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
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