Skip to main content

Featured

There's a Deeper Level to this Conversation: As You Tear At Each Other About Who's Sponsoring the Gen Z Protests, or Even if They're Sponsored at All, Watch These Three Videos and Let Me Know What You Think...

The Legacy of Fear: How the Shadow of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Shaped Kenya's Political Landscape In the annals of Kenya's political history, the events of 1969 stand out as a defining moment marked by fear, coercion, and manipulation. The political tension surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's candidature led to a series of oath-taking ceremonies in Gatundu that forever altered the fabric of Kenyan society. Understanding this historical context is crucial, especially when contemporary politicians attempt to invoke these dark chapters for political gain. The Fear of Jaramogi and the Birth of the Gatundu Oath The roots of the infamous Gatundu oath can be traced back to the fear and propaganda surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the former vice-president and then-leader of the opposition. By 1969, the political landscape in Kenya was charged with tension. The assassination of Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya on 5th July 1969 had already set a volatile backdrop. Within this context, Pr

BREAKING NEWS: NCIC bans 'KKK' tag

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has banned the Use of 'KKK' and the Media has been asked to stop using the tag. It is instructive to note that Uhuru and Kalonzo applied to have it banned...

The NCIC this morning said political tribal alliances would not be tolerated as long as they segregated against other ethnic communities.

NCIC vice chair Mary Onyango told a media briefing in Nairobi that such alliances were already illegal, and the Commission needs not announce their ban. "The law is there and it is not the Commission coming up with it. It is not for us to keep saying that every time people come up with a debate (on ethnic lines), to say, 'don’t go there or don’t do this,'" she said.
The Commission was reacting to the political group under the KKK alliance, which brings together political leaders from the Kikuyu, Kamba and Kalenjin communities ahead of the 2012 General Election. "While political alliances for the common good are encouraged, alliances along ethnic lines which aim to advance exclusionist policies are unlawful," said Ms Onyango.
The alliance, whose existence has since been denied by the same politicians, as a "creation of the media".
In January, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka wrote to the Commission asking it to ban the usage of the phrase "KKK". They argued that the use of the acronym amounted to hate-speech, an offence under the National Cohesion and Integration Act. In the letter addressed to NCIC Chairman Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia titled 'Incessant Contravention of the NCI Act', Mr Musyoka said the KKK tag promoted ethnicism and isolation contrary to the NCI Act, 2008. "The KKK caricature that now dominates the media and some public pronouncements is designed to depict ethnic isolationism whereby the three communities are set against the rest of Kenya’s ethnic groups," he added.
Last week Mr Kibunjia told an editors’ meeting that the Commission was still trying to find out the objectives of its creation before judging it.

Comments

Popular Posts