Kenya in Crisis Day 45: Mungiki Vs. Kalenjin Warriors

The Kalenjin Warriors are a militant organization spun off a sect from the Kalenjin tribe, the fourth largest tribe in Kenya. The Kalenjin was one of the tribes that formed the opposition government of Raila Odingo (himself a Luo). Because the Kikuyu, the tribe of incumbent Mwai Kibaki, is blamed for the election, the Kalenjin Warriors have set their sights on any members of the Kikuyu tribe since the election December 27th. They have perpetrated a great deal of violence against members of the other tribes.

Suspected Kalenjin warriors on Sunday raided Burnt Forest, intending to kill displaced people camped in the town, but security personnel repulsed them, a Catholic priest told CISA.

The warriors returned early on Monday and police killed seven of them, including two schoolboys. The priest expressed fears that the warriors, armed with bows, arrows, spears, machetes and petrol, were planning another attempt on the camp.

The Mungiki are another militant group that is spawned from members of the Kikuyu tribe, the tribe the current leader Mwai Kibaki belongs to. They have a rather primitive view of society themselves.

The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to mystery religions. Specifics of their origin and doctrines are unclear. What is clear is that they favour a return to indigenous African traditions and reject Westernisation and all trappings of colonialism. This includes rejection of Christianity, and the practice by the Mungiki of forced female circumcision. The ideology of the group is characterised by revolutionary rhetoric and Kikuyu traditions with a disdain for Kenyan modernization seen as amoral corruption.[3]

The Mungiki practice similary forms of brutality.

The men were screaming and saying, 'Please don't kill me, don't cut me,"' the 35-year-old vendor told The Associated Press, asking to be identified only by one initial, K., because she feared reprisals by the gang.

In the violence that has followed Kenya's disputed presidential election, a notorious gang has been mutilating the genitals of both men and women in the name of circumcision — inflicting a brutal punishment on members of a rival tribe that does not traditionally circumcise.

Both of these militants have taken to the Kenyan streets and used the vacuum created by the aftermath of the Kenyan election for their own agendas. Much of their own violence is directed at members of the other's tribe. The situation is complicated by the fact that these gangs are many times the only protection that the commoner from their tribe has. In the slums and other areas where the chaos is greatest they are the only means of protection from their rival gangs including each other.

In this respect the crisis begins to look quite similar to the darkest hours in Iraq. That was when the Sadr Brigade was acting as a protector of the Shia and AQI and its spin off protected the Sunnis. With the militias not only the perpetrators of the violence but sometimes the only protectors, the situation is one now in need of a military solution first and then a political one.

This is what is happening on the ground throughout much of Kenya. Whether it is these two groups battling for turf or others. This is the backdrop of violence as as Kofi Annan attempts to broker a deal to grant power sharing between the two political leaders. (Odingo and Kibaki)

It is unclear to me how the one relates to the other and more importantly how the power sharing agreement will get militant groups like these two to put down their arms.

Kenya in Crisis Day 23: Escalation?

There continues to be troubling and tragic violence throughout Kenya.

Masai fighters battled rival tribesman loyal to President Mwai Kibaki on Friday, with both sides using machetes, swords, bows and arrows on the final and bloodiest day of protests this week over Kenya's disputed election.

In Nairobi's Kibera slum and the coastal tourist town of Mombasa, police and demonstrators fought in the streets.

Three days of protests called by Kenya's opposition have dwindled in strength, but at least 22 people have been killed, including five who died in the ethnic fighting less than a dozen miles from the premier Masai Mara game reserve in Narok, police chief Patrick Wambani told The Associated Press.

The opposition leader Raila Odinga is pursuing a dangerous sort of scorched Earth policy. By calling on protests and boycotts as he has, he only contributes to raising the tension and ultimately the violence. I don't know what his motivation is however I hope he hasn't decided to gain power through any means necessary. The two men, Odinga and Kibaki, haven't met since the crisis started. It appears each is maneuvering and angling for power. Kibaki threw the first move by swearing himself in while there was confusion over the results of the election. Odinga may use boycotts and protests to force Kibaki's hand. Unfortunately, these maneuvers will also contribute to the violence and tension that has gripped the country.

Also, in response to my previous piece, I received this comment from an individual that identified themselves as Kenyan.

But my saddest day for Kenyans was on Tuesday during the first day of parliament. Members from both sides of the divide shook hands laughing heartily despite their vitriol-filled public statements. As we kill each other ‘fighting for our man’, our man is eating and drinking with the ‘enemy’ (with whom by they way share business interests) in his lavish mansion watching us clowns on TV.

If the politicians are perfectly happy with the results of the election while their supporters pursue bloody and violence forms of justice, then there really are big problems ahead. Keep in mind this crisis is tribal with the Kikuyus being blamed by other tribes for the election fiasco. It is already a struggle of class warfare since the Kikuyu are seen as the upper class. If it comes to pass that the commoner sees the politicians as their enemies this crisis will fall quickly into genocide.

Kenya in Crisis Day 18: State of Denial?

A government spokes man is painting a rosy picture...

Kenya is not burning and not at the throes of any division,"

However it should be noted that Kenya is not at war and does not need mediators or peacekeepers. Dialogue is open with anyone but the talk is not mediation or cease fire."

These statements among several were made by Dr Alfred Mutua, the Government spokesman. Keep in mind that is the government spokesman for President Kibaki. While the government puts on a happy face, members of the President's tribe, the Kikuyus, are being singled out for slaughter. Gangs are running loose. There are men armed with machetes all over the streets. This is what is happening right now in Kenya while the government claims there is no problem. The event that instigated this near genocide is the likely rigged elections that most of the country blames on the President, Kibaki, and his supporters. In other words, this same government that claims there are no great problems in their country, can't protect its own breathren from slaughter.

Human Rights Watch has called on the police to stop using excessive force...

The Kenyan government should urgently and publicly order the police to stop using excessive, lethal force against public rallies, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged political leaders on all sides to call on supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

...furthermore with rallies by all sides scheduled for next week, it is unclear what sorts of violence awaits Kenya next week...

Opposition leaders have called for rallies next week in defiance of the government’s broad ban on public gatherings, prompting concerns that new clashes could result in further deaths and injuries. Human Rights Watch is also concerned by ongoing violence in the Rift Valley, where hundreds of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. “

Kenyan security forces have a duty to rein in criminal violence and should protect people, but they shouldn’t turn their weapons on peaceful protestors,” said Georgette Gagnon, acting Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should make it very clear that police will be held to account for using lethal force against people for simply expressing political views.”

That said, not everyone believes the violence is still out of control...

The sad events in Kenya seem to be slowly coming under control. Given the anti-Kikuyu atrocities of the last two weeks, restoring consensus to Kenya society will be an arduous one. We too, in Jamaica, face the challenge of strengthening our consensus before divisiveness throws us further into deep and violent crisis.

Consensus will not end all of our problems and disagreements. Consensus seeks to ensure that our disagreements remain civil, do not spill over into destructive violence and are channelled into constructive suggestions for the improvement of Jamaican society. This is the same challenge faced by Kenya and many other African states who are feeling the stern challenges of a globalised world economy. In Kenya, economic and political forces have created a situation where ethnic and social tensions coincide.

the article continued by comparing this situation to one in Jamaica...

This is a situation not unlike Jamaica, where rich people tend to be from the light-skinned groups there is a growing black bourgeoisie. Jamaicans assume that if you are light-skinned you are likely to be rich and enjoy privilege. Kenyans tend to assume, if you are Kikuyu, you are also likely to be rich and enjoy privilege, despite the huge Kikuyu slums in Nairobi dominated by the infamous Mungiki gangs. In Nigeria, for reasons having to do with both the slave and palm oil trades, some Igbo families from Aro got into trading activities very early in the 18th century and became rich. For this reason, many Nigerians assume that if you are Igbo you love money, even though the vast majority of Igbos are poor small farmers in their villages.

In societies of this nature, where ethnic and economic divisions coincide, the task of building consensus takes on a special importance. Divisiveness is a luxury we cannot afford. It does not take much to throw societies such as Jamaica, Kenya and Nigeria into violent and destructive confrontation and civil war. People naturally default into their mental tribes - the garrisons of the mind. This is why the efforts of the healthy elements in the People's National Party (PNP) to subordinate the lumpen and to foster a constructive approach are so vital. This is why Mr. Golding needs to return to his original policy of 'constructive engagement' and stop bowing to his own group of tribalists.

The comparison to Jamaica is interesting and worthy of more research however the idea that things are calming down is in my opinion wishful thinking. The situation is out of control and there is no one that has stepped forward to bring calm. Furthermore, I don't know that anyone can.

Nothing I have read leads to me to conclude anything but that we are headed straight for another genocide though...