Kofi Annan Not Coming To Kenya
Geneva. Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan has postponed his mission to Kenya “for a few days” after being taken ill with severe flu, according to a statement released Tuesday, AFP informs.
On his way to the airport in Geneva this morning, former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan was taken ill with a severe flu. On advice of doctors he has postponed his mission to Nairobi for a few days,” the UN here said in a statement.
Anti-Kibaki Demos In US And Britain
As Kenyans demonstrated outside the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm on Friday 11th January, similar demonstrations were also taking place in the United States and Britain. A new group calling itself Kenyans for Peace, Democracy and Justice organized the US demo.
The demos were occasioned by the rigging of elections by Dictator Mwai Emilio Kibaki who installed himself secretly as President of Kenya less than an hour after rigging elections.
The Kenyans in the United States handed over a note to the US State Department calling on the US government to take the position that Kibaki must step down on grounds that he stole the vote.
Outside the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm, ODM-Scandinavia made similar demands and warned the US against using opportunistic language in the situation by advising President elect Raila Amollo Odinga to talk to Kibaki.
The biggest demo was however held in London where there is a huge Kenyan presence as compared to Stockholm. In London, speakers urged for a quick solution to the crisis, arguing that Kenyans were dying needlessly.
New anti-Kibaki actions are expected as part of pressure on the septaugenerian to step down so that peace can return to Kenya. The Kibaki dictatorship has already suffered a major blow after Kenneth Marende, an ODM sponsored candidate, scooped the post of Speaker of the National Assemly. The post of Deputy speaker also went to and ODM candidate.
Okoth Osewe
Download: MOREDEK Press Release
The Sweden based Movement For the Restoration of Democracy in Kenya (MOREDEK) which was set up yesterday has released its first Press Statement to the swedis media
The document is intended for circulation in Sweden and is in Swedish. An English translation will be released for International circulation as soon as possible. The document is available for Download here.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya Crisis: Pro-Democracy Group Formed In Sweden
On Sunday, a follow up meeting of a meeting held on Friday was held in Stockholm by Kenyans and friends of Kenya to chart out the direction of the struggle against rigging of elections in Kenya. The meeting, which was attended by 27 people from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Sweden, set up a group called “Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in Kenya (MOREDEK).
The task of MOREDEK will be to fight for the restoration of Democracy and Human Rights in Kenya following the stealing of the vote by Mwai Kibaki. The group’s position is that Kibaki did not win the December 27th elections and that Raila Odinga was robbed of victory. The group intends to engage in mobilizations in Sweden and the world to engage the International community to get involved in the struggle to restore democracy which is under threat in Kenya.
Different working groups to deal with different issues were formed as part of the group’s strategy to deal with issues confronting it. These groups will cover the following areas: Media, Humanitarian and Human Rights, Political Parties and Swedish Institutions, International Relations, Non Governmental Organizations and European Union. Individuals present volunteered on areas where they could be of help.
A five man Interim Committee was set up to oversee the work of the working groups while it was agreed that the group would have regular meetings to discuss its activities and progress. The following were appointed to head the Committee. Okoth Osewe, Beryl Otumba, Sussane Wise, Andreas Bohlin, Nixon Andu and Per Karlsson. The Committee was given the mandate to help consolidate MOREDEK and to prepare for elections.
The following will head different groups: Esther Anyango and Andreas Bohlin (Media), Samson Mande and Nixon Andu (Humanitarian and Human Rights issues), Beryl Otumba and Okoth Osewe (International Relations), Godfrey Etyang (Political Parties and Institutions), Sussane Wise and Mrs Hellen Opwapo (Non Governmental Organizations) and European Union (Per Karlsson and Chebet Keter).
It was agreed that the working groups will remain open as MEREDEK makes its agenda known and recruits new members interested in working within the group. It was also agreed that MEREDEK would reach out to other Kenyans, friends of Kenya, organizations and interested parties who want to act for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Kenya.
The Interim committee was given the task of working out a Constitution outlining the aims and objectives which were discussed at the meeting while it was also agreed that a brief Press release about the group would be prepared by the Media group as soon as possible for circulation.
Members of the group observed that the crisis in Kenya is not purely a result of ethnic rivalries but more about a savage attack on democracy in Kenya which had deprived Kenyans the right to change their government through elections.
The group will meet again on Sunday at 15.00 hrs while members of the Interim committee will meet on Thursday this week to co-ordinate work.
Others who attended the meeting were: Elisha Ogembo, Maximilian Muwuluzi, Dan Aroka, Ruth Bohlin, Sospeter Odhiambo, John Agunda, Gillian Connet, Grace Nyambura, Antony Adiwa, Florence Odhiambo, Joyce Khamugisha, Carolin Odera, Tonny Odera and Martin Ngatia.
Okoth Osewe
New Independent Movement To Be Formed In Sweden
After the demonstration at the Kenyan Embassy yesterday, 15 Kenyans and friends converged at Wananchi Pavillion to chart the way forward in the on going anti-Kibaki struggle. The meeting was driven by the understanding that one demo outside the Embassy will not help on a long term. Those who attended the meeting were of the view that a long term strategy needs to be drawn as the anti-Kibaki struggle takes root.
A proposal was made to the effect that a Network ought to be formed in Sweden by Kenyans, friends and interested parties as part of the International movement currently in formation to address the rigging of elections in Kenya and the illegal installation of Mwai Kibaki as President.
The name “Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in Kenya (MRDK)” was proposed. It was agreed that another meeting would be held on Sunday 13th January at Wananchi Pavilion from 14.00 hrs to define details of the Movement. Those present proposed that the Movement would address itself to the political and humanitarian aspects of the crisis in Kenya. The initiative takers are independent Kenyans, friends and organizations and ODM-Scandinavia is participating in the process like any other interested party seeking a solution to the process.
At the meeting, it was made clear that the iniative must be “broad-based” and “all inclusive” with every interested party having equal say. The meeting tomorrow will address the fundamental framework, aims and objectives of the new Movement.
Because of limited time and on going mass action plans in Kenya, it was agreed that the setting up of the Movement would be speeded up. It was also agreed that membership to the group would be open to individuals, political parties, human rights groups, activists and others interested in action to address the crisis in Kenya.
The meeting agreed that more contacts would be made in the run up to the Sunday meeting and that membership in the new Movement would be left open.
Those who attended the meeting were: Hulda Palm, Ester, Beryl, Florence, Odera Tonny, Charles Otieno, Martin Ngatia, Elisha Ogembo, Dan Aroka, Chebet Keter, Joyce Kamugisha, Hellen Opwapo, Caroline Ayodo among others. Everybody who is interested in the initiative is welcome to the meeting.
Okoth Osewe
The Agreement Kibaki Refused To Sign
Every Kenyan prayed that the mediation mission of OAU Chairman and Ghanaian President, H.E.John Kufuor, would succeed and bring to an end the electoral crisis that has torn our country apart. But Mr. Kibaki turned down the framework agreement that was presented to him at his last meeting with President Kufuor.
ODM was committed to this mediation process and had dropped all pre-conditions to facilitate the negotiation. We had also called off our planned rallies in order to create a conducive atmosphere for serious deliberations. But it is patently obvious that we do not have a partner to negotiate with.The government, on the other hand, largely undermined the Kufuor mission from the outset, with government ministers repeatedly saying no mediation was needed since there was no problem in the country.
Mr. Kibaki’s final slap in the face of the mission was his hurried appointment of the Cabinet just as President Kufuor’s plane landed. Mr. Kibaki has no interest in any mediated settlement since he knows the truth about the election outcome will be known.
In the interest of transparency and hopefully accountability, we present the framework agreement drawn up by two parties that Mr. Kibaki did not sign. Kenyans can determine for themselves whether it is Mr. Raila Odinga or Mr. Mwai Kibaki who stood in the way of a negotiated way out of the gravest crisis that our country has ever experienced.
Principles of Agreement
“His Excellency Hon Mwai Kibaki and Hon Raila Amolo Odinga, being committed to the maintenance of the rule of law and to sustenance of democratic governance in the Republic of Kenya,
AND BEING CONCERNED with the violence, the loss of lives and property following the pronouncement of the presidential election results, commit ourselves to a speedy resolution of the unfolding events to ensure that our great Nation returns to stability”.
Numerous issues have arisen in connection with the conduct of the Electoral Commission of Kenya including the tallying, compilation and declaration of the presidential election result. Voters on both sides feel aggrieved and concerned.
Numerous issues have arisen in connection with the conduct of the Electoral Commission of Kenya including the tallying, compilation and declaration of the presidential election result. Voters on both sides feel aggrieved and concerned.
We confirm our commitment to address all the issues arising from or connected to the presidential elections through a process which:
1.
(i) shall be credible, independent and impartial,
(ii) shall not be subject to control by either party, and
(iii) whose findings and recommendations we agree to be bound by.
2. The issues to be determined through the process shall include:
(i) To inquire into the conduct of the ECK and the role of the observers in the conduct of the presidential elections including the declaration of results.
(ii) The composition of ECK and remedial action which may be undertaken to ensure its independence, impartiality, capacity and effectiveness in discharge of its constitutional and statutory mandate.
(iii) To identify measures that will help to restore and sustain voter confidence in Kenya’s electoral process.
(iv) To look into the circumstances leading to the declaration of presidential election results and determine whether it is necessary to carry out a rerun of the presidential elections, and if so, provide the time-frame and modalities of carrying out such elections
(v) To make recommendation on the structure of government pending the conduct of the presidential re-run or otherwise.
(vi) We agree that a credible process acceptable to all Kenyans will be carried out by a panel of eminent African persons.
The panel will make such recommendations as are necessary to resolve the issues and concerns arising from or connected to all the referred matters.
The panel shall make their findings and recommendations within 30 days of the date of execution of this agreement, which findings and recommendations shall be binding on both parties.
Pending resolution of the outstanding problems, all Kenyans should refrain from acts of violence and maintain law and order and all internal security agencies will be required to act in accordance with the law.
In the interim, there shall be a coalition government whose composition shall be agreed upon on the basis of equal representation both in numbers and portfolio with the prior approval and endorsement by the respective sides.The strategies and programmes of such government shall be subject to agreement of both sides.
We, the undersigned, solemnly undertake to procure Members of Parliament supporting our respective parties to enact such legislation, whether statutory or constitutional, as may be necessary to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations and of above matters if and where required.
To be signed by:
H.E. Hon Mwai Kibaki
Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga
Witnessed by:
H.E. Hon John Kufuor, President of Ghana and Chairman, African Union
AND ALSO by:
Adam Wood, British High Commissioner;
H.E. Mike Ranneberger, Ambassador, USA;
H.E. Elisabeth Barbier, French Ambassador and Local President, European Union
Advertisement by Raila Odinga Centre, Elgon Road, Nairobi
ODM-Scandinavia Statement At Embassy Demo
We don’t want to go into the details of election rigging because the fact that Mr. Mwai Kibaki stole the Presidency is now a proven fact both at home and Internationally. Apart from bandit Yoweri Museveni who has been rigging elections repeatedly as he presides over a dictatorial government, no government in the world has recognized Kibaki’s regime. After rigging elections, Kibaki is in power illegally, presiding over a fake government which will have to be brought down by Kenyans and the International community if the democratic process which has taken Kenyans more than 44 years to harness is to be saved.
The rigging of elections has taken Kenya back to the days of Dictator Daniel arap Moi who used to walk away with rigged elections under his one Party dictatorship due to lack of political competition, authoritarianism and blatant use of brutal force through security forces.
In 1992 and 1997, Moi rigged elections because he took advantage of a divided opposition. He has been rigging elections throughout the 80s. Millions of Kenyans believed that when Moi was defeated in the December 2002 elections, the days of election rigging also ended.
The Orange Democratic Movement in Scandinavia (ODM-S) wishes to alert your illegal government that the struggle against the Kibaki dictatorship and the murderous home guards surrounding him has just began . Kenyans voted for change and this is why 19 Cabinet Ministers in Kibaki’s government (including the octogenarian Vice president Moody Awori) were all voted out of Office.
The violence and bloody ethnic cleansing being witnessed in Kenya today is a direct consequence of rigged elections by Kibaki and his cronies. The killing of innocent members of the Kikuyu and other communities by fellow Kenyans is an expression of a misplaced desire for revenge against injustice, oppression and stealing of the vote by a thieving cabal around Kibaki.
ODM-Scandinavia appeals to Kenyans who believe that they have to be violent to direct the violence against symbols of State power and authority, not against innocent civilians who are being victimized because of their ethnic origin. We wish to condemn the distortion of the crisis in Kenya by sections of the Western media which has reduced it to “ethnic cleansing” of one ethnic group.
The open rigging of elections by Septuagenarian Kibaki is linked to the raping of the “democratic process” in Kenya. The anger poured in the streets through violence and unspeakable destruction of property by marginalized youth who voted for change must be seen within the context of deprivation of Kenyans of the right to change their government through elections.
The struggle that was set in motion after Kibaki stole the vote is a struggle against a corrupt and rotten Kikuyu ruling class and home guards, not against the masses of Kikuyu people who have been living and suffering side by side with other communities for many years.
The summery executions of unarmed civilians by Paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) is a crime against humanity which Kibaki and members of his government will have to answer for in future regardless of how long it takes. So far, more than 600 Kenyans have lost their lives after thieving Kibaki stole the vote while more than quarter million Kenyans have been internally displaced following Kibaki’s illegal installation as President of Kenya.
Crude attempts to blame ODM or Raila Odinga is myopic because both the Party and the President elect have no control over sporadic violence across the country. If Kibaki did not rig elections, Kenya could have been engulfed in celebration as happened when Kibaki took power, not anarchy and chaos Kenyans are witnessing today.
ODM Scandinavia demands that both British and American Imperialism speak a clear language in the situation by telling Kibaki to step down. Although Britain has been moving cautiously along the lines of calling for a re-run of the Presidential vote after a lot of foot dragging, the United States is on the verge of becoming irrelevant in the situation with its line that Raila “talk to Kibaki” for some “power sharing deal”.
This is after the US quickly withdrew its congratulations to Kibaki after it noticed that it had adopted an isolated position. We take note that Jendayi Frazer, the American special envoy to Africa who was rushed to Kenya to “resolve the crisis”, has already lost influence in the eyes of many Kenyans because the American position of “talk to Kibaki” is not selling.
We wish to inform the US government that telling Raila to talk to Kibaki is like telling a person who has been robbed to talk to the robber for a sharing of stolen property. It is like “scratching a place that does not itch”! In the real world, business is not transacted like that and ODM Scandinavia wishes to alert the US government that it needs to change tact by putting pressure on Kibaki to resign if the Bush administration wants to retain respect among Kenyans who voted for change and transformation.
The US government is not on the side of the people and millions of Kenyans feel let down. US government should stop using opportunist language and impose a visa ban on Kibaki and all government officials as part of the struggle to bring Kibaki down. Kenyans voted for change and to tell them that Kibaki should be part of government is to deny them the change they voted for.
We are demonstrating outside the Kenyan embassy today to condemn the lives that have been lost since Kibaki stole the vote and to demand that Kibaki step down so that peace can return to Kenya. After the collapse of negotiations due to Kibaki’s intransigence, the only way open for ODM is Mass action, not just to make Kenya ungovernable but also to bring the regime down.
Kibaki and those surrounding him might think that he has the GSU, police and the army which it will unleash on the people of Kenya during mass action. Our answer is that you can beat an army but you can never beat a determined people.
Kibaki and his cronies have been warned. The National Democratic Revolution in our country continues and it will not be stopped by security forces.
Mr Martin Ngatia
Vice Chairperson
ODM-Scandinavia
Why ODM And Raila Should Keep The Heat
The brutal message coming out of the diplomatic flurry surrounding the aftermath of the disastrous Kenyan elections that has left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced is that the world has conspired to keep Raila Amolo Odinga from power.
What Junday Frazer, Desmond Tutu, Yoweri Museveni, AU’s Kufuor and all those others you are watching on cable news want is a peaceful end to the power hijack that has been staged by Emilio Mwai Kibaki’s backers, remnants of Moi’s political and financial mafia, working in tandem with some multinational conglomerates. It is actually the money, stupid! Odinga and his new breed just don’t seem good for global capital. Period. “He won, yes, but what about the shareholders?”
America’s response, even beyond capital, is shaped by George Bush’s war on terror, which puts Kenya in the middle of the African security strategy - a clearing house for suspected Al-Qaeda suspects collected from all over the horn of Africa. Kibaki has been unquestioningly useful in this regard, especially after Somalia. So why do we change him now?
The types of comments coming from the so-called democratic west are at best sedative. No one is calling for Kibaki to vacate the seat. No one is calling for a re-election, but to the end of violence.
Well, violence should automatically stop when the Chief Election Commissioner is finally sure who won, and declare him as such, when the election robber is brought to book and flushed out of the loot store. There cannot be another way.
It might be flattering for Raila to see all the attention he is getting because of the victory he lost. He might soon receive a four minute phone call from Bush. (Obama spoke for five).
And perhaps a more courteous one from Gordon Brown. But all will be asking him to accept to be short changed, in exchange for a pretty good position in cabinet and about a dozen of his men and women. The voters who stood the December sun to vote Kibaki and corruption out of Kenya were not asking for some power sharing deal.
Should Raila and the ODM accept a power sharing deal ‘for the good of Kenya’, they will have betrayed the Kenyans who saw 20 Kibaki cabinet ministers out of their parliamentary seats late December, those who want Kenya back in their hands, the 500 dead bodies we have buried in a fortnight etc.
Raila and ODM ought to keep the pressure on. There should not be “business as usual” for an aging leader ready to cause the deaths of many thousands more Kenyans. Or to protect a discredited former president and his cronies from criminal prosecution.
Museveni seems to be liking this quite a bit. After all, with all the accusations of vote-rigging in the past three elections since 1996, two of which ended in the Supreme Court, he has never done it as clumsily as Kibaki has. And yes, Uganda’s rankings have dropped as the more politically volatile East African nation.
He has remembered that he is the current chairman of the East African Community. But has conveniently forgotten that he is also the current chairman of the Commonwealth, and has not invoked that role even once, since the Kenya crisis. Is he waiting for orders from Britain? Britain, I suspect would rather have Kibaki than Raila for president of Kenya.
And the Commonwealth must toe the line. Museveni will have to wait for some more days before he speaks as the Commonwealth chair. This is because, Kenya is not Zimbabwe. This calculated silence of the Commonwealth on the Kenya crisis should send every citizen of the 53-nation ‘Club of Shame’ thinking about the true intentions of the fraternity. How selective does the Commonwealth act?
Raila and ODM’s responsibility at this point should be not to appear civilised. Or be overwhelmed by the so- called world attention. None of those he may want to impress want him to attain the power he believably won.
They want one thing from him. To tell his followers to keep quiet, clear the roads, so that the tourists can enjoy their holiday. So that the trucks can ferry the tea, and the roses to the port for Europe.
So that more illegal money can flow into Kenya’s economy, so that Kenya remains the economic power house it has been made to be, while the common folk live in abject poverty in the slums of Kibera, Mathare and the countryside, in ignorance and continue to die of preventable diseases.
Raila, ODM and right thinking Kenyans have this one chance to get their country back. Any stepping aside from the promise of the change they brought at the ballot box last December would be politically suicidal, not only for Kenya, but for the whole of East African region. ODM ought to keep the heat on, for a very long time if necessary, until the election thieves and their backers succumb.
Omar Kalinge Nnyago
Plans For Demonstration At Kenya Embassy Complete
Plans for a demonstration organized by ODM Scandinavia outside the Kenyan Embassy at Birgerjarlsgatan 37 are complete. A police permit has already been obtained for the demo which will begin at 14.00 hrs. Kenyans, friends and sympathizers attending the demo are requested to carry placards reflecting the situation in our country.
Since the crisis in Kenya began, more than 6oo innocent Kenyans have lost their lives as a result of attacks across the country and police shooting civilians with live ammunition. Other sources have placed the death toll to more than 1000. More than quarter million Kenyans have been displaced, creating a huge humanitarian catastrophe.
During this time of trauma in Kenya, members of the Kenyan community are expected to put aside their political differences and show solidarity with Kenyans back home who are undergoing through a very difficult period following election rigging by the Party of National Unity.
Kenyans need to come together to remember those who have lost their lives with the hope that the crisis will soon be sorted out so that our people can stop dying for no reason. After the demo, a statement will be handed over to the Kenyan Ambassador to scandinavia H.E Mrs Purity Muhindi to be forwarded to Mr. Mwai Kibaki.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya Crisis Update: Kibaki Names Cabinet
Mwai Kibaki has named his Cabinet, casting a huge dark cloud over the planned Talks with ODM on Friday. The move comes as Ghanaian President John Kufuor is on his way to Kenya to try and broker a deal between Kibaki and Odinga.
After rigging elections, this move is further evidence that Kibaki is not interested in a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Kenya but to plunge the country into further blood shed.
Okoth Osewe
Download: Kenya Elections Domestic Observation Forum – KEDOF
The Statement of the Kenya Elections Domestic Observation Forum – KEDOF has been released. Each and every information on the elctions from observers indicate that Kibaki stole the vote. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE (pdf).
Okoth Osewe
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New Book On Kenya December 2007 Election Crisis: In Circulation
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Kenya: Perspectives On Armed Struggle
KSB has received mails enquring what needs to be done in the situation in Kenya. Some readers have raised the issue of ”Armed struggle”. We are re-circulating an article on this subject first published in December 1999 in ”Harakati” which used to be the mouth piece of “Kenya Youth Movement In Sweden”. The article is not related to the situation in Kenya today but answers certain questions raised by readers about the subject.
No doubt armed struggle is a recognised method of struggle that has succeeded in bringing many liberation movements to power across the world. Russia, Cuba, China, North Korea, Spain and other numerous historical examples across the world show the huge possibilities of overthrowing Dictatorial regimes by taking up arms. In Columbia and Mexico, armed leftist guerillas have been waging a guerilla war against capitalist regimes in the region for decades. Some of these Movements control vast territories. The military threat posed to the Turkish State by armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) forced Imperialist forces to help Turkey capture Abdullah Ocalan (the PKK leader) who was kidnapped in Kenya in February 1999 through the collaboration of the Dictatorial regime of Daniel arap Moi.
In South East Asia, East Timor has just gained it’s independence after a protracted armed struggle that eventually forced the Suharto regime to allow for a referendum on the question of Timorese independence. Guerilla wars are continuing in the Philippines and Sri Lanka where hundreds of civilians continue to lose their lives in protracted armed conflicts. In Britain, the IRA’s prospect of participating in the running of the Irish government is a direct product of decades of bloody terrorism and urban guerilla warfare. Peace talks between armed BASQUE separatist Movement and the Spanish government have just collapsed, opening the way for fresh bloodshed.
In Africa, the Mau Mau of Kenya took up arms in a bloody war against British colonialists before the Movement was betrayed by home guards. Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Algeria, Ethiopia and Uganda are examples where organised armed liberation movements succeeded in coming to power. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe had to arm his movement to seize power while the case of Amilcar Cabral and his guerilla Movement in Guinea Bissau still remains the subject of hot debate. Eritrea, the newest State in Africa, got it’s independence after the Eritrean Liberation Front waged a 30 year armed insurrection against the deposed Bonapartist regime of Mengistu Hail Mariam. Because of the numerous dimensions of the “military option” in revolution, we will deal here with the question of armed struggle very generally.
IS AN ARMED STRUGGLE NECESSARY IN KENYA?
Can an old Dictatorial regime that Daniel arap Moi heads in Kenya be overthrown through guerilla war fare? Is an armed struggle necessary in Kenya and does overthrowing a regime through this method of struggle automatically lead to a revolutionary transformation of society? These questions are important because workers and the oppressed in Kenya are losing hope in the ability of the capitalist opposition to give direction in the face of deep crisis.
The issue of armed struggle is finding it’s way in different Kenyan discussion forums both at home and abroad. In Kenya, the American-sponsored National Council Executive Committee (NCEC) has publicly called for the Kenyan Armed Forces to intervene in the country’s politics, thereby exposing the confusion and naivety that exists in the country as to the role of the standing army in a capitalist State, the futility of military intervention in the democratic process and what needs to be done to solve the crisis in our country.
The frequency of armed skirmishes between “cattle rustlers” and security forces in North Eastern Province together, with the spreading of anti-government leaf-lets by previously unknown groups claiming to be armed has raised the question as to whether rudimentary guerilla activity already exists in this Province. In the recent past, a government helicopter has been downed by “armed bandits”, killing top government officials while the government has sent permanent armed detachments to the area to maintain security. Leaflets have also been spread in other parts of the country like Nakuru encouraging the Army to rebel against Moi’s dictatorship and seize power. At least one Kenyan claiming connections with a Kenyan guerilla movement is seeking asylum in Uganda.
In urban areas, thousands of sophisticated arms (including AK 47 rifles and automatic sub-machine guns) have found their way on the hands of idle unemployed youth who are using them to commit crime in order to survive. The situation is so serious that Asian capitalists in Kenya are fleeing to Europe and other destinations because the rising crime wave has destroyed the peaceful environment necessary for the quiet exploitation of the poor. Sporadic Kidnapping and bloody murders of leading Asian capitalist have led to at least one demonstration by the Asian bourgeoisie in Nairobi. The point here is that the smuggling of arms and ammunition to urban centres is already a reality. What is missing is a coordinated plan to engage in organised military activities of the urban guerilla type.
In Africa, the experience of guerilla wars has shown that this method of struggle has the capacity to overthrow those regimes and ruling classes lacking a powerful social base in the population and which have been unable to reinforce themselves adequately with the aid of foreign powers. This was especially so in the case of Uganda where Dictator Yoweri Museveni seized power in 1986 by defeating a rag-tag army that had become exhausted from years of hopeless ethnic conflicts. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Laurent Kabila came to power without much opposition after defeating a demoralised Mobutu army that had not been paid their salaries for months.
In Mozambique and Angola, guerilla war led to the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism. This was mainly due to the weakness of the capitalist class, the total collapse of the colonial state, the impact of the guerilla war and the revolutionary movement of the Portuguese working class that was intrinsically opposed to Portugal’s continued war and colonisation of Angola. Because they borrowed their revolutionary models from the former Stalinist Soviet Union that was already staggering under the weight of bureaucracy, Mozambique and Angola ended up with Bonapartist single party dictatorships that totally sidelined the working class from the running of society.
THE MASS MOVEMENT MUST GAIN CAPACITY TO USE FORCE
Kenyan working class and the youth recognise the fact that armed force can lead to Dictator Moi’s overthrow. However, examples of genocide in Rwanda, total chaos in neighbouring Somalia, blood bath in Liberia and the fiasco in other armed conflicts in Africa have all prevented armed struggle from being seen by Kenyans as a viable option of bringing political change in the country. Many armed “wars of liberation” in Africa have, in the past, been waged without a revolutionary programme aimed at transforming society. Unfortunately, these fratricidal wars have constantly been used by the capitalist media that has implanted in the consciousness of the masses the false notion that armed struggle is an invitation to chaos.
From our view, the most formidable opposition any armed Movement will face in Kenya is military opposition from British and American imperialism. This is because Kenya is of immense political and strategic importance to both American and British imperialism. Britain controls half of foreign investments in Kenya (estimated at 500 million pounds) while the US controls half of the remainder. This is besides the fact that the CIA uses Kenya for it’s East and Central African operations. These combined imperialist interests have forced the US into maintaining a permanent base of solders at the port of Mombasa. The port has now been privatised to make it easy for US and British imperialism to use it much more effectively without government interference. To expand their understanding of possible guerilla terrains, Britain operates regular military exercises in North-Eastern Province while the US continues to send it’s military personnel to “train” Kenyan solders in readiness for “peacekeeping” operations in Africa.
If we look at Zimbabwe, the methods of guerilla war failed to overthrow capitalism but instead, led to compromise with the ruling class and with imperialism. While the Zimbabweans could sing the national anthem and raise their flag as a “free” nation, the fundamental tasks of the revolution – land to the landless, jobs for all, power to the people and other promises upon which Zimbabweans shed blood remained unfulfilled. The guerilla leadership led by Robert Mugabe reached a “settlement” with the bourgeoise because of the passivity of the working class throughout the process of revolution. Despite these setbacks witnessed in armed struggle in different parts of the world, KYMS does not rule out possible outbreak of an armed struggle in Kenya. The movement finds it necessary to contribute to the debate on armed struggle by putting forward its general perspectives on this question.
KYMS believes that armed struggle has to be developed as the struggle of the working masses, as an expression and extension of the organised strength of the working people, their social aims and their need to change society. If armed struggle is limited to armed action of guerilla detachments, the problem is that the regime will find an excuse to amass deadly military weapons and personnel intended fundamentally for use against the mass movement of the oppressed. However, when the mass movement has gained the capacity to use armed force, the question will be the amount of preparation that will be needed for the arming of the workers and youth; importing and stockpiling of the necessary arms as well as acquiring and making arms from all possible sources within the country. The issue that will have to be sorted out will be the carrying out of military training within Kenya in conjunction with the building of underground political networks of the revolutionary movements together with concrete designs of tactics and strategy.
AN UNDERGROUND PREPARATION OF TRAINED MILTIAS
Any serious movement contemplating armed struggle has to put in place a revolutionary programme that will have to be implemented upon seizure of power. This is important in preventing the development of a distorted revolution that might give rise to a new form of dictatorship over the workers and the youth. KYMS’s military policy is based on preparing the forces for the future armed insurrection against KANU or any capitalist State that succeeds it. However, the movement is opposed to any reckless and adventurist policies in the mass movement which may immediately provoke massive military retaliation against Kenyan workers and the youth, still in relatively early stages of mobilising their forces. The idea is to prepare with the eventual aim of insurrection in mind. When President Museveni seized power using force, he had to compromise with Western imperialism because Museveni’s movement did not have a revolutionary programme that had to be implemented upon a power-take-over. Now, Museveni has transformed his regime into a one party dictatorship fed by IMF and World Bank, invited Asian capitalists from Europe to exploit the country’s resources and rooted an authoritarian regime.
In the cause of the development of the revolutionary situation in Kenya, occasions for the effective use of arms will continue to arise. However, any effective armed onslaught against the armed capitalist State (with or without Moi) will require an underground preparation of the nuclei of trained workers’ militias and the youth. A plan for caching arms will have to be in place before sporadic attacks against state installations can begin. As the revolutionary situation matures, co-ordinated offensive actions would also begin as difficult questions of tactics and attention to circumstances and detail are worked out.
Guided by a clear programme for workers power, an armed struggle in Kenya remains a possible method of overthrowing capitalism in the country and setting the stage for the re-building of a new society where people can live together as equal human beings. KYMS will continue to support this method as an option alongside other methods of struggle like mass insurrection, general uprising civil disobedience and other democratic options open in the situation.
Okoth Osewe
January 8, 2008 Posted by makozewe | Commentary | Leave a Comment