MESSAGE TO THE LATE KENYAN SENATOR MUTULA KILONZO

How sad, Lawyer Mutula Kilonzo,

That you are gone, shockingly so soon,

Before you could help implement the constitution,

And its Integrity and devolution provisions,

That you fought so hard to have implemented;

We don’t yet know what sent you to the grave so early

And we may never know for sure, like in other cases before,

But we have a message for you to bravely bear

To the great Kenyans who went before you.

Please tell Pio Gama Pinto, JM Kariuki, Tom Mboya, Robert Ouko,

That the Commissions set up to unravel cause of their deaths,
never yielded any results of their deaths to date,

And most of the witnesses and associated investigators,

Also went, in circumstances that were not any different.

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC),

That was supposed to help bring change and heal the nation

Has manipulated the views of Kenyan and gone to bed with the oppressors

Tell Jaramogi that, as he wrote many years ago,

It is Not Yet Uhuru in Kenya, 50 year on,

And that despite him fighting so hard to create democratic space,

His son Raila, who suffered long years in detention,

Lost his bid, a third time, again to become the president

And that IEBC and the Supreme Court, did not help either,

In advancing confidence in our democratic growth,

Instead, made the country more deeply divided.

Tell Wangari Maathai, that Raila lost his bid for the presidency,

Partly because he defended the conservation of the Mau Complex

And now we are not sure if Karura will survive much longer

No environmental champion has emerged to replace her.

Tell former ECK Chairman Samwel Kivuitu and his former deputy Kihara Mutu

That IEBC led by Isaack Hassan, did not perform any better,

And are again in the eye of the storm, for failing the digital exams

That this time, Raila took his protests to The Supreme Court,

That gave, in three minutes, a brilliant summary judgment,

 But is now itself crying for justice from the social media bloggers

Tell Jomo Kenyatta, that his son Uhuru,  is back to State House
Where he grew up and got shielded from the experiences of most Kenyans

And that like his father, has settled on a Kalenjin V.P, William Ruto

To bring lasting peace and sort out the land question for good

And make the Kalenjin and Kikuyus, forever sing in solidarity and live peacefully.

Tell Michuki matatu manambas no longer dress in uniform,

And that the famous snake he talked about,

Has bitten many people who have rattled it.

Tell Karume, that his former defense portfolio

Has been given to a woman, Rachelle Omamo,

And that our soldiers are now in Somalia, pursuing the Al- Shabab.

Tell Saitoti and Ojode, that pilot error causes d their deaths

And Kaplana Raval, whose committee investigated their deaths,

Will replace Nancy Baraza as the Deputy Chief Justice
and that finally, Uhuru Kenyatta was elected the president

As former President Moi ably advised Kenyans in 2002,
Mohammed Ali and John Allan Namu of Jicho Pevu finally
Gave us an expose, informing us that the two of them, were killed.

Please tell the late Knut Secretary General Ambrose Adeya  Adongo

Teachers are still waiting for their pay hike he pushed for in 97

And tell Wamalwa Kijana his famous brother Eugene

Got lost and Mudavadi was named “madimoni” and

So the Luhya community lacks leadership.

Tell Masinde Muliro that Muliro Gardens in Kakamega,

Is now is an open air lodging, and a moral eye sore.

Tell Bishops Alexander Muge and John Henry Okullu,

That the Church lost its moral authority and momentum,

To speak about democracy and reform,

And now peddle falsehood and promote ethnicity

Rest in peace  Wakili Mutula Kilonzo. AMEN!

Media body calls for enhanced security for journalists and respect for labour rights

Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has sent a message of solidarity with the media fraternity in Kenya, the Eastern African Region and globally in marking the 2013 World Press Freedom Day being marked on May 3.

In a statement, KCA noted with concern that the Kenyan media environment had over the last one year recorded increasing cases of threats to the safety and security of journalists and general disregard for their labour rights.

At least 25 journalists have reported various forms of threats to their security and safety in different parts of the country over the last six months, the statement said.

Some of these threats have been reported in the media and statements recorded with the police but a number of threats have remained less pronounced but serious enough to undermine the freedom of journalists in the performance of their duties.

The threats have been recorded from security agencies, state officials, political leaders and their supporters, drug traffickers and other actors, in the process creating a climate of fear and intimidation among journalists in the course of their work.

A number of journalists were threatened or treated with hostility during the Tana River Clashes at the Kenya Coast. In Mombasa in late March this year, a journalist with the Star Newspaper, Bernard Wesonga died under circumstances which require further investigations.

Another journalist with the Star Newspaper Habil Onyango was beaten up and his camera confiscated by security forces during the March General Elections in Homabay in Western Kenya while a number of his colleagues in both Homabay and Migori towns in the region also reported various forms of threats in the last quarter of this year.

A number of journalists in North Rift have for some time now been under threat and active surveillance of shadowy groups over the media coverage of the 2007-8 Post Election Violence and subsequent reporting of International Criminal Court (ICC) related cases and proceedings.

There have been renewed threats to some of the journalists in that region after the March 4, General Elections following the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president and William Ruto as his deputy. The two are currently facing charges at the ICC and the earlier threats were related to their cases.

KCA urges the Uhuru-Ruto government to guarantee the safety and security of all the journalists who may have reported or will continue to report on the ICC cases and to take urgent measures to investigate any threats, both past and present against the journalists, and deter any overzealous supporters who may take advantage of their being in power to intimidate journalists.

Investigative reporters, KTN’s Mohammed Ali and John Allan Namu have recently received death threats following an exposé on the station which showed a possible foul play in the death of former internal security minister and his deputy George Saitoti and Orwa Ojode respectively.

A reporter with Radio Jambo in Western Province, Oti Oteba, was beaten up by supporters of a local politician. The same youths had also targeted a local reporter with the Star John Nalianya who escaped the beating by hiding in a nearby restaurant. These are not the only cases.

KCA is concerned that Media employers in Kenya have consistently disregarded labour laws in their employment of journalists, in the process undermining their dignity as workers and their capacity to do their work.

Most journalists, both in the newsrooms and the field, are not offered living wages and insurance cover even when covering conflicts. Many are not paid at all despite their valuable contribution, making them vulnerable to corruption and other forms of inducements.

During the last General Elections, a number of media houses either sent their journalists or newly engaged ones on assignment to different parts of the country with minimal or no facilitation, which resulted in frustrations and indignity.

KCA called on Kenyan media owners and employers to begin to take greater responsibility for the journalists they engage, whether on temporary or permanent basis and stop the ongoing wanton exploitation and abuse of journalists as workers. They should immediately implement the 14 % wage increase awarded by the president during the Labour Day on May 1.

The association called on the National Government and the newly inaugurated County Governments to respect the country’s constitution and International charters with regard to media freedom and access to information to enable journalists discharge their important duty of information dissemination and education to the communities.