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'Warlords might replace MPs’
Daily Nation
Story by ODHIAMBO ORLALE
14. Feb. 2008
An MP told his colleagues that they risked being replaced by
warloads following the post election violence that gripped the
country.
Members should find an amicable solution to the political crisis,
Naivasha MP John Mututho warned on Tuesday.
He told the Speaker’s Kamukunji, addressed by chief mediator Kofi
Annan, that the more than 200 lawmakers should not take for
granted the peace that had flourished in the country since
independence.
Closed-door meeting
The MP, who was among the 207 elected during the December 27
General Election, told the closed-door informal meeting that peace
had been elusive in neighbouring Somalia since President Said
Barre was overthrown two decades ago.
He appealed to his counterparts to learn from the painful
experience of Somalia and join the international mediation team,
led by Mr Annan, to promote peaceful coexistence among all Kenyans.
Said Mr Mututho: “I support my colleagues who are united in the
peace initiative. We should recall that in 1980, Somali MPs were
replaced by warlords soon after Barre was ousted and war broke
out.”
All political, religious and professional leaders, he said, should
rise up to put their partisan, ethnic and personal interests aside
for the sake of the country.
Mr Mututho regretted that the month-long violence had left his
constituency devastated, and with scores of people killed and
thousands displaced.
Bomet MP Kipkalya Kones also pledged to support the peace efforts,
saying that his district was one of the worst hit by the political
crisis.
The former Cabinet minister said he would continue to preach peace
and co-existence among different communities living in Rift Valley
Province.
Kisumu Town East MP Shakeel Shabbir said the protests in the
lakeside town following the announcement of the disputed
presidential elections, and the murder of Embakasi MP Melitus
Mugabe Were and his Ainamoi counterpart David Kimutai Too, were
hijacked by criminals and militia.
“In Kisumu, we had vigilante groups and criminals who hijacked the
ODM peaceful demonstrations,” the MP said.
The former Kisumu Town mayor said he was shocked to return from a
foreign trip to find the town devastated.
Speaker Kenneth Marende told the Kamukunji that the experience of
the past month should lead to reflection.
“We must ask ourselves difficult questions. How well prepared are
we to deal with conflict?
“What role should the National Assembly play? We need to commence
immediately to build our own capacity in conflict management and
resolution and disaster preparedness,” he said.
Mr Marende assured the former UN boss and Kenyans that Parliament
was willing and ready to help enact any necessary constitutional
or statutory changes to bring lasting peace, reconciliation and
national unity.
“Let us roll up our sleeves and be ready to put in whatever it
takes to return this country to its glory. As we do this, some
caution is in order.
“We must not seek easy and superficial solutions. We must be
prepared to make the hard options that will endure the test of
time and ensure that never again shall neighbour rise against
neighbour in our country,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Graca Machel, a member of the mediation team,
told MPs: “The more we listen, the better we understand how
divided this nation is.”
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