After the story about a Kenyan currently in police custody was published at KSB, there was one serious response by a Kenyan who was brave enough to put his real name behind his opinion and whom we sincerely believe deserves a response. His name is Vincent Odede aka Vinni. We don’t respond to people who attack us anonymously using foul language because we believe in decency, open debate and respect. Vincent’s opinion was forwarded to KSB via email by a KSB supporter who believes that he raised pertinent issues.
Writing in his capacity as a “friend” of the arrested Kenyan, Vincent doubted the validity of the facts we presented and wrote: “…this information must have come either, from my friend’s wife or someone very close to her because of the specification of the dates…”. Most importantly, Vincent wrote:
“On a more serious issue, i read in one of our top blogs (KSB) today that my friend who was arrested last week is HIV positive, had raped his wife and has done time in the swedish *nyumba za wazee*(Jail), first of all, i do not know if he is HIV positive or not plus i ain’t no doctor, secondly all that information would be too much to get from a swedish tjänsteman for those of us who know anything about how the swedish systems work, ‘tystnad’s plikt’, in short the authorities cannot divulge information to you even if it is in enlightening you on your right hand from your left one, but then again i’m not a journalist how can i know if they get special treatment.
The information was obtained from the file of the Prosecutor, Eva Winzell in a document which reads: “(Name of accused) has on several occasions between March 2007 and 28th September 2007 had unprotected sex with the complainant, his former co-habitant and mother of their child, with the knowledge that he was HIV positive after a trip to Kenya”.
The document is dated 19th October 2007 and is signed by Andreas König, a Court clerk. The document goes on to say that the complainant has been tested but that the test result is not yet out.
Vincent also wanted to know where we obtained information about the dates, that the Kenyan had allegedly raped his wife and that he had done time in jail.
According to documents on file: “(Name of accused) is, among others, suspected of serious curtailing of a woman’s freedom between 1st July 2006 and 28th September, rape on 28th September 2007 and attempt to serious assault between March 2006 to 28th September 2006 at Hässelby”.
On the question of doing jail: “(Name of accused) has been in belastingregistret (police register): 2001violent resistance (to arrest) and pocession of a knife at a public place at the same time sentenced for miss-handling in 2005. The victim was, in this case, his former co-habitant/Mother of his eldest son”.
If there is something else that was reported at KSB which is not covered here then we invite Vincent to throw a new challenge.
If you know where to look, the information above is not classified as Vincent thinks and when it comes to publication, it is illegal and criminal to publish the name of the accused, not the information. Did we publish the name of the accused?
The Swedish mainstream media carries criminal personal histories of suspects almost on a daily basis, the latest being a guard who brutalized someone at Cafe Opera and who has been reported to police 15 times in the past. HIV status of a Kenyan currently serving jail term were splashed in the media liberally. Where was the likes of Odede to talk about the media “tarnishing” the Kenyan’s name? Only KSB protested that he did not deserve the title of “HIV man” which the media had given him.
IS VINCENT PROVIDING PROSECUTUION WITH EVIDENCE?
Instead of using the information to look into how the Kenyan can be helped, the likes of Vincent and his fire-breathing cohorts are busy, attacking the messenger who is accused of “talking to friends” of the Kenyan’s ex then rushing to the blog. We have not done this. Is it KSB that is fabricating stories or is it our critics who are uninformed in this case?
While KSB is under attack by the unenlightened, information about the “HIV status” of the Kenyan is being used in the Court system to try and send him to jail because, from our view, pinning the Kenyan down on other charges might be difficult due to lack of evidence. One Kenyan has already gone to jail on HIV charges because two charges of rape could not stand.
Where were the Odedes when we were shouting at the top of our voices, trying to argue that the Swedish justice system is unfair? A Blog site, which hosted Odedes letter quoted above, was the first to name the Kenyan who is now serving a three year jail term. When we pointed out that this was illegal, the blog owner quickly pulled the story down but not before the Kenyan’s brother took note. Who is spoiling whose name?
Vincent is doing a great disservice to his friend because he is unconsciously helping in his identification by providing details which are not in court documents. After his mail, Kenyans simply had to apply the “elimination theory” of Vincent’s friend to begin rounding up the identity of this Kenyan. Is this the way to go?
While adding other details, he wrote: “The second wife helped this guy settle a serious bill (I am talking big money) that he incurred earlier on, less than two months ago and later claimed that this guy was having extra curricular (extra-marital??) activities with another girl elsewhere…”.
By giving this kind of detail which is totally unrelated to the charges, Vincent is portraying his friend as an exploitative and heartless parasite who exploited an innocent Swedish woman and mother of his little child to clear his heavy debts (big money?) then dumped her. With the stereotypical and negative mentality of the establishment towards Africans, is Vincent aware that he is providing more evidence that could be used against his friend in Court and strengthening the case of the complainant?
What the Prosecution could do if they think that this is good material is to interrogate Vincent along the lines he mentioned then convert the interview into evidence to portray the Kenyan as a thankless animal who needs to go to jail because even after being rescued by the kind Swedish woman, he went back to try and assault her, raped her and even risked infecting her with HIV.
KILLING OSEWE WILL NOT KILL THE TRUTH
Information is power. When the Kenyan returned from Kenya around October last year, we have information that he fell very sick then went to hospital. The Swedish Doctors then decided to test him for HIV among other tropical diseases like malaria and what have you. He later tested positive before he split with his ex in January.
The likes of Vincent should not be fighting KSB, the only source of credible information at critical points in time. They should be asking how the Kenyan could have returned from Kenya to test HIV positive upon his arrival from Kenya because HIV is known to have an incubation period of as long as six months. We are not saying that he might not have contracted the virus during his Kenyan trip but asking a hypothetical question.
If the Kenyan had taken up another lady as Vincent says, does he understand why some of our ladies are in psychological crisis following news about the HIV connection which supposedly, was a KSB creation. Has this lady tested herself? Assuming that he contracted the virus before leaving for Kenya (so far, there is no shred of evidence to suggest that he contracted the virus in our dear country Kenya), who gave it to him before he left? Is it important for ladies who came into contact with him before and after he came from Kenya that he is positive?
Have these ladies been sleeping with other contacts and is it possible that there is “a ring of HIV transmission” that is still unknown? Up to what level could these transmissions go and what should Kenyans do? These are the issues the community should be addressing, not attacking the Messenger.
There is a “life and death” element on the whole issue which might run into several chains and the faster Kenyans accepted and appreciated the information, the faster potential victims will be able to move to put a break to what may turn out to be a chain of “silent infections” that may continue for ever. Vincent should know what I am talking about because he is in a position to “know many links down the line”.
KSB is taking the advantage of responding to Vincent while at the same time announcing that the “HIV connection” is not the product of Osewe’s fertile imagination because real ladies have called KSB to inquire the validity of the report so that they can decide on what to do next. Others have thanked KSB for giving them something to think about.
I am not Jesus Christ. But is it a surprise that Jesus Christ was crucified by the very same people he came to save? Stung by a factual report at KSB, Mr. Clay Onyango has even bayed for my blood and pondered my physical elimination from the surface of the earth instead of addressing the issues that were raised. Will killing Osewe also kill the truth that is known to set men and women free?
“The truth never dies” and those who have chosen to speak it will continue to do so in every generation long after Osewe is gone. Where is the evidence that the KSB story was fabricated? Back to Vinni and company.
Okoth Osewe
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