Evidence Shows Land At Ambassador’s Residence Was Grabbed
ODM-K Scandinavia has established that a “triangular piece of land” at the residence of the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia and which has been at the center of controversy was grabbed and transferred to a neighbor under circumstances that only the Kenyan Embassy can explain.
According to a map obtained by ODM-K Scandinavia from the Swedish land office at Nacka where the residence is located, the boarder separating the residence from a neighbor (who benefited from the deal) runs in a straight line and ends at a lake which boarders the residence. The current boarder shows a new wooden fence which runs half way then bends sharply, eating into the Ambassador’s compound. A tree which used to stand at the compound of the Ambassador now stands at the neighbor’s compound. The scandal was brought to the attention of ODM-K Scandinavia by Mr. Njenga Muirani, a gardener who was fired from his job by the Ambassador for unknown reasons.
Details obtained from the land office by both Mr. Dancun Munala, Secretary of ODM-K Scandinavia and Mr. Gerry Changa Midenyo, the Party’s Treasurer show that there has been no recent changes on the map although changes exist on the ground.
The first recorded activity on the land dates back to 10th August 1929 when the parcel of land where the residence now stands was merged with another parcel and put under one owner. On 31st December the same year, two Islands standing on a lake overlooking the residence were also merged and put under one owner.
On 30th April 1930, the two Islands and the parcel of land where the residence stands were merged then on 20th April 1956, the current border of the whole parcel of land was officially fixed. The total land area was fixed at 3630 square meters while the total water mass was fixed at 78841 Square meters all totaling to 82471 Square meters.
On 17th December 1970, the original owner of the land sold it to someone then on 19th September 1989, the land mass, water mass and two Islands were bought as a single unit by the Republic of Kenya which stands as its current owner. The purchase included the current residence of the Kenyan Ambassador.
The land Office said that there has been no change of boarder or ownership registered at their office since 1989. According to a letter signed by Sture Källgården (Town Engineer) dated 13th September 1989 the land number of the residence is “Sicklaön 338:1” while the total land and water mass was 78841 Square meters when it was bought by the Kenyan government. After its purchase, the land was registered on 19th September the same year (registration number 89/108).
The Officer in charge said that there are three beacons running on a straight line between the Ambassador’s residence and the neighbor. The positions of the beacons are clearly indicated on the map. The Officer said that only the land office has the technology and capacity to remove the beacons and that this only happens after the transaction has been approved. He said that any boarder change not authorized by the land office is illegal and could lead to criminal charges under the Swedish land laws. At the moment, the fence that used to separate the residence and the neighbor has been removed while a line of newly planted trees now show a new boarder-line at the residence.
SATURDAY TOUR AT RESIDENCE BY ODM-K SCANDINAVIA
When the story was first raised at KSB, ODM-Scandinavia promised to follow it up with the land office to establish the truth.
On Saturday December 2nd, ODM-Scandinavia will tour the residence to survey the grabbed land before deciding on the next cause of action. The Party has already informed the Kenyan Embassy about the tour through a letter while the police at Nacka have also been informed.
“Our Party has been very concerned about the allegation because of the serious implications it might have on the credibility of the Kenyan Embassy as a respected institution”, wrote Mr. Dancun Munala, the Party’s secretary.
Police told ODM-K officials who visited the station that they will not interfere with the tour because there is nothing wrong with it. “We will only come if there is trouble”, said a police officer at the station.
The Embassy has been quiet about the allegations, choosing instead, to use two Kenyans to try and intimidate Mr. Njenga Muirani who sounded the alarm bells. Mr. Njenga has remained adamant that his allegations are true, something ODM-Scandinavia seem to be out to prove.
Asked what his Party would do next after the Saturday tour, Mr. Munala said that the Party’s Committee would meet to discuss how to move forward with the struggle against land grabbing at the Ambassador’s residence.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
Necessary Noize For Stockholm Jamhuri Bash
Re-known Kenyan Rap group Necessary Noize will be playing live at Norsborg Musikhuset on Saturday 9th December 2006. The show is part of Jamhuri day celebrations in Stockholm and is sponsored by DJ Ez Frank assisted by Stockholm’s “Mashariki Promotions”. Both Kenyan gal Nazizi and Kenyan boy Wyre will touch base for the show which starts at 19.00.
The duo will be performing in Frankfurt, Germany at the Orient Palace on Saturday December 2nd for the Kenya Jamhuri extravaganza before they roll down for the beat in Stockholm. In Stockholm, Children under 10 will enter free of charge while adults will pay 150 kr. DJ Ez Frank (former Mamba village from Mombasa) will be on the mike. For further info, call DJ Ez Frank at: 0732167090.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
ODM-K Scandinavia To Organize Tour Of Ambassador’s Residence
The leadership of ODM-K Scandinavia will organize a tour of the residence of the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia H.E Mrs Purity Muhindi to inspect land at the compound. The purpose of the tour is to enable ODM-K Scandinavia members and interested Kenyans to survey a piece of land which was allegedly grabbed and transferred to a neighbor under circumstances that are still not yet clear.
Last week, KSB published allegations by Mr. Njenga Muirani, a gardener who was fired by the Ambassador for unknown reasons, to the effect that a “triangular piece of land” at the residence might have been stolen and sold to the Ambassador’s neighbor. The story generated a huge interest among Kenyans in Sweden and abroad and KSB has been ambushed with emails from Kenyans around the world seeking further details.
The ODM-K Scandinavia inspection tour will take place on Saturday December 2nd at 15.00. Speaking to KSB, Mr. Dancan Munala, the Party’s Secretary, said that ODM-K Scandinavia will officially inform the Embassy about the tour through a letter to the Ambassador.
“ODM-K Scandinavia will give the Ambassador official notification in writing because as far as our Party is concerned, the tour is official”, Mr. Munala told KSB.
He said that the tour is not a demonstration and that as per Swedish law, a permit is not required. Mr. Munala said that the compound of the Kenyan Ambassador is Kenyan territory and that since the tour does not amount to a protest action, Kenyans interested in being part of it have an obligation to respect the residence by abstaining from any uncalled for behavior.
“We hope that the Ambassador will be available for a friendly chit chat but if she isn’t, we will simply survey the compound and leave peacefully”, said Mr. Munala.
The ODM-K Scandinavia stalwart said that allegations of land grabbing at the residence were serious and added that his party is awaiting for communication from the Swedish authorities about a request the Party placed for a land map of the residence.
Since the story broke out, the Embassy has remained tight-lipped over the allegations although Mr. Njenga has reported that there have been moves orchestrated by Kenyans with links to the Embassy to intimidate him so that he can retract his story. Mr. Njenga told KSB that he stands by his story “because the truth never burns”.
In the meantime, ODM-K Scandinavia has opened a campaign for the Embassy to settle Mr. Njenga’s unpaid salary for work he did at the residence of the late diplomat James Kiboi. According to Mr. Njenga, the Embassy owes him 10.000 kr which he was supposed to be paid before Mr. Kiboi died in a house inferno in Norway on 10th September.
Mr. Munala told KSB that ODM-K Scandinavia has gathered all details related to the case and that the party will open communication with the Embassy next week to discuss the issue with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement.
“Labor issues are very sensitive in Sweden and since there appears to be evidence that Mr. Njenga’s labor input has not yet been paid for, we hope that the Embassy will look at the matter more seriously”, Mr. Munala told KSB.
“Our strategy is not confrontation. We want to hear the version of the Kenyan Embassy over the issue. If the Embassy owes Mr. Njenga money, he needs to be paid”, said Mr. Munala.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
HIV Positive Kenyan Woman Appears On Swedish National TV4
Caroline Ayodo, a Kenyan woman who has been living with the HIV virus since 1998, appeared on Swedish national TV4, warning the youth to be careful about their sexual exploits because “love is blind”.
Responding to questions from an interviewer, Caroline said that she was shocked when she was first diagnosed as HIV positive at Huddinge Hospital following a series of clinical signs that, at first, could not point to any specific disease. She had just returned from Kenya and she thought that she had a tropical disease.
The Kenyan, who arrived in Sweden in 1978, says that she was infected with the virus by a Swedish man whom she had fallen in love with while she also narrates how she had to tell her teen-age daughter about her condition after she was told that she was HIV positive. She called her daughter’s father and when he came, he was equally shocked about the news.
For some time, Caroline said that she was alone, afraid and didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t thought that the Swedish man she fell in love with could infect her with HIV. She said that she was glad because she got help from the Swedish authorities, pointing out that if she had been in Kenya, she could have developed Aids.
Caroline warned her youthful audience at the studio to be conscious that HIV exists. “Take care of yourselves”, she said.
After she went public with her HIV status, Caroline said that she has been going around schools informing the youth about the dangers of the disease. She advised the youth to use condoms.
The Kenyan said that when she was diagnosed as HIV positive, she was lucky because she had integrated herself in the Swedish society. “It is not easy when you are black” she said.
Caroline now works at Noa’s Ark, an agency that deals with HIV/Aids issues while she said that since her public declaration that she was HIV positive, she feels free. She told her audience that she has had a love life after her HIV status became known to her. Caroline has appeared on different Swedish national media on several ocassions in the past.
“Gunilla”, an HIV positive Swedish woman who was also interviewed on the same channel in another segment profiling HIV/Aids, did not show her face to the camera while her voice was also distorted to help hide her identity. The 50 year old woman said that she has never told her children that she is HIV positive.
She said that she contracted the virus from a man she trusted. When they first met, the man was using condoms but later, the man convinced her that he was healthy. It is after they stopped using condoms that she got infected.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
Naomi Njeri’s Sistser Passes Away In Kenya
Naomi Njeri and Peter Njoroge (Njoro) would like to inform Kenyans and friends of the loss of Njeri’s and Lisa’s sister in Kenya. The sad news was received yesterday Monday November 21st.
Following the news, Njeri will be travelling to Kenya soon to attend her sister’s funeral. Friends are meeting daily at the couple’s residence in Skogås to console the bereaved family. A fundraising will take place at Alby skolan (Alby) on Friday 24th from 18:00. For details and further information, please, call 0704332247 or 0735790452. Kenya Stockholm Blog sends deep condolences to Naomi and the bereaved family.
Late James Kiboi: Vote Of Thanks In The Daily Nation
NDILAI NYASAI KIBOI JAMES
It’s about two months since you passed on to be with Jesus. It’s been a long process to put you to rest and this was not going to be possible without God’s evident presence and comfort and we give him all the praise!
Our heartfelt thanks, deep gratitude and appreciation to all our friends from all over the world for the overwhelming support extended to our family through prayers, words of comfort and financial support.
We would like to thank the doctors and police in Sweden and Norway, Kenya Embassy in Stockholm, Kenyan communities in the Nordic region. Immanuel International church, Stockholm International School, and African fellowships, in Sweden. African Embassies in Sweden, Mr. Titus Naikuni and Kenya Airways staff, KLM and Rwanda Air.
Our special thanks to the entire staff of the Ministry of foreign Affairs and Missions abroad.
Special thanks and appreciation to Hon. Prof. George Saitoti, Hon. Beth Mugo, Hon. Njoki Ndung´u, Permanent Secretary Mr. Thuita Mwangi and Ole Nkuraiya, Mr. Keriako Tobiko. The Swedish Embassy in Nairobi, Ambassador Jacobsen of the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi, Ambassador. Bethuel Kiplagat and Amb. M.D Kinyanjui.
Great work done by the organizing committees in Nairobi, Kitengela, Isinya and Mrs. Ingrid Monroe of Jamii Bora. Our gratitude goes to the Administration Police, District Commissioner Mr. R.M. Rashid, and District Officer Mr. David Wanyonyi.
Thanks for the words of hope from Pastors Ambrose, Simon and Chris of Parklands Baptist church, Pastors Chip and Cindy Block, Kitoto, George and Leo of ICC. Pastors Allan, Muna, Bob, Asiba, Mark and Sitelu and Rev Rahab Mwangi.
Receive our thanks Lee Funeral home, Dr. Njue, Dr. Wangai and Montezuma Funeral home.
Words are not enough to thank you all, you loved us and James in a unique way, we will be eternally grateful, may God bless you in a big way!
We will miss you forever James especially your wife Catherine, children Tanya and Josh, parents, brothers and sisters.
CHRIST HAS WON!
ODM-Scandinavia Condemns Brutal Attacks By Police at Kamukunji Meeting
Once again, the Kibaki dictatorship is on the attack against freedom of Speech and freedom of Assembly in Kenya. A prayer meeting that was planned by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) at Kamukunji grounds on Sunday November 19th in Nairobi was banned by police for no apparent reason.
When ODM leaders rightfully defied the ban and tried to get to Kamukunji grounds, they were met by 300 riot police wielding batons and armed with tear gas canisters which they threw at civilians and ODM-K leaders.
During the attacks, both Mr. Raila Odinga and Mr. William ole Ntimama, ODM-K leaders, were tear-gassed. For two hours, hundreds of defiant youth allied to ODM-K and who wanted the rally to proceed, were left with no option but to engage police in running battles across the streets of Nairobi.
From the point of view of ODM-Scandinavia, this attack demonstrates the state of panic that has gripped the Kibaki dictatorship ahead of General elections next year.
The prayer meeting was called as part of ODM-Kenya’s campaign against tribalism which is a major political problem in our country. This meeting was intended to be peaceful and ODM-K made sure that it informed police about the meeting as required by law.
Now that the meeting was illegally stopped by police and tear-gas used to disperse those who attended it, the struggle against the Kibaki dictatorship must include the struggle for both freedom of assembly and freedom of speech which Kenyans had assumed, had already been won during the struggle against Moi.
ODM-Scandinavia condemns the attacks in the strongest terms possible. The Movement is fully behind the defiance of ODM-K leaders and supporters who turned up to attend the prayer meeting. The brutal attack on unarmed civilians is a clear indication that the Kibaki dictatorship is rolling back the democratic gains of the last 43 years in an attempt to silence and liquidate ODM-Kenya, the leading opposition force in Kenya.
Former dictator Daniel arap Moi failed to rule Kenya under a one party dictatorship and Kenyans sacrificed their lives in the streets to defeat the one party dictatorship of KANU. Today, the Kibaki dictatorship is using the same police to try and crash the opposition. ODM-Scandinavia believes that the ban and attack on ODM-K prayer meeting is part of government strategy to intimidate ODM-K because of the growing popularity of the Movement, both in Kenya and among Kenyans in the Diaspora.
ODM-K should remain united and be prepared to call for civil disobedience if that is what it will take to stop Kibaki. Dictator Kibaki, who misrules the country, John Michuki, the Internal Security Minister who sent police to attack ODM-K rally and Major General Hussein Ali, Police Commissioner, are all part of a ruling mafia cartel that should not be allowed to attack hard won Rights and Freedoms in Kenya. ODM-Scandinavia believes that police should use their common sense and side with the people instead of attacking them in a situation where basic freedoms are threatened.
Further, ODM-Scandinavia urges its mother party in Kenya not to be cowed by strong-arm tactics being used by the Kibaki dictatorship to try and intimidate the Movement’s leaders. The party branch in Scandinavia urges the Movement’s leaders to call a new meeting or rally at Kamukunji immediately to stop the Kibaki dictatorship from taking back freedoms which were paid for with human lives.
Lastly, ODM-Scandinavia urges the Kenyan youth allied to the Movement to be prepared to engage police if they attack ODM-K rallies. ODM-K supporters must get more organized in their approach to State police sent by Kibaki’s government to disrupt legal ODM-K meetings or rallies especially in Nairobi. As the struggle against the Kibaki dictatorship continues, freedom of Speech and freedom of Assembly should not be compromised by ODM-K and other progressive Kenyans under any circumstance. Just like Moi, Kibaki will fail in his attempts to entrench dictatorship in Kenya because ODM-K is unstoppable.
Dancan Munala
Secretary
ODM-Scandinavia
ODM-Scandinavia Officials Address Swedish Parliament
Mr. Dancan Munala, the Secretary of ODM-Scandinavia, Mr. Gerry Changa Midenyo, the National treasurer, Mr. Charles Otieno, the Organizing secretary and Mr. Jared Odero, a prominent member of the Party, were among politicians who addressed the Swedish Parliament this week.
The ODM_Scandinavia politicians had been invited by the Green Party of Sweden, the Swedish Development Forum and the Nordic Africa Institute on deliberations that focused on work being done by the Africa Union to prevent, predict and mediate conflict within and between its member states.
Making his contribution on the issue of security in Africa, Mr. Munala said that insecurity in the world was mainly caused by the developed Nations who needed to change their approach. “It is a waste of time to discuss Africa’s security with the same people who are threatening world peace”, he said.
The ODM Secretary asked the EU delegates and the Swedish Politicians to stop using Africa as a cover for their dirty political games. He said that throughout history, freedom of African people has been threatened by the very Western nations that were posing as peace makers.
“Hypocritical and preconditioned strategies for development have not delivered even one African Nation out of catastrophes”, he said. The Kenyan warned that Africans, especially Kenyans, should watch out “because EU is a serious threat to the development of Africa as a whole”.
Mr. Jared Odero, provoked the panelists and audience by referring to the recent and controversial results of a research finding at the London School of Economics which claimed that Africans have the lowest intelligence quotient (IQ).
“If there is a connection between high IQ and good nutrition, then it is a shame for the European Union (EU) and Sweden in particular, to waste a lot of money in Conferences and seminars discussing Africa, yet Africans were lacking food to eat”, he said.
Mr. Odero, who is a PhD candidate at Stockholm University, further challenged the EU to have a clear policy on improving food security in Africa.
Mr. Odero also referred to the documentary film titled “Darwin’s Nightmare” which explicitly showed that poor Africans around Lake Victoria consumed filthy left-overs of bones of a species of fish called the Nile Patch while fat fillet stripped from the same fish landed on tables in the European Union after being air-lifted. He questioned how one eating fish bones left over as garbage could compete intellectually with one who ate fish fillets.
According to Mr. Odero, “fair trade between Africa and the EU is very important”. He concluded by urging the EU to open up its markets and offer reasonable prices for African products, otherwise Africans would turn to China and other countries that could accept the concept of fair trade.
Mr. Otieno questioned how a single Integrated Defense Force could work in a Continent torn down by ethnic war while Mr. Midenyo told the delegates that the EU should leave Africa alone to deal with crucial issues like poverty and disease.
Those who sat on the Pannel were: Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, Geert Laporte, Head of Institutional relations and Programme coordinator of ECDPM´s Programme on ACP-EU trade relations; Cyril Obi, Programme coordinator at the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI), Carin Norberg, Director of the Nordic Africa Institute, Lennart Wohlgemuth, Professor at the Centre for Africa Studies at Gothenburg University and Board member of Swedish Development Forum (FUF) together with a representative of the African Union.
Swedish Parliamentarians who were present were; Bodil Ceballos of the Green Party, Carina Hägg of the Social Democratic Party, Christian Holm of the Moderate Party, Kalle Larsson of the Left Party and Anita Brodén of the Liberal Party.
Members of ODM-Scandinavia later distributed the Party’s 12 point Program to the participants. There was enormous interest in ODM-Scandinavia as a Party and some of the Parliamentarians praised the Party members for their mature interventions.
In the meantime, ODM-Scandinavia is planning to send a delegation to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the conduct of the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.
Key on the agenda are allegations of land grabbing at the residence of the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia, mistreatment of Junior staff, violation of Swedish labour laws and reports of human trafficking using diplomatic cover.
The Party has evidence that land might have been grabbed at the residence of the Kenyan Ambassador while evidence of mistreatment of junior staff is also on the hands of the Party. The Party has already called on the Kenyan government to investigate the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
“Investigate Kenya Embassy In Stockholm” – ODM-Scandinavia
ODM-SCANDINAVIA’S STATEMENT ON ALLEGED LAND GRABBING AT THE RESIDENCE OF THE KENYAN ABMASSADOR TO SCANDINAVIA AND SACKING OF MR. NJENGA MUIRANI
Friday November 17th 2006
The Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm should be investigated for corruption, land grabbing, Visa and Passport rackets, human smuggling, illegal sacking of workers, mistreatment of junior staff members, money laundering and other illegal activities that violate the Swedish law and infringe on diplomatic etiquette.
ODM-Scandinavia believes that the Kenya anti Corruption Commission headed by retired Justice Aron Ringera should dispatch a team to Stockholm immediately following the emergence of serious allegations especially on the question of land grabbing at the Ambassador’s residence and embezzlement of the salary of a junior staff member who has also been the victim of mistreatment by Ambassador Purity Muhindi.
ALLEGED LAND GRABBING AT THE AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE
The most urgent investigation that should begin immediately touches on alleged land grabbing at the residence of the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia H.E Mrs Purity Muhindi. This is because on Sunday November 12th 2006, Mr. Njenga Muirani, a Kenyan gardener who has been working at the Ambassador’s residence and who was sacked abruptly under circumstances that are still not clear, made serious and credible claims that land at the residence had been grabbed. The scandal, which shocked many Kenyans in Sweden, was exposed by Kenya Stockholm Blog (www.kenyastockholm.wordpress.com).
This is a claim that was backed by pictorial evidence showing exactly how the boundary between the residence and a neighbor had been manipulated and how land belonging to the Kenyan government was allegedly transferred to a neighbor called Bo. In the run up to the allegations, Mr. Njenga narrated other curious developments at the Ambassador’s compound which should not only be examined but which should also be investigated. ODM-Scandinavia has since taken contact with Mr. Njenga who has given the Party a full account of what he knows about the unraveling scandal.
Before the boarder change, a barbed wire fence that separated the Ambassador’s residence and the neighbor was pulled down while another barbed wire fence that marked the boarder of the residence and a lake that stretches from the compound was also pulled down. The question which needs to be answered is: who ordered these two fences to be pulled down and why was such an order made?
This is because ODM-Scandinavia members and other Kenyans who have been at the Ambassador’s compound in recent times know that the fences had no visible and serious damage that warranted repair or removal. Mr. Njenga told ODM-Scandinavia that these fences, which have been intact for more than one and a half decades, were suddenly pulled down by a tractor after a company was contracted to do the work.
Mr. Njenga has worked at the residence for a long time. He said that when he asked Mr. Bo how land he believed belonged to the residence was transferred to him, the neighbor allegedly said that it was transferred to him because “he had fixed the fence”. What Mr. Bo meant was that he was responsible for the removal of the fence and construction of a new wooden fence at the compound. If true, the question that has to be answered is: Since when did the government transfer fence mending operations of the type that was conducted at the residence to private citizens and how did Mr. Bo get the go-ahead to finance this kind of work at the residence on behalf of the government. Secondly, how did he get paid by allegedly having a piece of land transferred to him through the Ambassador?
According to a survey by KSB on the ground, the barbed wire fence that was removed was replaced by a wooden fence half way between the Ambassador’s residence and the neighbor. It is this arrangement that gave room for land to be grabbed. A tree which used to stand at the compound of the Ambassador now stands at the neighbor’s compound thereby exposing a “triangular piece of land” (grabbed triangle) that has allegedly been transferred to Mr. Bo. The question is: Who approved this plan?
After the barbed wire fence was pulled down, the rest of the Ambassador’s residence now has no fence and this has drastically reduced security at the residence. Whose idea was it that the fence be pulled down without replacement, who sanctioned it and why? Was the removal of the fence a priority when some junior Embassy staff members have not been paid their salaries?
A new fence comprising of a line of small trees has replaced the old fence. This fence cuts deeply into the Ambassador’s compound and it is impossible to miss the fact that something doesn’t add up when one examines the new boundary. According to Mr. Njenga, it is Mr. Bo who planted the trees after the old fence was removed. As a party fighting corruption in our motherland, ODM-Scandinavia leadership believes that it is its responsibility to address or raise any possible case of corruption that emerges within Embassy circles in Scandinavia and it is for this reason that the Party is calling for an investigation.
THE ABRUPT SACKING OF MR. NJENGA MUIRANI
Mr. Njenga was sacked without warning or notice. Under Swedish law, Mr. Njenga was supposed to get three months notice and if his sacking was totally unprovoked, he was supposed to have been paid a two year salary. If he had received warning letters in the past for any wrong doing, he still deserved a three months notice in lieu of sacking or a three months salary if he was to be sacked without notice. All these procedures were ignored by the Embassy with impunity.
As a diplomatic institution, the Kenyan Embassy should not be violating the Swedish labour laws because the Embassy is under an obligation to follow these laws. ODM-Scandinavia is calling for an investigation into the circumstances under which Mr. Njenga was sacked. Information given by Mr. Njenga indicate that his abrupt sacking might have been linked to his knowledge about land grabbing at the residence which the Embassy might have planned to cover up. From the point of view of ODM-Scandinavia, Mr. Njenga is a whistle-blower being victimized.
ODM-Scandinavia is aware that non diplomatic staff at the Embassy continue to live in fear because, just like Mr. Njenga, they can be sacked anytime, without notice and without any wrong doing. This is illegal in Sweden. In the past, there have been cases where house maids of diplomatic staff are so restricted that they are rarely allowed to go out while they are also under paid. They are kept under constant intimidation and surveillance and warned that if they “talk” they will be sacked and deported to Kenya because they do not have residence status. ODM-Scandinavia is calling for an investigation of the conditions under which non diplomatic staff are employed because Mr. Njenga’s case could be the tip of an iceberg.
MISTREATMENT
Evidence emerged that after the departure of Mr. Kinyanjui, Mr. Njenga’s right to toilet facilities during working hours were withdrawn by the new Ambassador Muhindi. This forced Mr. Njenga to answer the call of nature in a polythene bag before carrying his own waste to the garbage dump. This is a total violation of the Swedish labor and environmental laws that demands that workers have access to toilet facilities while on duty and that human waste be disposed of in a particular manner.
As a diplomatic institution, the Kenyan Embassy has an obligation to honor the Swedish labor laws and it is inconceivable that the new Ambassador could have subjected Mr. Njenga to such dehumanizing treatment. ODM-Scandinavia is calling for an investigation into the treatment of Mr. Njenga’s claims and if found to be true, the Party is demanding that the Embassy or the Ambassador be made to pay Mr. Njenga compensation for mental and psychological torture, not just for having been denied his right to use the toilet but also for the indignity of having had to use the garage as a “dining room”. Mr. Njenga was left to work under conditions which forced him to take snacks and meals in an environment unfit for human habitation.
UNPAID SALARY
When ODM-Scandinavia took contact with Mr. Njenga, the Kenyan said that he has not been paid his salary amounting to 10.000 kr for work that he did at the residence of the late diplomat James Kiboi. According to Mr. Njenga, the Embassy refused to address the issue after Mr. James Kiboi died in a house inferno in Norway. Mr. Njenga was supposed to be paid a day after Mr. Kiboi died.
This case demonstrates the extent to which the Kenyan Embassy can go to violate the rights of junior staff members who have, in past, complained about non paymemt of overtime work. ODM-Scandinavia demands that Mr. Njenga be paid his salary and that an investigation be opened to establish what is going on at the Embassy.
ODM-Scandinavia calls upon the Kenya anti-corruption authority to send a representative to Sweden to investigate the claims of corruption that might have contributed to land at the residence being grabbed. If no action is taken, the Party will take steps to ensure that ODM-Kenya MPs raise the issue in Kenyan Parliament with a view to having it investigated. The Party will also take contacts with the relevant Swedish authorities to alert the Swedish government about possible illegal activities of the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.
RESIDENCE COST 20 MILLION KENYAN SHILLINGS
ODM-Scandinavia will demand for an original land map of the Ambassador’s residence from the Swedish land office as part of its own investigations because if true, the allegations are serious enough to warrant prosecution. All Embassy staff who might have been involved in the scandal and who are still serving have to be recalled while those who are already in Kenya must be made to face justice over the issue.
As a Party in Scandinavia opposed to corruption in all its forms, ODM-Scandinavia is concerned that corruption that has eaten into the fabric of the Kenyan society has been exported abroad to the extend that land belonging to the government is also being grabbed and sold, just like in Kenya.
The residence of the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia cost the government 20 million Kenyan shillings and if part of the land at the residence has been transferred to a neighbor, Kenyans at home and abroad need to know the real circumstances behind the deal. ODM-Scandinavia hopes that the matter will be treated with the urgency it deserves and that immediate action will be taken by the government over the issue.
Mr. Dancan Munala
Secretary
ODM-Scandinavia
Juliet Kikaka Kavinga Case: The Judgment
As had been predicted by Kenya Stockholm Blog, there were no court proceedings during judgment in the Juliet Kavinga murder case in Stockholm on Tuesday 14th November. The judgment was simply handed over on a piece of paper at the reception on the 3rd floor of the Court in Handen. Susan Kikaka, Juliet’s sister who arrived in Sweden last week, received the judgment. She was accompanied by three ladies and two gentlemen, all Kenyans resident in Sweden.
The Judge acknowledged that there were several circumstances in the case that suggested that the suspect may have murdered Juliet but that there was no concrete evidence that could be used to convict him.
According to the Judge, there was no murder scene despite strenuous technical investigations in the house of the accused. A murder weapon has not been found while there was no evidence to show that Juliet’s body was carried in a lorry that was hired by the suspect. The lorry also underwent technical investigation.
“It could not be shown that Juliet died at the time that was suggested by the Prosecutor”, wrote Judge Jan Bjerlöw. The Judge reduced all the major arguments that were presented by the Prosecution and released the accused.
SUSPECT’S HAIR ON TARPAULIN AND MITOCONDRIA-DNA TEST
A witness who lived with Juliet in the same flat told the Court during trial that someone visited the flat after 13th May 2005 when Juliet is suspected to have been killed. According to KSB log of Court proceedings, the witness said that when he arrived home one day, he noticed that the balcony door was slightly open and that he could notice some droplets of water on the toilet seat.
He said that as far as he knew, only Juliet had a key to the flat. This point was mentioned by the Judge and although he was not explicit, the insinuation in the judgment is that Juliet might have returned to the flat after she was supposed to have been killed. The witness said that he did not know who visited the flat while he also said that he did not know whether the mother of the woman who owned the flat had an extra key.
A strand of hair belonging to the accused was found in the tarpaulin that was used to wrap Juliet’s body. According to the Judge, the method that was used to analyze the hair was based on an examination of the mitochondria of the DNA and not the DNA itself. The Judge observed that the two processes “do not have the same evidence value”.
“Even if it could be demonstrated that it is a question of hair from the accused, it doesn’t mean that he killed her or that he was near the body when it was wrapped in the tarpaulin”, wrote the Judge. “The hair could have come from him or Juliet in an earlier meeting between them”, wrote the Judge.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JULIET AND SUSPECT’S CHILDREN DID NOT WORK OUT
The Prosecution had argued that the motive for murder is that the accused did not want Juliet to deliver the baby and that the suspect had wanted Juliet to conduct an abortion. According to the Judge, A witness testified that Juliet had told the accused that he was not the father of her unborn child.
The Judge noted that the suspect was disappointed when Juliet informed her that she was pregnant and that he was the father of the unborn child. “He thought that their relationship was new and that it was not conducive for him to have a child. His wish was that Juliet conduct an abortion”, the Judge wrote.
During the trial, the suspect told the Court that when Juliet refused to conduct an abortion, he accepted her decision and that it was for this reason that he thought that it was best if Juliet moved to his house. Unfortunately, the relationship between Juliet and the suspect’s two children did not work out and in the middle of January 2005, Juliet moved out.
In dismissing the motive, the Judge wrote that “It has not been shown that the accused attacked or threatened Juliet or other women he has had a relationship with even though two friends of Juliet testified that the accused began to treat her badly after he realized that Juliet was pregnant”.
Another point is that the suspect had an alibi at about the time Juliet is said to have been killed. According to the suspect, he collected his children from the day care center then returned home to cook food together with his new girlfriend at about the time he was supposed to have killed Juliet. The girlfriend, who has since broken her relationship with the suspect and who hails from Africa, also testified in court during the trial.
HUNTING GUN AND THREE SHOTS AT FAKE DOVES
The Prosecution had argued that the tarpaulin, the string and other gadgets that were used to wrap Juliet’s body were bought at Claes Olsson in Farsta where the accused lived at the time Juliet is said to have been murdered. A receipt was retrieved from the Supermarket chain that supported this evidence.
According to the Judge, “Goods that were purchased from Claes Olsson could not be linked to the accused”. The Judge also wrote that “It has not been shown that the materials that were bought there have anything to do with the wrapping of Juliet’s body”.
The Judge wrote that a tape that was found on the tarpaulin resembled many types of tapes available. The Prosecution had argued that a tape that was found in the house of the accused might have been used to wrap the body in a tarpaulin because they were the same.
Juliet’s body was sunk in water using a body building metallic load whose model and weight was similar to the one that was found in the house of the accused. In dismissing this piece of evidence, the Judge wrote that “this is not heavy piece of evidence that the accused killed Juliet”.
The Prosecution had posited that the accused must have shot Juliet with a hunting gun he was licensed to carry. During trial, the accused told the Court that in the 90s when he was seeking his hunting license, he fired three shots by shooting fake doves and that since then, he has never fired the gun again. According to the Judge, there is no “heavy evidence” to suggest that the accused used the gun to kill Juliet.
“IT IS FAR FROM CERTAIN” THAT SUSPECT KILLED JULIET
When her body was found, a polythene bag from Konsum supermarket was inserted in Juliet’s head to cover it, probably because she was bleeding. Police investigation found that the suspect bought two similar bags at the Konsum supermarket at Farsta where he lived at about the time Juliet is suspected to have been murdered.
There was no concrete comment on this piece of evidence although the suspect told the Court during trial that he normally separated “greens” from other products when he went shopping to explain why he might have bought two plastic bags at the time of shopping.
In October 2005, the suspect phoned Juliet but there was no answer. This was four months after Juliet was supposed to have been killed. “The suspect’s explanation as to why, after a long period of not having telephoned, called Juliet in October 2005 is plausible”, wrote the Judge.
“The Court can concentrate that there are several circumstances that cannot rule out that (xyz) killed Juliet but it is far from certain that this is the case”, concluded Judge Jan Bjerlöw. The prosecution was given up to 5th December 2006 to lodge an appeal with the High court.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
Kenya Embassy Worker Fired By Ambassador Under Mysterious Cicumstances
Mr. Njenga Muirani, a Kenyan national who has been working at the residence of Ambassador Purity Muhindi as a gardener, has been sacked from his job under circumstances that have so far remained mysterious.
Speaking to Kenya Stockholm Blog, Mr. Njenga said that an Embassy official phoned him last month as he was working at the Ambassador’s residence and asked him to report to the office after work. When he arrived at the Office, he was handed over a letter of “Termination of Employment” without any explanation.
The letter, Ref: KES/S-90/233(2) dated 30th October 2006 says: “This is to inform (you) that after careful review of the Mission operations, it has been decided to terminate your employment with effect from 1st November, 2006”.
Mr. Njenga told KSB that when he received the letter, he was shocked. “I wasn’t given any notice while the Embassy did not give any reason for my sacking”, he told KSB.
On the fateful evening when Mr. Njenga was asked to report to the Embassy after work, the Kenyan told KSB that a white man came to the compound and told him that he had been sent to survey the residence because his company will be taking care of gardening. The white man told Mr. Njenga that he had won a contract for the job.
“We were with the driver, and we were preparing to take away taka taka (garbage). The Mzungu (Swahili for white person) told me that he had a small company which was going to take over gardening work at the residence”, Njenga said. Mr. Njenga believes that he was sacked because he knew about a land grabbing scandal at the residence which the Embassy wanted to cover up.
WORK WORTH 10.000 KR AT KIBOI’S RESIDENCE NOT YET PAID
In his appointment letter signed by J.V Awuor, Mr. Njenga was informed that “Your duties will include keeping the gardener (read garden) clean at all times. You may also be called upon to clear gardens of other home based officers when it is deemed necessary”.
Before Mr. James Kiboi died in a house inferno in Norway in September this year, Mr. Njenga told KSB that he worked at the late Kiboi’s residence on several occasions up to eleven o’clock in the night per day but that after the death of the diplomat, the Embassy refused to pay him his dues that amounted to 10.000 kr.
“Kiboi’s residence was extremely bushy. After working on the compound for several days, the Embassy refused to pay me because Kiboi was dead”, he said.
The Kenyan told KSB that Mr. Kiboi asked him to report to the office on Monday September 11th so that he could be paid but that Mr. Kiboi died on Sunday September 10th, a day before he could pick up his money. The failure by the Embassy to pay Mr. Njenga his cash has raised questions about Embassy protocol because the Kenyan had worked and blocking his payment because Kiboi was dead was very strange.
“Now, the Embassy says that they do not know anything about the work I did at Kiboi’s residence and that they will not pay me”, he said, adding that what the new Ambassador was doing was unjust and illegal especially here in Sweden.
“Kiboi’s neighbors had apparently been complaining for months that the drive-way near Kiboi’s residence had become too bushy. When I started work at the compound, one of the neighbors’ borrowed me an electric saw because there was none. They were happy that at last, the drive way was being cleared”, he told KSB.
The Kenyan said that one of the scissors he used to cut overgrowth at Kiboi’s villa is still at the residence because he has not had time to collect it. “Who is going to help me recover my money at the Embassy, now that Kiboi is dead?”, he posed.
MISTREATMENT BY THE NEW AMBASSADOR: “GARAGE AS DINING ROOM”
Apart from his abrupt sacking without notice and failure by the Embassy to pay for work he had done at Kiboi’s villa, Mr. Njenga said that the new Ambassador has been treating him with impunity, in the process, denying him basic facilities which he used to enjoy when Mr. Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui lived at the residence.
“I used to have access to the kitchen to drink tea or coffee during work-break. When Mrs Muhindi came in, she immediately blocked these services and said that it was better if I carried my own food stuff”, he said.
Mr. Njenga said that after the new Ambassador gave restrictive instructions, he began carrying a flask of hot water or coffee and other foodstuff while he was also forced to retire for tea-breaks in the dusty garage because the alternative could have been to drink his tea or eat his food in “open air” at the compound. “When the cold weather set in, I started freezing and I have been wondering what would happen during the sub zero temperatures of winter”, he said.
When KSB visited the Ambassador’s garage in Nacka together with Mr. Njenga to assess the magnitude of his predicament under the new Ambassador, the situation was mind-boggling to say the least. Njenga’s flask, tea-cup, sugar, spoon and other paraphernalia were still placed on top of a tiny chair in the dusty garage and it was difficult to understand how Mr. Njenga managed to put up with the dirty conditions during his work-breaks.
During the reign of Mr. Kinyanjui, Mr. Njenga used to have access to the toilet. But when the new boss moved in, Mr. Njenga’s right to use the toilet was quickly withdrawn, forcing him to defecate in a plastic bag used for garden waste before carrying his waste to the garbage dump. Njenga told KSB that carrying his own shit in a plastic bag was the worst part of his dilemma which inflicted in him serious psychological damage. Disposal of human waste at any location is illegal in Sweden while according to the Swedish labour laws, workers are entitled to access to a toilet while on duty.
“I have been treated like a dog for reasons I don’t know. My dining room has been the garage and my toilet a plastic bag. Now, I have been sacked without notice and without any reason being given”, he told KSB with a lot of bitterness.
Mr. Njenga says that his abrupt sacking has plunged him into a deep economic crisis because he had quit his employment in Stockholm to take up his new job at the Embassy. “I left my job because I was proud that at last, I was going to work for my country and for my own Ambassador”, he said.
The circumstances of the sacking together with the manner in which Ambassador Muhindi has been treating Mr. Njenga has shocked many Kenyans who have heard about the story. Last week, the Ambassador refused to answer questions from KSB, saying that the questions should first be written down and mailed to her before she could respond.
LAND AT RESIDENCE ALLEGEDLY GRABBED AND SOLD TO NEIGBOUR
Mr. Njenga believes that his abrupt sacking is linked to a piece of land that was allegedly grabbed through a dirty conspiracy at the Embassy and transferred to the Ambassador’s neighbor in a shady deal which only the Embassy might be able to explain.
Mr. Njenga became suspicious when a company arrived at the residence and started pulling down the barbed wire fence at the compound in an operation that ended with part of the land at the residence being transferred to Mr. Bo, the neighbor.
When the operation began, Mr. Njenga informed KSB that there was something very strange that was going on at the residence and that was linked to the fence. At this point, KSB advised Mr. Njenga to keep his eyes open and ears on the ground for any further development. The operation was so neat that after it was completed, a casual view of the Ambassador’s compound could not reveal anything strange. As the day of departure of Ambassador Kinyanjui came to a close, the situation on the ground also continued to change rapidly.
“The barbed wire fence that has been separating land between the Ambassador’s residence and his neighbor for years was removed while the barbed wire fence that has been separating the residence from the shores of a lake where the compound ends had also been removed”, said Mr. Njenga.
When KSB visited the compound on Sunday November 12th, there was no fence between the residence and the lake. Although the Ambassador was at home, she refused to show her face because KSB camera man was video-filming. The Ambassador hid herself behind the door and talked to Njenga through a tiny opening on the door. Mr. Njenga told her that he had no money to pay his rent after being fired.
After the removal of the two fences, a new wooden fence was constructed half way between the residence and the neighbor. A day after Mr. Kinyanjui left for Kenya, Njenga told KSB that a line of tiny trees was planted to extend the fence from the new wooden fence up to the lake but not in a straight line.
A quick survey by KSB showed that the new “tree fence” curves sharply, eating into the Ambassador’s compound thereby adding a chunk of a “triangular” piece of land on Bo’s compound. The consequence is that a tree which used to stand inside the Ambassador’s compound now stands inside the neighbors’ compound. The tree is the most telling sign that the boundary at the compound has changed.
When Njenga reported on duty after the new boarder arrangement, he ignored the new boundary of trees and continued working at the compound as usual. It is at this point that Mr. Bo popped up and told him that the ground upon which he was working was his compound. Njenga was surprised but maintained his cool. It is at this point that Njenga informed KSB that there is a possible case of land grabbing at the Ambassador’s residence.
Njenga said that when he asked Bo how the piece of land had suddenly become his, Mr. Bo had no immediate and plausible explanation but said that the Ambassador gave him the land because “he had fixed the fence”.
Being an intelligent Kenyan, Mr. Njenga wondered how a whole government could have donated a piece of land for the fixing of a fence that had no visible problems. He also wondered whether the government was so broke that it left fence-fixing matters to a private Swedish citizen in exchange for a piece land. Mr. Njenga said that previously he watched as a tractor pulled down the old fence to give room for the new arrangement although he didn’t know that boarders were changing.
When KSB surveyed the land, it was clear that changes had been made on the fence while it was also clear that part of the Ambassador’s compound had been transferred to his neighbor.
BIGGEST SCANDAL AT KENYA EMBASSY SINCE “KAMUKUNJI SCANDAL” IN 1995
Mr. Njenga believes that Mr. Bo must have informed the new Ambassador that he was getting suspicious about the boundary changes. When interviewed, Njenga said that Mr. Bo planted the trees which ate into the residence “too early” because he believes that the deal was organized in a way that he was not supposed to see the new trees or notice the new boundary because he was supposed to have been fired earlier.
“I believe that Mr. Bo thinks that I am very stupid while the Ambassador thinks that I still don’t know anything about the deal”, he said. His theory about his abrupt sacking is that the Ambassador thinks that if he didn’t get the sack immediately, the matter will eventually come out.
“It is too late because I am already sounding the alarm bells”, said Njenga. “Kenyans need to know the truth and if land has been grabbed and sold by the Ambassador, the truth needs to come out”, he said adding that he is patriotic and should not be made to pay for corruption at the Embassy.
News about Mr. Njenga’s sacking together with the presence of KSB crew at the compound of the Ambassador swept Stockholm like bush fire. After KSB left the compound, the Ambassador went on a “phoning frenzy” and within an hour after KSB crew packed equipment to get back to base, both Mr. Njenga and KSB’s hot line were jammed with calls from curious Kenyans seeking to find out “the latest mleto” (hot news) from the residence of “His Excellency”.
According to sources close to the Embassy, the Ambassador began by calling key Embassy staff who subsequently used their Kenyan contacts to try and sniff what was happening before relaying any information back to the Ambassador. The Kenyan congregation at Baggarmossen, where a top Embassy official has set up a church together with other Kenyan wafarisai, (Church faithful) was the first to get wind that something juicy was cooking at the residence as they remained immersed in prayer.
The circumstances surrounding Mr. Njenga’s sacking will, most likely shock many Kenyans. Possibilities that land at the Ambassador’s residence may have been grabbed and sold could become one of the biggest scandals to have hit the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm since Kamukunji, an underground pub that the Embassy used to run illegally, was closed down by Swedish authorities in 1995.
Mrs Hellen Opwapo, the Chairperson of ODM Scandinavia, condemned the sacking of Mr. Njenga and said that the Party will demand his reinstatement. She told KSB that ODM-Scandinavia will demand for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding alleged land grabbing at the residence. “If true, ODM-Scandinavia will demand that the land be returned immediately and the culprits brought to face justice”, she said.
ODM-Scandinavia has taken contacts with Mr. Njenga to investigate the circumstances under which he was sacked with a view to opening a campaign for his reinstatement.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
Debate: Stop Selling Kenyans “living In The Underground”
I am shocked to hear that the murderer of the late Juliet Kavinga is free for lack of evidence. It’s so sad that the family back home in Kenya will never get justice for losing a loved one.
The main reason why lam writing these few lines is because of the way she died. Juliet, being over seven months pregnant, could still be alive if she had the right information as to how things work here in Sweden.
Many Kenyans in Sweden know the legal status of a pregnant woman and how the law operates when a guy with Permanent Residence Permit (PUT) or citizenship impregnates a woman in this country.
Why do people come here and go through hell hiding themselves from fellow countrymen ? There is no way the Swedish government could have deported Juliet after five months pregnancy. The Swedish law says that a woman cannot have an abortion after four months. In the circumstances, Juliet had the right to go to clinic every month because she was carrying a child whose father was a Swedish citizen.
She could have been issued with a Permanent Resident Permit because of her baby. Juliet didn’t need that guy while there was no reason for her to go underground. My question is: didn’t her so called friends enlighten her by giving her this information?
Even if the guy didn’t want the child, probably to avoid taking responsibility which is obligatory in Sweden, she could still have made a deal with the father. For example she could have signed an agreement that the dad will be paying an amount of money monthly, quarterly or yearly directly to her thus avoiding the Försäkringskassan (State insurance) which is more strict and bureaucratic. In that way Juliet could have had both her precious baby and Residence Permit to live and work in Sweden with no further contact with the guy. This kind of advice should have come from Kenyans.
It is so sad that Kenyans who are “underground” fear fellow Kenyans more than the Swedish authorities. I ask: Why? All over Kenya, there are millions of people who can do anything so that they can send their children to the Western world to make some money to help them back home.
Some even take loans with the small piece of land they have to pay for the ticket and other expenses for their children to make it here. I am very disappointed that these countrymen later find themselves in the camp of “illegal immigrants” then hide from Kenyans because in the past, many of them have been sold by Kenyans to police and deported or betrayed by the same people whom they hoped could advise them.
When they are deported back home, they don’t have a life anymore while their siblings or parents also suffer from many draw-backs. Those left behind at home had looked upon this person to help them pay school fees, settle the bank loan and so forth. What happens to these families after losing the only piece of land they own to the bank because a Kenyan betrayed a fellow Kenyan? l say: Stop this behavior! You don’t have to help someone with money or a place to sleep. What this Kenyan needs might be a few kind words and right information so stop selling each other!
Nobody owns Sweden. What you do to people will eventually affect you because what goes round comes around. Let us be happy that there is another Kenyan trying. Let us be happy and help one another. The worst part is the negative mentality of some people who say oh, l can’t help this person because him /her might succeed more than me!
I think that’s cheap and petty because what God has written is definitely yours. It is too sad that there are those who could have a heart attack because someone else has been doing better than them! Lets not forget that nobody controls the air we breath. The only person who does that is God (if you believe in Him). If he takes away the air you breath, your time in this world is over.
Peace and love to all Kenyans. Let us unite because in this country, we are all visitors, just like those who are in the “underground”. Let us give our fellow countrymen the support they need.
Grace Wangui
Tribalism Is Not A “Monster That Storms Meetings”
The article by Mr. Peter Njoroge could be an “eye-opener” to what happens in Narc-K Stockholm. Mr. Njoroge raises issues innocently without the advantage of background. In the process, he exposes the modus operandi of Narc-K Stockholm unconsciously. Let us examine some of the issues he brings to surface.
Mr. Njoroge says that when he asked why there were only Kikuyus present at the Narc-Stockholm meeting, he was told that ´´people were invited and everyone was welcome“. The truth is that only Kikuyus were invited to the meeting and what Njoroge could have done was to call some of his Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin, Kamba etc friends to find out if they had been invited.
In fact, members of the Kikuyu community who are known to take a stand against tribalism were also not invited to the meeting. A source which spoke to KSB and who was at the meeting as a Narc-Kenya supporter said that a member even asked why Pastor Beatrice Kamau had not been invited to the meeting. Pastor Kamau’s opposition to tribalism did not begin with her defection to ODM-Scandinavia and her failure to get invitation to the meeting was not strange.
Mr. Njoroge questions Pastor Beatrice’s membership in Narc-Stockholm and whether the Pastor had tried to address the issue of tribalism in the branch before she defected. This means that Mr. Njoroge is not aware that before Narc- Stockholm was set up, it was Pastor Beatrice who gathered Narc-K MPs at a dinner in Skarpnäck to plant the seeds of Narc-Stockholm.
The dinner was not organized exclusively to set up Narck-Stockholm but to expose Kenyans to the MPs and even ODM supporters were invited. It was after this meeting that Pastor Beatrice teamed up with one Narc Kenya sympathizer to discuss the possible formation of Narc-Stockholm. In fact, only two members of the current Narc-Stockholm line-up were at the meeting.
Within two days, the initiative had been hijacked by two Kenyans who hurried up a secret meeting in a house in Alby with the MPs and where invitation was through careful hand-picking. When Pastor Beatrice questioned the criteria of invitation, tribalists who had hijacked the MPs began to look at her with askance. It is at this point that leading and well known Kikuyu chauvinists were recruited into the Narc-Stockholm project, not just to begin an anti-Beatrice campaign but to design a strategy of kicking her out of the initiative because she was “dangerous”.
The ethnic foundation of Narc-Stockholm was eventually sealed when a “Kikuyu fundamentalist” declared before the gathering and in front of the MPs that Narc-K belongs to “The House of Mumbi”. Where was Mr. Njoroge or from his view, what does this statement mean? For those who were still slow in understanding the statement, the member also declared that those who had organized the meeting “should not apologize to anybody” for having organized the meeting as Kikuyus, prompting MP Alicen Chelaite to protest.
Chealite told the meeting that she was the MP of Rongai and that some of the Kenyans who elected her were Kikuyus. Chelaite’s intervention did not have any consequence because Narc-Stockholm initiative had already been taken over by Kikuyu chauvinists who also believe that Kenya belongs to Wakikuyu.
When the November 4th meeting came up, Pastor Beatrice was missing because the chauvinists did not want her “to rock the boat”. Njoroge’s article reveals that those around Narc-Stockholm are keeping their members ignorant about the brief Narc-Stockholm history and using deceit as a matter of survival.
For Mr. Njoroge, the Narc-Stockholm elections might have been “democratic”. What Njoroge and other innocent Kenyans slowly being sucked into the Narc-stockholm ethnic whirl pool is that Mr. Daniel Mwaura, the Narc-Stockholm Chairman, had already been “anointed” by MP Beth Mugo to lead Narc-Stockholm and that whatever happened at the “elections” on the 4th of November was a mere formality probably with members at the meeting not having been told of the dirty conspiracy.
In an email obtained by KSB, Mwaura wrote: “The assitant Ministers had special praises for Mr. Mwaura Njuguna who was officially crowned the Narc-Kenya Rep. in Scandinavia. Mr Mwaura was given a mandate to call the members again at an appropriate time to hold elections in order to fill all the posts”.
After the so called elections, Mwaura emerged as the Chairman because the elections had already been choreographed. In line with the fundamental principles of “The House of Mumbi” in Stockholm, The Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Secretary, the Vice secretary, the Treasurer, the Vice treasurer and four ordinary Narc-Stockholm Committee members are all from the “House of Mumbi” ie Kikuyus. The implication is that at Narc-Stockholm Committee meetings, there will be no problem with Kikuyu as the “official language”.
Mr. Njoroge wrote: “I did not feel the tribalism as so clearly pointed out in the above mentioned articles”. Tribalism is not an object you see with your naked eyes in a meeting or a stone that hits you on the head so that you feel terrible pain. Tribalism is subjective.
When everybody in a meeting to form a national political Party is a Kikuyu, in a meeting that only Kikuyus have been invited and after elections, all positions are taken up by Kikuyus, then that could be a better example of tribalism at work. If Mr. Njoroge is waiting for the “monster of tribalism” to storm a meeting so that everybody can see him or her, he will be in for a long wait, probably until Kingdom comes.
Okoth Osewe: makosewe@gmail.com
Dancan Munala Decries Killings And Growing Insecurity In Kenya
It concerns me that the self-styled Mungiki sect is killing innocent Kenyans in front of Kenyan security personnel and without government intervention.
These criminals are everywhere in Nairobi. It is very stupid for the Kenyan Government to say that they cannot trace these criminals when I can see them all the way from Sweden. They are at Matatu terminals, market centers and villages. In fact, some of them have agents in the government.
The killings in Kenya in the past two months cannot be justified under any circumstance. With its inability to contain the worsening security situation in Kenya, the government has lost credibility in the eyes of the public. It is very surprising that even the opposition is silent in the middle of killings that have hit our Nation with Nairobi city being the worst affected in the latest attacks.
Kenyans who are being killed are the very citizens who helped the Narc government to kick former dictator Daniel arap Moi out of power. Opposition against the Wako draft constitution had its base and support among those now being killed while it is the same people who helped bring about political pluralism that forced the registration of alternative political parties in Kenya, just to name but a few.
How can any Kenyan in a position to prevent these acts of murder justify the despicable killings going on in our country? Where are the norms relating to our Nation? Are those being killed also citizens in a democratic Kenya in which fundamental human rights and freedoms pre-suppose the centrality of the law of the land? For how long are our people going to be killed like animals in the woods.
Those being murdered are people who are poor and jobless while their lives have been made hopeless. The worst thing in the situation is to take the lives of these Kenyans because that’s the only “property” they own. The Kenyans being killed are supposed to be sharing “common values” our politicians sing about every day claiming that they respect these values. Can the government and its supporters maintain their repressive policies without resistance?
When the cost of maintaining an asset becomes too high, it becomes a liability and the owner disposes of it. The Kibaki government needs to be disposed of. Using various methods, the government has failed to dominate Kenyans and now, the Kibaki regime is watching as armed gangs kill innocent people. The Kibaki government has failed to convince Kenyans on the origin of the on going violence and now they are telling as that 7 people are dead because of control of changaa, an illegal brew. The truth is that the government has a hand in the killings.
The escalating violence and random killing of innocent Kenyans are likely to fool Kenyans that the violence is not targeting one tribe. Yes it is one tribe! The tribe of the poor which has been the most affected by the may hem. Kenyans will definitely see beyond the current killings. The ruling class is condoning the murders because they want to scare people from voting for the opposition in 2007 but this strategy will not work. A person cannot be forced to believe that the random killings in Kenya is accidental. Kibaki and his group have failed to address issues that are of common concerns to poor Kenyans and the fear of losing elections is driving the regime to abet the killing of its own people. This is a shame!
Dancan Munala
Peter Njoroge Speaks About Narc-Stockholm
I write this because as a Kenyan I cannot resist to worry about the course we are taking in the name of better politics for Kenya. It concerns an article published in the Kenya Stockholm Blog after Pastor Beatrice Kamau “defected” to ODM-Scandinavia and an article titled ´Tribalism in Kenya is a class issue says Helen Opwapo’. Both articles were written by Okoth Osewe on the 5th of November.
The words used to criticize Narc-Kenya Scandinavia or, more so, members of that party and its leaders, were very sharp and damning, and should be so if they meant, not to revile but to reveal the truth and attack tribalism. All Kenyans should do so.
But I fail to feel the good meant in them. Instead I feel hatred and anger by Kenyans, directed to Kenyans. It is through debate and discussion that we come out with better solutions and Nation- building measures. If this is not possible, we can just choose not to agree and respect that.
But the choice of words in these articles and their sharpness is not meant to sooth, but rather, to widen the gap that sadly, has exposed itsself in our community.
Until now, I never thought I would experience tribalism between Kenyan ethnic groups here in Sweden. I have never personally come across it anywhere or through anyone of my friends here. Maybe I have been “tribe-blind”, but here it is. That’s a pity and saddening.
I went to the Narc-Kenya Scandinavia’s second meeting held on Saturday the 4th of this month and I can sincerely say that I did not notice any tribal function in it. I did not go there nor did I decide to join it as a Kikuyu, but as a Kenyan citizen with a democratic right to do so. In that meeting, I asked about the big turn out of Kikuyus and the absence of other ethnic groups to which I got the answer that ´´people were invited and everyone was welcome“, not just Kikuyus, but all Kenyans and even other nationalities willing to support Narc-Kenya Scandinavia. I did not feel the tribalism as so clearly pointed out in the above mentioned articles.
It was at this meeting that a committee was formed and leaders elected democratically by those present. From then, that is Saturday 4th, the party opened for membership. Pastor Beatrice, who was not present at this crucial meeting, appeared in this blog (KSB) the next day already having defected to ODM-Scandinavia. Questions are was she a member of Narc-Kenya before anybody else in Scandinavia? And if so, did she as per her political experience do something or say something to try to change the tribal situation she witnessed? It sure took her a short time to decide and change her views and, by Jesus, let us hope that there was nothing selfish in her move.
We now have two of Kenyans hottest parties represented in Scandinavia, we should not allow ourselves to be blown away by the ethnic cyclone blowing back home. We do not have to engage in the tribal cat fights so eminent in our leaders back home. We should be congratulating each other on the recent democratic development in our community here in Sweden and set an example for everybody back home. Or should we destroy the brotherhood and solidarity we have been trying to build amongst our selves, just because we now belong in different parties?
Criticize to build but not to put down our brothers and sisters. Debate for a healthier mind and a stronger society! I believe that we should all maintain respect, truth and conviction if we want to fight and win the war on tribalism for a better Kenyan society in Scandinavia and aiming for brighter days for our nation.
I congratulate the elect leaders in both parties and salute the respective members. Now that we have taken our places, lets do our best for what we believe in, and not waste our energies in hate. I write this as a private entity and not as a Narc-Kenya(S) representative. One love, one Kenya.
Peter Njoroge aka Njoro
Recent Comments
Swedish playa on Kenyan Woman Battered By Swedi… Ukweli Mtupu! on Fresh and Shocking Video of Wi… Kikuyu mafiosos on Ten Reasons Why Kikuyu Ruling… Naked truth! on Fresh and Shocking Video of Wi… Laibon Stand up or p… on 11 Kenyan Women Caught Having… NEW: COUNTRY STATS
