News 2008

ODM calls fresh round of protests

Story by ODHIAMBO ORLALE

Publication Date: 1/20/2008

The Orange Democratic Party has retreated from a promise made only hours before and announced a new round of mass action to protest against the disputed presidential election results.

A Catholic priest in the district had sent out a distress call to the police after the monastery he runs was surrounded by armed youths.

“As I speak to you, I can see about 1,500 people armed with bows, arrows and spears,” Fr Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo told the Sunday Nation.

The priest said that the monastery had received threats of attack by people who said they were unhappy about the 600 displaced people camped there.

From State House Nairobi, President Kibaki last night said that no form of violence against innocent Kenyans will be tolerated. The Head of State stressed that security of the country was paramount and the government will continue beefing up security in areas facing unrest to ensure the lives of wananchi and their property are protected.

He was meeting a European Union delegation, which had earlier held talks with ODM leader Raila Odinga.

While supporting the Kofi Annan-led initiative of eminent persons, European Union Commissioner Louis Michel said the solution to Kenya’s political problem must come from Kenyans themselves, a statement from PPS said.

Mr Michel noted that although the European parliament passed a resolution that was not favourable to the government, the European Union would not take any precipitating action against Kenya but would wait for the outcome of dialogue.

President Kibaki expressed his willingness to dialogue in addressing the current political situation.

The violence that has rocked the country started soon after the announcement of the results of the December 27 presidential election, which ODM says were rigged in favour of Mr Kibaki.

Fr Nkoyoyo told the Sunday Nation that four more violence victims were brought in for treatment. All appeared to have been attacked with arrows.

ODM’s fresh call for mass action also came three days ahead of the expected arrival of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, who has been detailed by the African Union to mediate between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga.

In Nairobi, the opposition party’s officials said they would hold inter-denominational funeral services tomorrow for their supporters who died during the post-election violence in Kisumu.

A follow-up one would be held in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Friday would be the national day of prayers to commemorate all the “martyrs who have given their lives in the peaceful struggle for democracy, the rule of law and the rejection of the December 27 presidential election results.” And Thursday would be the day of countrywide peace rallies.

Police say that 510 people have died in the violence across the country, which has also left more than 250,000 displaced and property worth billions looted, torched or destroyed.

Announcing plans to sabotage selected companies, ODM chairman Henry Kosgey said: “We would like to formally inaugurate our campaign for economic boycott directed at hardline members of the clique around Mr Kibaki. These individuals are using the wealth they have created from our open democratic system to undermine the rule of law and democracy in Kenya.”

Yesterday’s statement came a day after Mr Odinga denied that his party planned any economic sabotage to force President Kibaki to the negotiation table under the auspices of international mediators.

Mr Odinga had spoken after a meeting with businessmen from the Mount Kenya region and top brass of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions.

“Equity Bank is everywhere helping the poor in the process of economic empowerment,” Mr Odinga had been quoted as saying.

“It is foolhardy to tie it to an individual when we know shareholders include international bodies and countries like the United States.”

On Friday, the business community separately met President Kibaki and Mr Odinga and asked them to resolve the political crisis.

During the media conference at Pentagon House in Nairobi, Mr Kosgey said some bus firms had been identified for sabotage because they were implicated in the controversial transporting of administration policemen to Western Kenya on the eve of the polls.

At the same time, the party condemned what it called inflammatory advertisements the government had been placing in the media.

Mr Kosgey accused the government of taking a hard position on the mediation efforts. He said they were committed to internationally mediated negotiations and were looking forward to the arrival of Mr Annan, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa and Graca Machel, the wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela.

Said Mr Kosgey: “We have placed absolutely no preconditions to these talks.”

In a separate statement, Mr Kibaki’s PNU said that a truth and reconciliation approach to the current impasse would resolve the crisis.

“The whole country is in the mood of truth, justice and reconciliation. Truth will only be based on the losers accepting defeat and the winners being magnanimous in victory, like Francis Kaparo and Kenneth Marende have demonstrated to this country.

“We urge Raila Odinga to follow suit and recognise that Kenya can only have one president, and Mwai Kibaki is the one President who has won the mandate of Kenyans,” the PNU statement, signed by the party’s director of programmes, Mr Moses Kuria, and National Board member Dr Josephine Ojiambo, said. They said justice had a custodian - the Judiciary - and that any aggrieved Kenyan should seek justice there.

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