“I am Not A Witness In The Alby Fracas Case” – Muirani
Mr. Githuku wa Muirani, a Kenyan resident in Stockholm, has said that he is not a witness in the Alby fracas case which was reported to police after a Kenyan claimed that he had been assaulted. Mr. Muirani told KSB that there are several rumors circulating among Kenyans in Stockholm city that he is one of the key witnesses in the case.
“As far as I am concerned, I am not a witness in the case and those spreading rumors that I am involved are doing so out of their own motives”, Mr. Muirani told KSB.
Mr. Muirani is one of the Kenyans who was present at the Alby pub where a Kenyan was allegedly beaten. He said that he does not know if the matter is a police case and that he learnt about the police angle at KSB.
“Kenyans in Stockholm should stop cheap rumors and personal vendetta against one another. My name should not be dragged in the story because I don’t want to get involved”, he said.
The Kenyan said that his political enemies are taking advantage of the story to spread lies around his good name.
“Whoever is spreading these rumors has ulterior motives. I know that my political enemies are using the story to gain mileage but this will not work”, he said.
Two Kenyans, namely Jane Karanja and John Muchiri, have since come up and said that the story which was published at KSB about the incident may have been exaggerated to give the impression that there was a big fight at the pub.
While taking a position on what allegedly transpired at the pub, Mr. Muirani said that he agrees with the version which was given by Jane Karanja to the effect that on the material day, the Kenyan at the center of the story was simply “slapped on the back” and not beaten with “rungu-like” blows.
Mr. Muirani also said that the discussion that was on the table at that time did not focus on Mungiki but on Kikuyu culture.
MUNGIKI KILLINGS
Turning to the situation in Kenya, Mr. Muirani condemned the recent killings of innocent civilians by people claiming to be Mungiki. He joined those calling for dialogue with Mungiki to solve the problem.
“The government should open dialogue with known Mungiki leaders to get to the root cause of the problem”, he said.
“Both the government and the opposition have a hand in Mungiki”, he said, adding that both sides are trying to settle scores using the sect.
“Mungiki might also have been infiltrated by criminals who are killing people” Mr. Muirani said.
Mr. Muirani said that the youth in Kenya are idle and that under such circumstances, it was easy for them to be recruited by Mungiki.
The Kenyan said that the government should either charge Mungiki leader Mr. Maina Njenga or release him. He also called for the withdrawal of GSU personnel from Mr. Maina’s residence at Kitengela arguing that since Maina’s home was secured by police, investigations should have been completed by now.
“The problem is that supporters of Mr. Njenga and other sympathizers might be resorting to killing people because their leader has been locked in for too long”, Mr. Muirani told KSB. He said that Mungiki was set up as a cultural watch-dog and explained that those killing people might be extremists within the Movement and criminals with a different agenda.
Mr. Muirani condemned the current harassment of MP Mwandawiro Mghanga and other politicians who have been arrested by security forces and locked in police cells for days on claims that they are linked to Mungiki.
“The government knows those behind the killings”, he told KSB.
Okoth Osewe
Another Kenyan Arrested For Raping A Swedish Woman
A Kenyan national has been arrested after allegedly raping a Swedish woman in Stockholm. Details are still scanty. But according to a source, the Kenyan was taken in police custody after allegedly raping a 47 year old woman.
The issue is so serious that the news was reported in Swedish national television although the identity of the Kenyan was concealed as per Swedish press laws. At the time of the incident, the Kenyan was legally married to a white Swedish citizen.
It is still not clear whether the Kenyan allegedly raped his wife or whether he raped another woman. The Swedish woman the Kenyan is married to is also advanced in years and Kenyan observers speculated that the case could be connected to a “wife rape”. KSB has been unable to reach the Kenyan’s Swedish wife for comment and efforts are still being made to get in touch with her.
The case comes barely a week after it was reported that another Kenyan is in police custody after allegedly raping a white Swedish girl he had been residing with since October last year. The Kenyan was also suspected to have assaulted the woman after taking away his freedom.
Okoth Osewe
Video Upload: Oloo Meets Wakenya In Stockholm
This part contains Onyango Oloo’s main address to Wakenya and friends. To watch the video, CLICK HERE.
Okoth Osewe.
Video Upload: Onyango Oloo Stockholm Meeting-Part One
On Thursaday 7th June 2007, Mr. Onyango Oloo, a Kenyan social Justice activist, met Kenyans in Stockholm and talked about diverse issues. Mr. Oloo began his address by reading a statement by Mwandawiro Mghanga in connection with the current intimidation and harassment of the MP by the Kibaki dictatorship. The video footage has been released in different parts. in this edition, readers are treated to part one of the footage. To watch the video, CLICK HERE.
Okoth Osewe
“Ukweli Wa Mambo” Download (May-June 2007)
“Ukweli wa Mambo” is a Swahili Newsletter produced by Hon Mwandawiro Mghanga who is currently being harassed by the Kibaki dictatorship using false accusations that he is a member of Mungiki. KSB will soon set up an “Ukweli Wa Mambo” link so that readers can follow the Mwandawiro contributions. Mwandawiro has been exiled in Sweden and returned to Kenya to practice politics.
It is therefore unthinkable that a government that was elected on a platform of change could begin to harass and intimidate a patriotic Kenyan like Mwandawiro who has made great contributions to the struggle for democracy and human rights in Kenya. Hon Mwandawiro has not only gone to jail because of his political beliefs but was also forced into exile soon after his release from prison.
KSB condemns the current intimidation of Hon Mwandawiro by the Kibaki government which is using false pretences to take Mwandawiro out of the scene because of fear that Mwandawiro is radicalizing his constituents especially on the thorny issue of stolen land in Wundanyi constituency which he represents. Thousands of people in Wundanyi are landless while a few rich land owners have grabbed thousands of acres of land in the constituency.
The situation is the same in the Rift valley where thousands of Kenyans are landless while white Europeans are still owning vast pieces of land stolen from Wananchi. Just like all progressive Kenyans, KSB will continue to defend Mwandawiro against witch hunting and unfounded attacks by the Kibaki government. To download the newsletter (in pdf), point to the following link: Ukweli Wa Mambo .
Okoth Osewe
Mid Summer Nyama Choma By MAD
To mark the “MIDSOMMAR”, Making A Difference(M.A.D.) is hosting a BBQ(NYAMACHOMA) at Fittjastrand on the 23rd of June 2007 and thereafter an all nite jam at Albyskolan (IDs).
The event will kick off at 2pm with lots of fun games and other activities suitable for the entire family. Food and drinks will be at affordable prices. Karibuni nyote!
for further information contact 0739709573,0737803451,0737833246 email:bkenya2001@yahoo.com
Catherine Maundu
Breaking News: Bomb Explosion At Ambassador Hotel In Nairobi
A bomb has exploded at the Ambassador Hotel in Nairobi. The bomb went off shortly before 9.00 this morning. Rescue teams have rushed to the scene while police investigators are also said to be at the scene.
Okoth Osewe
Breaking News: Ramogi Achieng Oneko Is Dead
Ramogi Achieng Oneko, a well known Kenyan freedom fighter, is dead. Oneko is known as a member of the “Kapenguria six” who were captured and detained by British colonialists in Kenya. Oneko was born in 1920 at tien’ga village in uyoma sub location in Rarienda constituency. During his last days, he was a supporter of President Mwai Kibaki and Raphael Tuju, MP of Rarieda constituency.
Okoth Osewe
Mungiki: “Hands Off Mwandawiro Mghanga”, Says Pastor Beatrice Kamau
Pastor Beatrice Kamau has said that the Kibaki government should keep its hands off Honourable Mwandawiro Mghanga whom the government has tried to link with Mungiki sect, an underground Movement that has been beheading Kenyans in an orgy of cold blooded murders that have shocked Kenyan citizens and the International community alike.
Speaking to KSB, Pastor Beatrice said that the government knows who are behind Mungiki and that the Kibaki government should not therefore use the Movement to throw mud on respected and revolutionary politicians like Mwandawiro.
“I have worked with Mwandawiro here in Sweden for several years and I know him politically. Mwandawiro is too ideological to be engaged with a criminal organization like Mungiki”, Pastor Beatrice told KSB.
She said that Mungiki is a tiny organization and that if the government cannot contain it with the vast state resources at its disposal, then Kenya has no government.
Mwandawiro should not be harassed simply because he has been in the frontlines in fighting against the landless in Kenya.
“Mwandawiro’s political stand is well known and there is no way the Kibaki government will be able to deceive Kenyans who know Mwandawiro that he is connected to Mungiki”, Pastor Beatrice said.
“There are watch dogs examining events in Kenya very carefully. We are studying the lies being told around Mwandawiro with keen interest. The Kibaki government should be warned that there are people in Sweden and around the world who will not sit by and watch Mwandawiro’s reputation destroyed by the corrupt government that Kibaki leads”, she said. “We will respond to defend Mwandawiro from false attacks”, she added
Pastor Beatrice said that what Kenyans are witnessing today reflects the situation during the Mwakenya crackdown when the dictatorship of Daniel arap Moi used to arrest, intimidate, harass and imprison innocent Kenyans using Mwakenya.
“The days of harassing and intimidating Kenyans by connecting them to criminal or underground organizations like Mwakenya are over. We will never be taken back because Kenyans shed blood for the current democratic gains in the country”, she said.
“The risk is that if Kenyans cannot speak up forcefully on how the Mungiki killings are being used by the government for political reasons, Kenya may begin to degenerate the way Rwanda did”, Pastor Beatrice told KSB.
NON KIKUYUS CANNOT BE MEMBERS OF MUNGIKI
“Mwandawiro is a fighter for democracy and it is a big shame that the Kibaki government is trying to link him to Mungiki”, she said.
The Pastor said that it is a well known fact that Mungiki has publicly declared that non Kikuyus cannot join the movement because of the Kikuyu rituals involved.
“Mwandawiro is a Taita so how comes that for the first time, it is being claimed that a Taita is a member of a criminal organization reserved for Kikuyus?”, she posed.
Pastor Beatrice stated that Mungiki started as a Kikuyu cultural organization but added that at the moment, it is a terror organization killing innocent civilians in the name of the culture. She condemned the killings that have shocked Kenyans and members of the International community, saying that Movements like Mungiki have no place in modern Kenya.
“Cabinet Ministers have been named as having been linked to Mungiki. These are the people the government should arrest, not Mwandawiro”, she said emphatically.
Mwandawiro has today released a personal statement regarding the fraudulent connections the government is trying to make between him and Mungiki. The MP is currently out on bail after recording a statement with police.
For Kenyans in Stockholm, the issue is very sensitive because it is a demonstration that returning to Kenyan to practice politics to build the nation does not exclude the fact that one can still be targeted by the government using false accusations.
Okoth Osewe
Alby Fracas: Two Kenyans Challenge The Facts
Two Kenyans have come up to refute facts in a story that appeared in KSB recently which was connected to a fracas between two Kenyans at a pub in Alby. Jane Karanja, a well known Kenyan in Stockholm, called KSB and said that whoever gave the story distorted it for personal reasons. She said that she was at the scene and wished to correct a few distortions.
According to Jane, there was no fight between two Kenyans as had been reported. “We were many Kenyans there and people were drinking. They were arguing Kiwakenya. But nobody fought anybody”, she told KSB.
She said that what happened is that a Kenyan got a “slap on the back” in the process of gesticulating and that this did not amount to a fight. She also said that there was no discussion about Mungiki.
“We were having a discussion about Kikuyu culture, not Mungiki”, she said. She pointed out that the “Mungiki” tag that was given to a Kenyan who was allegedly involved in the fracas was wrong.
“Talking about Kikuyu culture does not make one a Mungiki. We discuss Kenyan culture all the time and this is what happened”, she said.
Jane told KSB that she simply wanted to put the record straight. She said that the Mungiki angle to the story was not correct and that whoever informed KSB about the story mixed two issues.
“There was a time when the Mungiki story came up but that was at a different forum, not at the Alby pub”, she said.
Jane told KSB that a group of Kenyans who were at the party are wondering why some members of the community could have gone out with false information about the incident. The alleged fracas is currently a police case.
Jane said that she doesn’t know why the incident was reported to police because as far as she is concerned, there was no “rungu-like” blows as reported in KSB. She also said that nobody’s face was deformed as had been reported.
She said that at a time when Mungiki is killing Kenyans back home, it is very dangerous to stamp any individual with a Mungiki badge here in Stockholm especially without evidence.
She was adamant that there is a conspiracy by some people who were present at Alby pub to malign others by exaggerating what happened. “I think there are people with personal differences which they wanted to sought out using the incident”, she said.
John Muchiri, another Kenyan who was present, told KSB that he was one of the last people to leave the pub and that there was no fight. He was also surprised to read about the story.
“It is true that Wakenya discuss about Mungiki from time to time and that when we talk, it can be like we are fighting each other. But on this day, I wish to be quoted that there was no fight and the Mungiki thing did not come up. This is the truth”, Jane told KSB.
She said that those who were there have narrowed down individuals who might have given the story and that they know why it was given.
“We know that one of them is a witness in the case but let the matter come up in court because everybody witnessed what happened”, she said.
KSB talked to three Kenyans who were at the scene before publishing the story. Jane did not however refute other aspects of the story but was sure that the fighting part and the Mungiki part were taken out of context.
“It amounts to character assassination and this is not good”, she concluded. She appreciated the fact that KSB was ready to give a different version of what happened at Alby, arguing that the matter has become of very serious concern to Wakenya who were present.
Okoth Osewe
RELATED:
Kenya Action: All Roads Lead To Nosrborg Musikuset
If you have just switched on your computer and you are looking for action over the week-end, the place is Norsborg Musikhuset. Sound of blackness is throwing the Kenya “Summer Jam”, the first major Party since the Swedish sun started burning skins following cold winter. DJ Frank and DJ Safi will be spinning.
It is almost a month since Wakenya walikutana and the Summer Jam is expected to facilitate face to face contacts once again. Party geeks who arrive before 22 hrs will not pay anything but will save 60 kr. Music is expected to be a mixture although Kenya music is expected to dominate because a bigger part of the crowd is expected to be Wakenya.
As a group, Sound of Blackness crew is slowly establishing a name as a formidable force to recon with in the Kenya-Stockholm entertainment industry and this time round, one can only sit and hope that the good times they have given Wakenya in the past will simply be repeated. The Party is good for latest “hot Kenya” gossip and propaganda and KSB will be there to capture it live!
Okoth Osewe
Mwandawiro Mghanga’s Personal Statement On Mungiki
Mwandawiro Mghanga: Persecution by the police and false propaganda against me will not remove me from pursuing the revolutionary road that embodies truth and social justice.
Embargoed for Release at Professional Centre, Nairobi at 9.00 AM, Saturday, 9th June 2007
On Thursdsay 24th May I learned from The Standard newspaper that I was required to report to the police to make a statement concerning Mungiki and that the police believe I have information concerning the outlawed sect. I immediately called my homes in Nairobi and Wundanyi to find out whether indeed there was any communication from the police requiring that I report to them. I learned that in fact the police had not contacted any of my homes. Neither had they contacted my office in Parliament nor bothered to call me on phone. I, therefore, decided that the police did not require me as reported by the press. As such I could not respond and take myself to the police just because of what the press had written. If the police wanted me they would always contact me. After all I am a Member of Parliament and a public figure.
I spent the day in Kisii accompanying the ODM – Kenya presidential candidate, Honourable Raila Odinga, during which we addressed several political rallies. I received many calls from my constituents, relatives, friends and colleagues from all over the country and the world who wanted to find out whether I was ‘safe’ or had been arrested by the police. I laboured to inform them that apart from what I had read in the press I knew nothing about the police looking for me. I told them I was in Kisii addressing political rallies in broad daylight and that if in fact the police wanted me they would either communicate to me directly or even arrest me as I was neither hiding nor had I anything to hide.
Not surprising therefore, I was shocked that evening to hear from the radios and televisions that the police were looking for me, and again in connection with Mungiki. But I once again decided I was not going to deal with the police through the press. If they wanted me they could always reach me. After all Kisii is in Kenya and I was operating openly before the public.
I spent the next day, Friday, in Kisii accompanying Raila and addressing public rallies. Throughout Saturday I was in Kericho, Buret, Sotik and Bomet addressing political rallies and attending funerals in the entourage of Raila. People would wonder why it was being reported in the press that the police were looking for me yet I was operating openly before them and the press, presumably with the full knowledge of the security forces.
On Saturday evening I saw the despicable news of politicians Adolf Muchiri and George Nyanja being hounded and arrested by the police as though they were dangerous thugs and all in connection with Mungiki. I realised that the same thing could happen to me sooner or later. However, this did not worry me as I know I am a good citizen, leader and human being who has neither wronged anyone nor committed any crime. Besides, I have undergone so much suffering and humiliation under Kenya’s security forces and oppressive policies in the past that I cannot be threatened and intimidated by arrogant fellows who control state power which many times they turn against innocent people. But at the same time, I was and still is very sad to learn that the history of pain, torture and humiliation that I had gone through was now repeating itself in my country.
I have returned to Nairobi and requested my lawyers to ascertain whether the police actually required me to make a statement and to use the courts to inform them that as a law abiding citizen I was ready to go to the police wherever and whenever they required me to do so. However, I was determined that this time round, through the courts, I would resist being arrested, dumped into cells, humiliated and tortured. After all I am Mwandawiro Mghanga, the MP for Wundanyi and above all a Kenyan and human being who loves freedom and cherishes his rights.
Through the law process, my lawyers James Orengo, Wanyiri Kihoro and Nga’ang’a Thiongo informed me that the court had ordered the police not to arrest me and that I was required to report to the CID national headquarters on Tuesday 5th June to make a statement concerning Mungiki. I did exactly that and spent about nine hours with the CID where I made the following statement,
1. That I am not and has never been a member of Munguki.
2. That I know Maina Njenga and I have visited him many times in Kamiti Maximum Prison and in the High Courts and that this does not make me a member of Mungiki. As a matter of fact, many Kenyans both from the civil society and government, including members of parliament and cabinet ministers, know Njenga, yet they have not been required to make statements to the police concerning Mungiki.
3. That I have on two occasions raised the matter of Mungiki in Parliament concerning the property of Maina Njenga at Kitengela that was unjustly occupied by the police. As a Member of Parliament, I do not only represent Wundanyi but also Kenya as in parliament we make national laws that affect all Kenyans. I also pledged to uphold the Constitution at all times. Therefore, when a person – regardless – of where he comes from approaches me with a complaint concerning his rights that he or she thinks are being violated – and I have reasonable ground to agree with him or her in this regard – it is my duty as a good Member of Parliament to take the matter and even raise it in parliament. That is what I did with the case of Maina Njenga. May I also mention that as a revolutionary I have the moral obligation to stand for the truth and what is just at all times, even if it endangers my own interests and reputation in life. I cannot sit and watch injustice being perpetrated against any human being anywhere, whatever he is perceived to be in society. I am above that.
4. That it is character assassination for the police, the press and anybody or authority to continue publishing information that suggest that I am a bad person who is part of insecurity in the country. To insinuate that I am connected to criminal activities that are causing murder, fear and terror in the country is mudslinging my name and its criminal in itself. As a matter of fact, I have been arrested, detained without trial, imprisoned, tortured and forced into exile in the past but for purely political reasons and never for criminal activities. I am therefore greatly concerned about the insecurity in the country and I condemn very vehemently whoever is responsible for the loss of life of citizens and the police in Nairobi, Central Province and throughout the country. The sooner such criminals are brought to book the better. As a Member of Parliament I preach peace and only peace in Wundanyi and as a consequence I preside over one of the most peaceful constituencies in the country. I desire such peace for the whole country.
5.That members of the Mungiki sect have been with us in Kenya for a long time. They have participated in the activities of the civil society and those of political parties. They have associated with members of parliament and cabinet ministers both in the present regime and in the Moi regime. Again, the press often reports about public meetings of Mungiki sect in Nairobi, Central Province and Rift Valley. In short, to pretend that Mungiki has just appeared from the blues and is known only to the likes of Mwandawiro Mghanga, is hypocrisy beyond description that I will never be part of.
6. That nobody, whether Mungiki or not, is above the law and should be allowed to break the law with impunity. I personally condemn any acts of terror and mayhem that have led to pain, suffering and the loss of lives particularly in Nairobi slums and Central Province. The government has the responsibility of ensuring the security of all Kenyans and their property and must deal with this problem with expediency. However, dealing with the problem of Mungiki and insecurity should not lead to state terrorism against the poor in Central Province and Nairobi slums. The problem of Mungiki cannot be solved by violating the human rights of poor and oppressed citizens and allowing security forces to commit acts that are tantamount to genocide and that increase the problem of insecurity in the country rather than solving it.
7. The problem of Mungiki cannot be solved through lies, hypocrisy, threats, intimidation and brutality from the state. In fact, the sustainable solution to the problem lies with dealing with the naked truth which is that political leaders, especially from Central Province – but all the whole country – have known and dealt with Mungiki in one way or the other and that they cannot run away from this truth. For the problem is as political as it is criminal. Only truth and nothing but the truth can save this country from the current state of insecurity. What I am saying is that in dealing with the Mungiki crisis, the state should distinguish between Mungiki as an illegal sect and criminal acts within or associated with Mungiki the illegal sect. The hard and concrete reality that Kenyans must accept is that there are certainly people who are die hard Mungiki Sect and who are not necessarily criminals but who have been turned into criminals by declaring Mungiki an illegal sect and thus driving them underground. And God knows it is not easy to deal with an underground phenomenon. At the same time there are criminals who commit murder, robbery, extortion, terror, etc. in the illegal Mungiki sect or in their name. Mixing the two issues and therefore resorting to brutal force and only brutal force as a method of solving the problem will not succeed in bringing about a sustainable solution to the problem.
8. Finally, the present Mungiki crisis is a national crisis. Any attempt to make it seem that it is a tribal crisis belonging to the Kikuyu in Nairobi, Central Province and the Rift Valley is wrong and reactionary to say the least. Tribalising the issue of Mungiki will only escalate the problem and may even lead to genocide. In any case, Nairobi, Central Province and Rift Valley provinces are in Kenya and the people who live there are Kenyans regardless as to whether they are Kikuyus or other ethnic groups. What continues to happen to them will impact on the whole country directly and indirectly. But more fundamental, as Kenyans, we have the duty to demand and work for the security, peace and human rights of all Kenyans wherever they live and irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or beliefs.
Mwandawiro Mghanga, MP for Wundanyi
Related:
Kenyan Player Based in Sweden Headed For Bigger Things
Story by CHRIS MUSUMBA
Harambee Stars and Helsingborgs midfielder McDonald Mariga has had the strongest indication yet that he is headed for a bigger league next season. A report on the Skysports website says Mariga’s Sweedish first division club Helsingborgs last week turned down Sh224.4 million (£1.7million) bid from English Premier League side Portsmouth for the Kenya international.
Harry Redknapp the Portsmouth coach has already been busy in the transfer market this summer but is looking to bring in more reinforcements before the start of the new season.
Reports in a top Swedish paper Sportbladet say Mariga is on the verge of quitting the Swedish premier league leaders for better deals in England.
Mariga’s agent Patrik Mork says is aware of Pompey’s interest in the player, but insists the former Tusker player has also attracted attention from several other clubs.
“There has been talk about Portsmouth,” Mork told Sportbladet, “But there are many clubs who have asked about his price. Seven or eight clubs are very interested.”
Helsingborgs director Paul Myllenberg has refused to confirm whether an offer has been rejected.
“I can’t talk about that, but he is much in demand,” Myllenberg was quoted saying.
Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands), Lille (France) and CSKA Moscow (Russia) are among the other clubs reportedly interested in Mariga. The Kenyan midfielder has been in Sweden for two seasons and has impressed many. He was instrumental in Harambee Stars campaign in the Africa cup of Nations despite the national team performing badly. He scored in Kenya’s home win against Swaziland in March.
At Helsingborgs, Mariga plays alongside Sweden’s former international Henrik Larsson who has also played for Manchester United, Barcelona, Celtic
A report posted last month on Ajax’s website said coach Henk at Cate and scout John Stone Olsen were at Helsingborgs to among other things, watch Mariga play.
However, the coach refused to confirm if he will be signing Mariga. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that Ajax are ready to pay Sh506 million (Euro 5.5 million) for the Kenyan international. Mariga is rated higher at Helsingborgs. However, at Cate said that he was in Sweden to meet his former friend Henrik Larsson whom he knew while they were at Barcelona.
Reports in England suggest that Harry Redknapp has turned to Portsmouth owner Alexandre Gaydamak for more transfer funds ahead of what he expects to be “the toughest Premier League ever”.
After committing a reported Sh924 million (£7million) to make Ghana ace Sulley Muntari the club’s new record signing, manager Redknapp admits he is banking on Fratton Park supremo Gaydamak to keep spending during the transfer window.
But Redknapp, who has already recruited three new stars for next season’s Premiership campaign and has pledged to bring in at least three more. Portsmouth are looking forward to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish.
They missed out on what would have been their maiden UEFA Cup place by just two points on the final day of the season when they drew 1-1 with Arsenal. It was still Pompey’s best top-flight finish for 52 years.
Copyright: Daily Nation
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HIV Positive “Kenyan Rapist” And Swedish Media Bias Against Africans
The Case of an HIV positive Kenyan who allegedly raped two Swedish women and infected them with HIV was mentioned in court on Friday to pave the way for the Kenyan to be held incommunicado as “investigations continue”.
No doubt, rape cases and indiscriminate spreading of the HIV virus are vices which should be condemned by all right thinking people in any society. .
For many Kenyans in Sweden, the case of this countryman (which has been playing itself in the Swedish media) is very disturbing while it also raises certain pertinent questions that require a sober examination with a view to understanding the sophisticated bias and implicit racism by the Swedish media especially when it comes to explosive and negative stories that could promote stereotypical perceptions of Africans in this country.
To begin with, the 35 year old Kenyan is still a suspect but he has already been found guilty by the media which has dubbed him “HIV mannen” (HIV man). This is a term which, within the context of the Swedish media, is specifically reserved for people who have spread the HIV virus on a “mass scale”.
Mhadi Tayeb, an HIV positive Iranian national who was one of the first ppeople to earn this title in 1998, allegedly had sexual contact with over 130 Swedish women. His identity (including his picture) was quickly published in the Swedish media because he was “a security threat” to the Swedish nation by virtue of the fact that he was still on the lose. He later fled to Iran where he was arrested after being on the run for five years. The Iranians refused to extradite him to Sweden.
“Hot Boy”, an HIV positive white British male who hooked over 130 Swedish girls out of which about ten have tested positive, may have been put in his right place by being referred to as “HIV mannen” by the Swedish media. He was arrested about two weeks ago. But what about the Kenyan?
According to an admission in court on Friday by the Kenyan suspect, he had sexual contact with the two Swedish women although he has denied raping or infecting them with HIV. On the strength of the two contacts, the question which has to be posed in why he is being referred to as “HIV mannen” in the Swedish media thereby giving the impression that he has been running around with countless Swedish women and infecting them with HIV.
WHO INFECTED WHO WITH HIV VIRUS?
To try and justify the image of a dangerous criminal who has been on the run, the police have been quoted in the media as saying that the Kenyan “might have infected many women”. So far, there has been no list of girls claiming to have had sexual intercourse with the Kenyan or who have undergone tests to establish their HIV status so why is this Kenyan being called “HIV mannen” without justification and why is the police suggesting that he might have infected many white girls without producing a shred of evidence?
According to police, the Kenyan allegedly infected a 14 year old Swedish girl with the virus. The point that is not being deepened enough by the Swedish media is that this infection allegedly took place two years ago in an alleged incident of rape. The terrible crime of raping a 14 year old white Swedish girl by the then 34 year old Kenyan was never reported to police and therefore it was never investigated. What was the parents of this fourteen year old doing and how comes there was no report?
Sexual exploitation of a 14 year old is a crime in Sweden and a repugnant act that is morally unacceptable. The Kenyan has admitted that he had sex with this girl. By implication, the Kenyan has admitted having committed a crime. For this crime to be proven, it must also be proven that the intercourse took place by force.
This is a task that might be difficult especially in a situation where the alleged crime took place two years ago but was never reported to police. For a rape case to stand, medical proof is key and this cannot be done when the crime was reported 24 months later. On the basis of a claim that a 14 year old white Swedish girl (now 16) was raped two years ago, a Kenyan is being held incommunicado. The crime is deemed too serious that even his blood brother and legal wife have been denied access to him. Is this the way justice works in this country?
According to Metro newspaper of 13th June 2007, the Kenyan also raped and infected a 57 year old with HIV. But, according to Dagens Nyheter 16th May 2007, the elderly woman is actually 58 years old. Once again, the crime was allegedly committed two years ago although the geezer never reported the terrible crime to police. It was in January this year when the old woman just walked into a police station and stated that the Kenyan raped her two years ago. What has she been doing and when did she test herself?
Even after the late report, police never took any action because “they were busy” with other more serious stuff. It was last Saturday when police walked into the Kenyan’s apartment and arrested him in front of his wife. The question is: Should readers just accept the facts as they are being presented in the media or should there be a second look at the circumstances?
Then we come to the hardest part which is difficult to delve into unless details of the case are also made available. For now, I will speculate from a safe distance. Who infected who with the virus and where is the proof?
“AFRICANS HAVE HIV” PROPAGANDA AT WORK
Most likely, the Kenyan must have tested positive before his arrest on Saturday. So far, there is no hard evidence that has been produced to prove that either of the Swedish sexual contacts did not infect the Kenyan with HIV. Assuming that he first had sex with the 14 year old at a time when the 14 year old had not been tested, where is the proof that the 14 year old did not have HIV when she spread out her legs to the Mkenya? There are people who have been walking around with the HIV virus for years without telling anybody so chances are there.
Two years is a long time when the 14 year old might have been running around with boys of all ages. Is there any way of establishing (beyond reasonable doubt) the number of boys the 14 year old has had sexual contacts with since she last distributed the goods to the Mkenya?
Given the “Africans have Aids” propaganda in the Swedish media, a rape case of a 14 year old white Swedish girl by an African could, under normal circumstances, have triggered an HIV test almost immediately to be followed by another test after six months because of the incubation period of the HIV virus. Since this did not happen, who will ever know if the minor contracted the virus six or eight months ago then remembered her quickie with the African before rushing to police to make her claims?
It is unfortunate that some African junkies within the blog community have already swallowed the Swedish media version of the story and are now payukaring uncritically from left, right and center. There are a myriad points that do not add up in this so called “HIV Mannen” story and it will be very interesting to see how the court handles it.
If the case sticks, Wakenya who have had relationships with white Swedish girls before dumping them might have reasons to worry. You might be preparing to go to work one morning only for police to knock on your door telling you that you are under arrest because you repeatedly raped a Swedish woman three years ago even if you never infected her with HIV.
In Sweden, rape cases are big business in terms of compensation and when the element of HIV infection is involved, only the alleged circumstances and medical reports dictate the price.
We are not trying to defend a crime here. From the perspective of KSB, the Swedish media reports have been unjustifiably biased against the Kenyan suspect and this is not new. KSB is following the case.
Okoth Osewe
June 16, 2007 Posted by makozewe | Commentary | Leave a Comment