Political leaders are playing with fire

Since Mungiki and MRC criminal gangs found new courage and emerged from their hiding into our print and electronic media headlines, the threats against our national security have increased.

Along with these two internal threats is Al-Shabaab who after making Somalia ungovernable started spreading their tentacles into Kenya. This forced the government to deploy Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia where they remain engaged.

It concerns me deeply that a few misguided Imams have become enemy agents. We have credible intelligence that in their criminally inclined summons, they have been betraying the cause of the republic by calling upon the youth in their congregations to fight against their motherland, deliberately misrepresenting such betrayal of their country as a holy war.

Consequently, we have experienced actions of murder and violent attacks on law enforcement officers and other innocent people.

However, the most perturbing aspect is the conduct of our politicians whose actions and reactions on grave matters of national security remain precariously unpredictable.

Cycle of murder

Lets us briefly examine what is known about Mungiki. Between 2005 and 2007, Mungiki operated a vicious cycle of murder, violent robbery and extortion in many areas including Molo, Nakuru, Nairobi and the entire Central Province.

By using the kind of terror reminiscent of ancient savage human sacrifices, Mungiki treated the country to butchered human heads pegged onto their owner’s gates, skinned four-year-olds and mass murder of villagers answering a distress call from a neighbour.

They allocated themselves an income from poor peasant farmers, landlords in the lower income areas of towns and cities and public service vehicles.
To keep their subjects seized in terror, they engaged in forced female genital mutilation and showed little respect for any religious belief save their own concoction which was being sold as Kikuyu traditional way of worship.

By the way, there was nothing Kikuyu or traditional about their oaths. Their much touted oath was actually a savage declaration that the adherent will serve their leader and take all his orders (to be recognised as an anointed representative of God) – including orders to slaughter a human being when called upon.

The oath also included an irrevocable pledge to surrender all earnings to their leader for redistribution.

In return, a candidate was promised protection from the same savagery they had sworn themselves to. This is purely use of terror to indoctrinate the worst type of criminals.

When it comes to MRC, the police service is investigating several brazen criminal acts committed in broad daylight. They include assault, grievous harm, and robbery with violence and obstruction to police officers on duty.

The crimes include robbery of a police firearm and sabotage of the most sacred democratic right – the right to choose whom and how to be governed through voting.

Remember the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is a constitutional body whose principle responsibility is to safeguard universal suffrage: the greatest pillar of democracy.

Pubic utterances

Whereas I must credit our politicians for the times they have been sincere and called a spade a spade, at other times their public utterances beat every effort at logic.

Our current Constitution is so liberal that it has legalised free political activity anyone can think about.