Lately it seems as though we are operating on auto-pilot. And the last few days have been something akin to the Biblical Armageddon. There appears to be no form of accountable leadership. Everyone is doing whatever they think is right in their eyes. Unfortunately the poor masses bear the brunt.
The government under Jubilee has allowed the riot police to have a field day with the National Super Alliance (NASA) protestors. No rules are applied. Demos are quelled by excessive teargas and bullets; it doesn’t matter if we are chocking the lungs of little ones in kindergarten or leaving them with bullet wounds or dropping their fathers’ dead, it’s all about show of force.
NASA demonstrators on the other hand went on a looting spree forcing many businesses to remain shut for fear of vandalism. Like the Jubilee government’s unwillingness to control the riot police, NASA appears unwilling to control their demonstrators. However, the math here is complicated by the infamous Nairobi Business Community which NASA now claims are the ones making their demos chaotic.
If you thought the police threw caution to the wind then you probably didn’t hear about the president’s Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua’s memo to all Principal Secretaries (PSs). He asked each PS to provide a vehicle (preferably an SUV) for the ongoing Jubilee campaigns. This is a high ranking government official ordering others to break the law with impunity.
Everyone is saying follow the rule of law; only no one is interested. To that end business man Jimmy Wanjigi found himself in hot soup after the government laid siege in his home over tramped up charges in complete violation of a court order. The Inspector General of Police and Minister of Interior who were both served by the court order did not care about being in contempt of court.
And while we are still on the Interior minister, he’s reported on the local papers as having asked a militia group in Kisii (Chinkororo) to deal with anyone who tries to interfere with elections scheduled for 26thOctober and that he will ask the police to, “Look the other way!”
It’s unbelievable the stuff leaders in the country are saying. Worse still, even independent bodies that could have helped restore confidence are themselves thrown their oath of office off the window and serving interests of their political masters going by the drama unfolding at the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
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