Honourable Raila Odinga. The ODM Party has called on Kenyans to engage in mass protests from Wednesday to Friday this week throughout the country. In the absence of an agreement between these two groups, peace is a dream and soon it might become a fantasy.
People in Nyanza province fear, as stated in a text message, that President Museveni of Uganda is organizing to send his army into the province to revenge for the Kikuyu blood that has been poured because he supports President Kibaki.
I met a friend of mine who told me that the Kikuyu business people are fund raising for an army of ‘mungiki’ (a predominantly Kikuyu gang of murderous rogues) to fight against their enemy tribes. As if to prove my friend right, I saw a text message that read as follows:- “House of Mumbi (the Kikuyu), they killed hundreds of our people, we didn’t retaliate, we knew they were very angry. But their new call to mass action means kill more Kikuyus in Rift and Nyanza. If Kibaki stole votes, he was not with us so why are we being killed? We say, no more innocent Kikuyu blood will be shed. We will slaughter them right here in the capital city. For justice, compile a list of all luos and kaleos you know at work, your estate, anywhere in Nairobi, plus where and how their children go to school. We will give you numbers to text this info. If they don’t kill our people anymore, there will be peace but any more Kikuyu blood will be avenged, drop for drop, in the name of Dedan Kimathi.”
Even the reality is scary.
One of my staff could not report back to work last week because she had traveled upcountry and passenger vehicles require police escort for fear of attack by thugs who may want to kill some of the passengers or even the driver or just rob them. Driving out of Nairobi has become a dare devil stunt.
I have been told by a reliable source that leaflets are being circulated in certain areas directing Kikuyus and their related tribes (Merus, Embus and Kambas) to leave within a certain period or face death.
Our police heads tell us everything is alright. That we should not listen to claims about the revival of the ‘mungiki’ and we should not believe any text messages we receive.
I don’t feel reassured by the words of our police heads but what choice have I got? If I don’t ignore these threats, how can I get on with my life?
Our leaders are completely out of touch with the reality on the ground. It is time that Kenyans by and large come to a realization that our leaders are not part of us. The only real division that exists in Kenya is between THE LEADERS AND THE LED. What Kenyans need to protest against and take to the streets against is irresponsible leadership.
I am experiencing a true test of my faith in God. I have to keep reminding myself that God is in control and God knows my needs and He will take care of me and mine.
Dear God, if ever Kenya needed a miracle, now is the time. Please Lord, HELP US.
Chapter 83
In a situation like the one Kenya is experiencing today, text messages are both an asset and a liability. Everyone is thirsting for information about what the media are not telling us. Text messages help in providing hidden information but at the same time, the information is not reassuring, it is scary.
We live in fear. Our future is uncertain no matter all the reassurances we get from our leaders telling us that ‘things are back to normal’. No agreement has been reached between the enemy camps of President Kibaki and Honourable Raila Odinga. The ODM Party has called on Kenyans to engage in mass protests from Wednesday to Friday this week throughout the country. In the absence of an agreement between these two groups, peace is a dream and soon it might become a fantasy.
People in Nyanza province fear, as stated in a text message, that President Museveni of Uganda is organizing to send his army into the province to revenge for the Kikuyu blood that has been poured because he supports President Kibaki.
I met a friend of mine who told me that the Kikuyu business people are fund raising for an army of ‘mungiki’ (a predominantly Kikuyu gang of murderous rogues) to fight against their enemy tribes. As if to prove my friend right, I saw a text message that read as follows:- “House of Mumbi (the Kikuyu), they killed hundreds of our people, we didn’t retaliate, we knew they were very angry. But their new call to mass action means kill more Kikuyus in Rift and Nyanza. If Kibaki stole votes, he was not with us so why are we being killed? We say, no more innocent Kikuyu blood will be shed. We will slaughter them right here in the capital city. For justice, compile a list of all luos and kaleos you know at work, your estate, anywhere in Nairobi, plus where and how their children go to school. We will give you numbers to text this info. If they don’t kill our people anymore, there will be peace but any more Kikuyu blood will be avenged, drop for drop, in the name of Dedan Kimathi.”
Even the reality is scary.
One of my staff could not report back to work last week because she had traveled upcountry and passenger vehicles require police escort for fear of attack by thugs who may want to kill some of the passengers or even the driver or just rob them. Driving out of Nairobi has become a dare devil stunt.
I have been told by a reliable source that leaflets are being circulated in certain areas directing Kikuyus and their related tribes (Merus, Embus and Kambas) to leave within a certain period or face death.
Our police heads tell us everything is alright. That we should not listen to claims about the revival of the ‘mungiki’ and we should not believe any text messages we receive.
I don’t feel reassured by the words of our police heads but what choice have I got? If I don’t ignore these threats, how can I get on with my life?
Our leaders are completely out of touch with the reality on the ground. It is time that Kenyans by and large come to a realization that our leaders are not part of us. The only real division that exists in Kenya is between THE LEADERS AND THE LED. What Kenyans need to protest against and take to the streets against is irresponsible leadership.
I am experiencing a true test of my faith in God. I have to keep reminding myself that God is in control and God knows my needs and He will take care of me and mine.
Dear God, if ever Kenya needed a miracle, now is the time. Please Lord, HELP US.
4 comments:
God says that let all vengeance be his. He is a just and fair God. Resulting to violence against a fellow Kenyan will only earn us a curse. (Gen.4: 10-12 "...the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath openend her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth."
Gen 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man."
Ted, good one. Let us pray for the killers that they may be forgiven for they know not what they are doing.
Njeri, don't you think you inadvertently promote the spread of these divisive text message by highlighting them especially in full in your blog.
Nash, I see what you might be thinking but I am not the author of the message I published. It is one I received and publishing it is intended to demonstrate what an ordinary Kenyan like me is having to live with. My point is that the advise of the police to ignore such a message is not reassuring but I have to anyway. And so should we all. Without an example of what we are being asked to ignore, my point would be missed.
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