Wafula Buke has published an unwarranted and unjustified broadside against the distinguished Miguna Miguna that cannot go unchallenged. Apart from green envy that reeks throughout Buke’s article, “Miguna, while you were away (The Standard, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010; Sunday Express, January 24-30, 2010; Weekly Citizen, January 25-31, 2010), the diatribe is replete with factual errors and misrepresentations. Clearly, Buke is enraged by something. But we will restrict this rebuttal to facts, which, obviously, Buke find very difficult to handle.
Buke accuses Miguna of three things: First, that in his recent articles on William Ruto and the KKK grouping, Miguna did not acknowledge that Buke was the chair of the Students Organization of Nairobi University (SONU) while Miguna was the Finance Secretary and that Buke was jailed for five years while Miguna and other student leaders were released after spending weeks in incommunicado detention in Nyayo House in 1987. Second, Buke asserts that those like Miguna who subsequently fled from Kenya, completed their studies and established themselves professionally abroad have no liberation credentials and deserve no recognition as they chose degrees rather than military training. And thirdly, that Miguna is an “opportunist” who returned from exile after the 2007 elections to take positions they are ill equipped and qualified for.
At the outset, it is imperative to mention that Buke is currently employed as a personal assistant to the agriculture minister, William Ruto. This fact ought to have been disclosed to readers so that they could place his diatribe against Miguna in proper perspective. As well, The Standard newspaper allowed itself to be used as the launching pad of an unfair personal attack on Miguna. Miguna’s articles that Buke purports to be responding to were published in The Star; not The Standard. Although Buke’s poisoned chalice was classified as “news analysis”, there was neither news nor analysis in that invective. Buke failed to pinpoint any specific article or portions that he had problems understanding.
Let’s start at the beginning. Miguna’s articles were not about Buke. So, he had no obligation to say anything about Buke. In November 1987, when Buke was a third-year BA student and chair of SONU; Miguna was a second-year BA student, finance secretary of SONU and managing editor of the students’ newspaper, Campus Mirror. After three weeks of incommunicado detention at Nyayo House, Miguna and four other student leaders were released from detention without charge because there was no evidence against them. They were, however, expelled from the University. Shortly thereafter, Miguna fled into exile where he successfully obtained three degrees; BA, LLB and LLM. Miguna became a barrister, solicitor and mediator in Canada where he practiced law for 14 years before returning to Kenya. Miguna also published three books, one in which be lionized Buke. Are these the kind of achievements Miguna should be ashamed of?
Court records disclose that unlike Miguna, Buke was tried, convicted and jailed based primarily on his “confession” to the “crimes” alleged. Was Miguna responsible for Buke’s confession and incarceration?
Buke claims that his girlfriend aborted five times when he was in jail. As sad as that sounds, why is Buke blaming Miguna and not Moi?
In November 1987, William Ruto was a first-year BSc student; three years behind Buke who had repeated twice by that time. Twenty three years later, Buke is one of the personal assistants to Ruto while Miguna is a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Kenya, a published author and a licensed lawyer both in Canada and in Kenya. Between the two former comrades, who should Kenyans be proud of?
When Buke was released from prison, he fled to Uganda, where he was, once again, jailed briefly for embellishing his story to the Ugandan authorities. After the Ugandans released him, he crossed into Tanzania, but only found Miguna’s trails there. Unable to convince the UNHRC to recognize him as a refugee, Buke returned to Kenya, crest-fallen and became a political-hand-for-hire by people like Cyrus Jirongo and William Ruto. Is Buke blaming Miguna for his failures? Is that why he is writhing with jealousy at what Miguna has achieved?
It is true Miguna has been prolific in his incisive political analysis on topical issues, which Buke cannot match. That’s not new for many of us who have known him since our student days. Buke knows that Miguna was the ideological and philosophical backbone of SONU during his time. That’s why he was elected the managing editor of the Campus Mirror. Unlike Buke who was a below-average student, Miguna was always the top of his class. No wonder he graduated with distinction with two of his three degrees. Unsurprisingly, Buke was readmitted to the University of Nairobi more than ten years ago but has been unable to complete his undergraduate studies. If he wants to blame someone for his failures, why not blame former president Moi?
My friend Google tells me that Miguna was the founding Coordinator of the Committee for Democracy in Kenya (CDK); a pro-democracy organization in Canada whose members included veteran liberation generals like Dr. Willy Mutunga, the late Dr. Odhiambo Mbai, Onyango Oloo and Adongo Ogony. We are also aware of the contributions the exiled ANC veterans like Govan Mbeki, Chris Hani and others made towards the liberation of South Africa. Is Buke saying our liberation was fought and won in our prisons?
Buke has very low opinion of thousands of Kenyans who risked everything to flee into exile to avoid persecution. He denigrates their contributions to the liberation struggle. However, apart from being a former prisoner and SONU leader, what exactly are Buke’s achievements? What significant contributions has he made to the struggle? Or are we to take it that being a jailbird is itself a contribution? Does Buke know what it takes for a political refugee to get three first-class degrees abroad?
Buke attempts to gloss over his perennial chumminess with retrogressive forces by claiming that while Miguna was away, he [Buke] adopted new strategies and built new alliances in order to defeat the Moi/Kanu dictatorship. The problem is that the Rutos, Jirongos and Kalonzo’s of this world that he has been associating with since coming from jail have never been involved in any initiative for genuine positive change in Kenya. It is possible, like his byline proclaims that Buke is a “perennial struggler.” A struggler for pennies from the deep-pockets of looters, maybe; but definitely not a struggler for not fundamental transformation of Kenya.
We are also curious about Buke’s views on and involvement in the recent unfair attacks on Miguna by PNU that he refers to approvingly to. Could it be that the envious Buke is so jealous about Miguna’s achievements that he would rather assist PNU in their evil schemes?
It is unfortunate that people who have nothing to offer except their failed lives have conveniently conspired with the enemies of change to attempt to undermine Miguna’s undiluted commitment for the liberation of Kenya. But they should know that Kenyans are very proud of Miguna’s past and present contributions. No amount of envy, jealousy or propaganda will change that. Lastly, Mr. Buke, even my three-year old daughter knows that Miguna returned to Kenya before the 2007 elections. The evidence is in your TV clips.
Ongoro Wamunga
The author a Nairobi based strategic planner, consultant and novelist. He was expelled from Kenyatta University during the same period as Miguna. wamungapaul@yahoo.com
About the Author
I hope this is not the same fellow who tried to down play and trash the contents of a book written by one of kenyas prolific political think tanks in sweden(stockholm),who infact went ahead and published a book based on kenyas 2007 elections,stollen votes and the subsiquent violence that marred the election before any political author,analysts or journalist in kenya knew what had actually occured including the diapora.This book poignantly brought out the rot in our political system.The book did not recieve the reception and critism it deserved from its peers after unfair and unwaranted expose`the “standard newspaper”gave it…..well! as wamunga has put it,this fellow buke has nothing to offer kenyans but to make touble providing a platform for the likes of kkk.Kenyans be aware of backstabbers like buke,….if only the likes like githongo,wamunga,miguna,o.okoth,o.oloo,ogony,lai,gitere,odero,kalie,o.opiata,ageng,kabuthi,sirma,kitgum,akello…..(to name but a few names)could get a chance to be together?,Kenya would have a new revolutionand a new political dawn.My case rests………
@Okoth Osewe: the current edition of the Weekly Citizenhas used your portrait photo and labelled it as “Miguna Miguna.” Its on Page 3 on a story where the said Miguna is said to be harassing teachers in a school where his children are enrolled. Okoth Osewe as Miguna – very funny!!
KSB: I am following up the issue to sue the Weekly. Thanks for the tip.
I just stumbled on this bog and what I have read are cheap personal attacks and people trying to put one another down. This rebuttal is very negative and only serves to show the arrogance on the part of Miguna and his friends. There are hundreds of thousands of Kenyans who are better educated and successful than Miguna and don’t go around singing their heads off to prove to anyone who cares of their achievements. I’m glad Raila realized this and sacked him. Keeping him would have been a vote-scatter for Raila presidency in the coming general election.
Yeah Musila, the mind focuses on what it wants. Indeed, yours is a one-sided appraisal of the blog.
I do not agree with the author of this blog. First, I do not wish to present ballistics missiles at the author and the said persona, Miguna. But we all know Miguna is a proud, self-opinionated and arrogant individual who Raila should long have sacked ’cause he does more harm to Kenya than Raila. People who know Buke well understand that he has far-reaching ideologies, an objective person, selfless, a true reformer, philosopher and above all a humble man whose life lessons will soon be published in his book “Lost Struggle”. I believe a book editor in Benin, Okuthe Robin, is working on his biography which I myself copy-edited. Buke’s book reads better than Miguna’s books I have read and revoke them for their luck-star styles (so boastful with little to reveal to readers except stuff about himself). Besides, I have interviewed both men and wouldn’t pick on Miguna for Buke. Buke is a self-learned person with a lot to learn from contrary to Miguna who writes crap in the Star. Reader, we all know that all Miguna does is grumble, complain or attack. There is nothing to learn from that. Its actually silly to present personal attacks against Buke. He is a darling of Kenyans.
The day Miguna will stop using “I” and begin using “WE” like Buke, perhaps Kenyans will truly celebrate him like we do to Buke.
Rose Powell What else would you expect to come out of a black slave>Shame on you white mongrel 8evil-race) God Almighty was superb to create both races>Blacks and whites>LOil and water will never holdSome of us doesnt need any God if he /she ie white.So your low opinion on blacks isnt a wonder it was there from the beggining of creation .Go hang .