Kibaki speaks out against local militias

President Mwai Kibaki inspects the Guard of Honour parade during the Kenyatta day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, October 20, 2009. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI

The government will not allow militias to rearm themselves and unleash terror in any part of the country, President Kibaki has warned.

The Head of State challenged Kenyans to help identify and arrest militias by reporting them to security forces.

In both his official and off-the-cuff speeches as the nation observed the 46th Kenyatta Day, President Kibaki strongly spoke against arms buying in parts of the country.

“Let us all discourage arms buying in families and our villages, and let us report any arms merchants and dealers to the security forces,” said the President.

The President noted that the responsibility of ensuring security to Kenyans lies both with the government and wananchi themselves and urged the public to play its role in the fight against insecurity.

“Citizens cannot arm themselves, raid their neighbours, kill and maim others, and then accuse the Government of not providing security. Nor can citizens harbour known criminals and criminal gangs, protect them as community members, and then complain of extortion, murder and other serious crimes,” he observed.

He challenged all Kenyans to identify and report all criminals in their midst to the police while refraining individually or collectively from “protecting or condoning organised crimes and criminal gangs in their midst.”

The head of state revisited the matter in his off-the-cuff speech delivered in Kiswahili, warning that the government will not allow citizens to get intimidated by warmongers;

“Kuna watu wengine wanaotaka wananchi kuogopa, ha hiyo hatutaruhusu. Lakini wewe vilevile usije ukaogopa,” he urged.

President Kibaki appeared to be responding to reports that communities were re-arming themselves in parts of Rift Valley province in readiness for a fresh wave of ethnic violence in the area.

In parts of the North Rift, where ethnic violence was at its worst following the disputed 2007 presidential election, some residents expressed fears that renewed violence could occur if the government hands over the Waki List containing the names of suspects to be tried by the International Criminal Courts (ICC) in the Hague for their role in the post election violence.

The list is said to contain the names of at least four cabinet ministers believed to bear great responsibility for the violence.

The ICC chief prosecutor, Louis Moreno Ocampo is expected in the country in the next two weeks for talks with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga ahead of the trials.

Chief mediator Kofi Annan took up the reports with top government officials during his recent visit to the country, but was told that there was no large scale rearmament of militia.

The government officials however told Mr Annan that there had been an “increased level of criminality in parts of the country and it is being dealt with”.

This led the former United Nations Secretary General to advise people living in the Rift Valley against turning on each other because neither the ICC nor a local tribunal would try communities but individuals responsible for the post election violence.

“There should be no bad attitude between communities living in Rift Valley. A local tribunal or Hague will not in any way try communities but individuals,” he told reporters.

The president also dwelt on the need to end the culture of impunity, stating that the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) chaired by career diplomat Bethuel Kiplagat had been set up to promote national healing and reconciliation as well as tackling impunity.
“The Commission will help our nation and people to deal decisively with past injustices, so that we can move forward as a united and cohesive Kenya,” he explained.
He further added that the government had also set up a new body to create laws that will criminalize hate speech, ethnic profiling and discrimination along ethnic lines which helped fuel the post election violence.
“We know that old habits of ethnic, racial, sexual, and religious stereotypes take a long time to wither,” he however noted.