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Kenya: Kibaki Accepts Inquiry Into Poll Fraud

Tabu Butagira, Mercy Nalugo & Agnes Nandutu

8 February 2008

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Kampala — THE Kenyan government has invited international bodies to independently investigate the ongoing bloodletting in the country and ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted for "crimes against humanity".

In a pre-recorded interview that was due to be aired on 93.3 KFM Hot Seat programme last evening, Dr Alfred Mutua, the Spokesman of the Kenyan government, accused leaders of the Opposition Orange Democratic Movement of "planning, financing and executing systematic post-election ethnic cleansing", mainly in the Rift Valley area.

Mr Mutua cited the January 24 Human Rights Watch report which indicated that ODM officials planned several community attacks against other tribes, especially local Kikuyu populations, in and around Eldoret town.

"We would like an international inquiry so that any atrocities committed are accounted for...the blood of the innocent citizens that has been spilled cannot be in vain and the perpetrators need to be taken to the International Criminal Court," he said.

Mr Mutua repeatedly accused the Raila Odinga-led ODM party officials of fomenting trouble in the country that has been considered in its post-independence era as relatively more peaceful and prosperous than its fragile neighbours like Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo.

"Democracy is about disagreeing to agree but not using violence. This (post-election tribal aggression) was clearly premeditated by groups of ODM officials to unleash ethnic violence and get to power through the backdoor," Mr Mutua charged.

He added: "Nothing justifies violence of burning shops, raping women and killing people or blocking (trans-boundary) highways".

He said the Kenyan government had obtained incriminating evidence against top ODM officials he did not name, many of who allegedly mobilised and sent out killer youth squads with colour paints to delineate homesteads owned by Kikuyu and Kisii ethnic groups before returning to butcher them at night.

As Mr Mutua struggled to demonise ODM leaders and spruce up the sullied image of President Mwai Kibaki's government, Ugandan Opposition lawmakers yesterday demanded an express withdrawal of President Yoweri Museveni's hasty congratulatory message to President Kibaki.

But Mr Adolf Mwesige, the minister of general duties in the Prime Minister's Office, said on behalf of his Foreign Affairs counterpart Sam Kuteesa that Uganda would "stand by the people of Kenya in their hour of need".

As chair of the East African Community, Mr Museveni was scheduled to fly to Nairobi this morning for the extra-ordinary summit of EAC member states that is widely expected to discuss the bloody meltdown in Kenya besides other regional concerns.

Alongside the ongoing mediation efforts of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, the meeting of the regional leaders is expected to generate concrete proposals on how to end the mayhem in Kenya that is already hurting economies of inland neighbours.

In a statement to Parliament yesterday, minister Mwesige reiterated government's denial that no Ugandan troops had been deployed to prop up Mr Kibaki's messy victory as alleged by ODM leaders early last month.

"All such speculations are absolute falsehoods (and) let the press and political leaders desist from making inflammatory and reckless statements likely to worsen the situation in Kenya, negatively affect our (bilateral) relations and put our nationals (in Kenya) in harm's way," Mr Mwesige said.

There have been media reports in the past fortnight that wayward Kenyan demonstrators from the Indian Ocean coast to Malaba on the country's western flank were targeting Ugandans and their vehicles for destruction in the violence that has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives and displaced another 304, 000 Kenyans.

Minister Mwesige, however, said Uganda enjoys "excellent bilateral and regional relations" with the government and peoples of Kenya and will do all it can to ensure peace in the region.

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