The Observer (Kampala)
Dismas Nkunda
31 January 2008
Addis Ababa — In an ideal world what happens at the African Union summit is most of the time pre-meditated, unless it is something dramatic. But knowing Africa, anything is possible. So that is why this 10th Summit of African Heads of State here in Addis Ababa will have to adjust.
Diplomatic flurry is one way to define what is happening here. The selected government of President Mwai Kibaki is on the offensive. They are trying everything in the diplomatic books to present themselves as legitimate. Yet all ears and eyes are on Kenya for obvious reasons.
Kenya's falling apart has made other conflicts on the continent look like chicken feed. Somalia and Darfur have now taken second stage.
Never in my life of attending this bi-annual event have I seen so many Kenyans. They came in droves; they are busy telling the world what has been in our purview for a month now. They have met whoever has weight on the continent to deliver their disquiet.
But even beneath this you get the feeling that Kenyans are divided even outside their country. One individual took to the podium and painted the glossiest picture about Kenya. He was mocked off the stage. He eloquently defended the government, saying the pictures we see on television about the dead and wounded were concoctions by international media meant to hurt the economy.
He said the dead bodies shown on TV around the world were taken from the main mortuaries in the country. He went on to say that no one had been killed in the post-election violence. Somehow he was cut short, told that if he continued his litany, he was going to be lynched. He fled for dear life.
So I asked other Kenyans where this particular individual came from. Without blinking they told me he was a Kibaki supporter. I asked how they knew that. The answer was chilling: "His name is Mwangi and he for sure is a Kikuyu". And what tribe are the others; "we are Luo," they said.
I attempt to ask them whether all Kikuyu supported Kibaki, considering that I know two Kenyans about to lose their lives for speaking against the election. Those are exceptions, I am told.
Indeed the head of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission, Maina Kiai, has been told in clear terms that he will be eliminated for the stance he has taken on the violence in Kenya. But for Maina, that has always been his life. He believes that truth is to be upheld at whatever cost, even if it's against your tribesmate. Yes, that cost that he is staring in the face right now.
As these maneuvers go on, you see a Kenya that is about to remind us of 1994 Rwanda. The road blocks manned by men with rungus and pangas, the anger in their eyes, the wanton killing without remorse, the seeking of one's identity before being let through the road block, and the targeting of individuals that seem to be better off than them, teaches us one thing; that our leaders will continue to lead us where they want; even to death as long as they remain in power.
Those dying in Kenya are not the politicians, they are not the rich, and they are simple people whose only mistake is to belong to a certain tribe and not the other. And when all is calm and normal, the leader Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki will remain the leaders of Kenya whether now or in future.
In this conflict there are things that one will always remember. As a kid I read virtually all books written by James Ngugi, a.k.a. Ngugi Wa Thiong. His narrations in books like 'The River Between' or 'A Grain of Wheat' spoke volumes about a country ruled by a few at the expense of the majority.
But now, in this year and age, Ngugi my hero has turned his course. He has joined those who think that the Luo wronged the Kikuyu and that Kibaki won the elections fairly. As I finished reading his expose on the conflict in Kenya, it suddenly occurred to me that reason which we all aspire to have and use, is an illusion, a mirage! For if Ngugi can turn on tribal sentiments to assuage a government that he knows is illegitimate, then for sure things are no longer at ease.
The author is a human rights expert and specialist on refugee issues.
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