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Kenya: Leaders Defend Mungiki
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
7 May 2008
Posted to the web 7 May 2008
Antony Gitonga
Nairobi
Three former legislators have criticised the Government for using "extra judicial" killings on members of the outlawed Mungiki sect.
The politicians from Nyandarua and Naivasha districts called on leaders from Central Kenya to come out in the open and defend the youths.
They accused the police of targeting young people from the region in the fight against the proscribed sect.
The former MPs, Mr Waithaka Mwangi (Kinangop), Mrs Jayne Kihara (Naivasha), and Mr James Kabingu Muregi (Kipipiri), blamed the police for the recent deaths of some officials of the sect, including that of Virginia Nyakio, wife of the jailed group leader, Maina Njenga.
Mwangi, a lawyer, questioned the criteria of identifying members of the sect, accusing the police of being trigger-happy.
"It is time every leader in Central Kenya stood up and defended our sons and brothers as they face elimination from trigger-happy police officers," said Mwangi.
He said elders from Central Kenya were ready to talk to the sect members to change their wayward character.
Kihara termed the killings senseless and called for an immediate stop.
"We are attending burials of innocent youths every week and it is sad to see that those killed are people whose only crime is that they were jobless," she said.
Muregi said members of the Gema community had promised to defend the sect members.
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The former Minister for Livestock Development called for the disbandment of the Kwe Kwe Squad, which he accused of killing innocent youth.
The leaders welcomed the decision by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to call for dialogue with members of the sect.
"We are ready to talk to them as they are our sons and daughters and we congratulate the Prime Minister, who has seen the need to dialogue," said Kihara.
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