Return of leaflet authors should worry all Kenyans of goodwill

Some of the hate leaflets that have been circulated at Shaabab, Kaptebwa, Naivasha and Njoro in Nakuru County. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Deputy President William Ruto seems to have trodden on too many toes in his dealings with senior members of his community who expected a bountiful harvest for being in government.
  • Already the Jubilee government has been accused of giving plum jobs to two communities and sidelining the rest. \
  • Not only are the usual suspects fomenting a rebellion against Mr Ruto for purposes of political supremacy, they are also playing a very dangerous tribal game to get their way during the forthcoming elections.

A few years back, anonymous leaflets laced with venomous hatred against perceived political “enemies” had become a fad in this country.

In most cases, judging from the language used, they were authored by fairly educated people, and commissioned by fellows with deep pockets. The consequences turned out to be lethal for those targeted.

Such leaflets were always a precursor to violence between communities that had co-existed peacefully for generations, violence that eventually climaxed after the 2007 general election results were announced.

The fact that those who used such means to foment ethnic conflict every election year were never punished meant that it remained one of the most efficacious weapons of mass incitement they knew.

Many villains find refuge in anonymity. The reason why social media has become so misused and feared is that anyone can say anything against his or her enemy, however untrue, and get away with it.

There is great comfort in what is known as “plausible deniability”; that unless you are foolish enough to get caught red-handed, you can always deny culpability though everyone knows you did it. That seems to be the operating principle when people pen vitriolic leaflets and liberally distribute them in the streets.

Take, for instance, what has been reported in the media this week. I have not come across any of the leaflets said to have been distributed in Eldoret town and so I don’t know the content first-hand.

But those things are said to be attacking Deputy President William Ruto for failing to protect senior jobs held by members of his ethnic community. They allege that he watched helplessly as 15 members of “his people” were sacked by the Jubilee government.

REMOVED FROM OFFICE

However, as far as I can tell, the authors have not bothered to explain why each of these individuals was removed from office. They do not say that some were sacked for incompetence, while others are in trouble over corruption.

My conclusion is that the attack on the DP is two-pronged. First, he seems to have trodden on too many toes in his dealings with senior members of his community who expected a bountiful harvest for being in government.

This sense of entitlement has some history and Kenyans are not too blind to see where it comes from.

But the salient point is that this country is made up of 42 tribes. Already the Jubilee government has been accused of giving plum jobs to two communities and sidelining the rest.

What justification would there be for tolerating blatant abuse of office, theft or graft because the suspects belong to the ruling elite? How many people from other communities have been sacked for lesser transgressions?

Secondly, it is possible the missiles are probably just aimed at Mr Ruto because of his ambition, but if they embolden the plotters to release other leaflets telling “certain communities” they are no longer welcome in Rift Valley, Kenya is in trouble. This has happened before and we all know the outcome.

My take is that not only are the usual suspects fomenting a rebellion against Mr Ruto for purposes of political supremacy — they want to supplant him as the regional political kingpin — they are also playing a very dangerous tribal game to get their way during the forthcoming elections.

My plea to the authorities is not to take this matter lightly. A bushfire starts with a single spark, but the conflagration does not spare anyone.

*****

There is something rather unsettling about the ruling by the Transport Licensing Appeal Board in the case filed by the Ongata Line Sacco against the National Transport Safety Authority which allowed the sacco’s vehicles back on the road. While I have nothing against Ongata Line, I find the ruling rather curious.

How do you exonerate an entity whose vehicles have clearly breached the rules by accusing the regulator of failing to enforce those rules? Can you, for instance, commit a crime and then blame the police for not stopping you? Somehow, this whole thing defeats logic.

The sole reason why matatus were herded into saccos in the first place was so that they could police their workers and keep their vehicles roadworthy, wasn’t it?

If this ruling sets a precedent, then every murderer, robber and rapist caught in the act can claim the authorities should have intervened before he did it. Something sucks here.