Mwiraria Continues to be a Douche even in Retirement {Video}

Well folks, David Mwiraria continues to demonstrate an exemplary amount of douchbaggery. The senile Meru elder is still  doubling down on the half truths and lies that have served him so well during his checkered political career.

In an appearance before the TJRC, the disgraced former minister lied and lied and then lied some more. Classic Davie Boy! He wants to be taken as a serious politician but when he is backed into the corner and proven to liar and a genocidaire, he just reverts to the famous, " I am too old to remember anything" line.

Here is the video evidence

Former DC claims He would have stopped Wagalla Massacre

Classy Kenyan War Criminal and former Wajir DC is expressing contrition in his post "I-committed-a-massacre" repose the way any man awash in the blood of innocents does: by feigning ignorance and (selective) amnesia.

In a testimony before the TJRC, Moi's acolyte exonerated himself from participating in the massacre of 5000 innocent Somalis in Wajir.

"If I was on the ground at that time, I would have insisted that the people who were being held be fed and given water to drink. It is a matter of being human,"

He also claimed the government sanctioned mass rape of women was the act of rogue individuals.

"No law allows a Government officer to rape a citizen. Those who carried out the heinous acts were acting as individuals and not following Government policy,"

In a live cast on national TV, the former DC was evasive and vapid. I find it very hard to believe that a senior administration official is unable to recall whether he attended a meeting where the subject of killing thousands of people was discussed at length. And we are speaking of the Moi Administration here. Senior Administration officials did not skip meetings that had national security implications!

Read full story here

Profiles in Modern Discrimination {Citizen TV}

 Citizen TV profiled Mohamud Hussein, a 21-year old Garissa resident whose efforts in trying to acquire national Identity card have been rendered futile due to discriminatory policies put in place by a modern day fascist government.

Every time we belly up to the filthy inarticulate explanations offered by authorities, their dishonesty embarrassingly bares itself out.The way the buffoonish D.C contemptuously addresses an issue that riles up emotions in NEP, as though it were sideshow clearly shows how little regard he has for the complaints of the public. He kept referring to us "These people" and "Hawa Watu" as though we are some alien population.

The very same man who has enriched himself [through bribe solicitations] by lording this document over genuine Kenyans is condescendingly pointing fingers at us. What a sham!




I am glad that Citizen TV has brought light to an issue that we Somali Kenyans are passionate about.

Billow Kerrow on the lack of Social Justice for Somali Kenyans

OPINION

Social justice for the people of northern Kenya is still a mirage

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By BILLOW KERROW

Posted  Wednesday, April 27 2011 at 18:46

In the past one week, the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) has been in North-Eastern Kenya getting a first-hand account of over 45 years of official neglect, deprivation and social injustice visited upon the residents by successive regimes.

The emotional outpouring by the residents has largely been unnoticed nationally, save for the media focus on the monstrous atrocities such as the Wagalla Massacre.

Brutal security operations continue unabated, and even as the Commission was being set up in 2008, security forces tortured and maimed several hundreds in Mandera.

Section 27(6) of the Constitution requires the State to take affirmative measures and policies to “redress any disadvantage suffered by individuals or groups because of past discrimination”.

However, the Commission should pay greater attention to the prevailing social injustice rather than being fixated on historical injustices.

This week, they will be in Mandera County that is reeling from the effects of the worst drought this decade.

Hundreds face death as a result of extreme hunger and thirst, while their economic livelihoods, namely livestock, continue to perish.

The government has a constitutional obligation to provide adequate food and water to all its citizens, without discrimination, among other socio-economic rights outlined in Section 46.

For the marginalised, Section 56 further mandates the government to provide infrastructure, such as boreholes, schools and health facilities as fundamental human rights.

As Indian writer and activist, Arundhati Roy argues, the assault on social justice has eroded its definition, made us lower our sights and curtail our expectations.

The notion of equality has undergone a process of attrition and eased out of equation.

He argues that these human rights violations are increasingly portrayed as unfortunate fallouts from an otherwise acceptable political and economic system.

The TJRC members’ mandate includes investigating the marginalisation of communities, and providing redress where necessary.

Will they order the government to immediately declare the ravaging famine in the region a national disaster and help halt the region’s march to devastation?

They are aware that the region’s youth cannot obtain identity cards due to official

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, in its 2009 publication titled “Foreigners at home – the dilemma of citizenship in Northern Kenya”, accuses the government of institutionalised discrimination on the itizenship of the residents through arbitrary denial.

Can TJRC urgently address this? Section 10 of the Constitution deems that social justice, equity and protection of the marginalised are national values that must be applied whenever State organs implement public policy decisions. Will the up-coming recruitment of 7,000 policemen be done equitably?

Section 232 on public service jobs demands that the State affords ‘‘adequate and equal opportunities and representation of diverse communities’’ in appointments, training and advancement.

Representation is best reflected through the regional, county or constituency population, which roughly mirrors our ethnic diversity.

Based on the 2009 census, and without the affirmative action “privilege” for minorities as proposed by Mr Orwa Ojodeh in Parliament, Nairobi would take 569 jobs, Central 795 Rift Valley 1,814 and North-Eastern 419 jobs.

This is arrived at by dividing the region or county’s population by the national population, and multiplying by the 7,000 jobs.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Bill 2011 is also in violation of Section 250 of the Constitution as regards the composition of the commissioners.

The section stipulates unequivocally that appointments to constitutional commissions and independent offices “shall reflect regional and ethnic diversity of the people of Kenya”.

The Bill suggests that five commissioners be appointed now, and four others in a year’s time.

Which region will play second fiddle to the other? Not North-Eastern, please!

Mr Kerrow, a former Mandera Central MP, is a political economist.

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Where is the Outrage NEP?

What is wrong with us Somali Kenyans? We generally seem to get the point that we've been ill-treated by successive regimes. We understand that we deserve better than second class citizenship yet we still give the benefit of the doubt to those who don't deserve it. Its become part of our nature.

I continue to be amazed by the remarkable passivity of Nepians. We never give any credence or attention to the constitution and its liberal ideals.
Take the TJRC hearings that were taking place in Garissa. Given the grave nature of the crimes perpetrated on Garissians by the Moi and Kenyatta regimes, there were virtually no protests or public rallies held to denounce the perpetrators or to show solidarity with the victims.

I actually think a remarkable number of our people have become apathetic and don't think their actions will bear any consequences. Mosques have lost whatever powers they've had before and the local media thinks its sole purpose is to play cheap commercials with rhyming quasi-poetic lines.

Now food and fuel prices are pushing many poor families who don't have philanthropic relatives in Western Europe or North America over the edge. Inflation and costs associated with rising fuel prices have made it impossible for the average family to live a decent life. This  adds to the already devastating effects of the prolonged drought. A litre of diesel goes for as much as Kshs. 123 in parts of NEP.We are getting screwed again, except this time round, its costing lives.

But the main point is, where the fuck is the outrage? Why aren't people coming out of their houses to protest?
The truth is, no one cares about NEP because Nepians don't give a fuck about themselves. It may not be nice to say this but the truth is rarely nice. The reason why no one-including our very own representatives-is placating us is because we don't matter and we won't until we become actively engaged in all that directly affects our lives.

We Somali Kenyans are a homogeneous bunch but beyond that we have nothing else in common. we don't believe that we share a common destiny. We are fragmented and hostile toward each other. Unlike our culture which is strongly egalitarian, we cower before our own "leaders".

To you, the high school graduate, University Student, unemployed youth, I say wake up and educate others about what is ailing us. Its up to us, the younger generation, to educate our fathers, mothers, relatives and friends on our rights. Next time a police officer from Kirinyaga asks for your ID, tell him you were born in Garissa and that he is the foreigner in Garissa.

There shouldn't be a shortage of inspiration given all thats been happening in the Arab world since January.

Let me know what you think in the comments section or by e-mail, garissacity@yahoo.com

Painful Memories for Families affected by Wagalla

NEWS

Suffering with bitterness for relatives

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Stephen Mudiari | NATION Wagalla Airstrip in Wajir town where the massacre took place.

By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com

Posted  Tuesday, April 19 2011 at 22:00

IN SUMMARY

• Tears flow as villagers pour their hearts out to Truth, Justice and Reconcilia-tion com-missioners

Suleiman Abdi is 18. He was born nine years after the infamous Wagalla Massacre in which two of his uncles were killed.

RELATED STORIES

• Massacre widows testify in private
• Tears as victims recall Wagalla killings
• Women wail as they meet Truth team
• Wagalla: TJRC calls ex-security men

Yet he speaks with the bitterness of someone who witnessed the killings.

“If I had a gun and found those who carried out the killings, I would kill them all myself,” he said, anger written large on his face.

On Tuesday, Abdi walked the lonely runway of the Wagalla Airstrip — the place where, according to government records, 57 people were shot dead by gunmen believed to be government security officers. Independent estimates put the figure at more than 2,000.

Infamous airstrip

Abdi, a Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam candidate, walks alone on the infamous airstrip with 50 goats — seven of his own and the rest belonging to his father.

He wears an uncomfortable grin and says: “My two uncles died here 27 years ago.”

At the other end of the runaway, birds land on the airstrip. No aeroplanes land here any more. They use the more modern airstrip near Wajir town.

At the Wagalla Airstrip Abdi walks his goats, clutching a radio and hoping to hear that the perpetrators of the massacre have been identified and brought to book.

“I hear there is a government team in Wajir looking into the issue, but I am sceptical. I would rather the suspects are to be taken to The Hague,” he said.

He would rather the killers of the people, mainly from the Degodia clan, are taken to the International Criminal Court like the so-called Ocampo Six, accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for the post-election violence that killed 1,300 people after the 2007 General Election.

“I want to know why our people were killed.”

His remarks were a reflection of the bitterness expressed by Habiba Mohammed whose husband was killed. She also became deaf after being kicked and slapped during the atrocities.

She lives in the village surrounding the Wagalla Airstrip. “That is where our men were killed. That was where the men were stripped naked, tortured and then executed,” she says.

“I wouldn’t have so many financial difficulties, had my husband not been shot by security forces,” she said pointing at her son, Shukur Rashid, 18, a primary school pupil at Wagalla Primary School.

“Even paying medical bills at the Wagalla Health Centre when my children fall sick is a nightmare,” she says as she shouts at a goat going astray.

At the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission hearing, a survivor of the massacre, Abdi Nur, said the airstrip was now useless.

“When you go to the airstrip, as you (commissioners) did on Sunday, you find people are just crying,” he said as he wiped tears from his eyes, while pointing out the injuries on his body he says were inflicted during the massacre.

“Many survivors and my relatives live there, and have sad memories of the place.”

 

State Urged to Compensate Wagalla Massacre Victims

Updated 7 hr(s) 21 min(s) ago

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By Ally Jamah

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission sitting in Wajir has heard from three witnesses who recounted the events of February 1984 at the airstrip where the Wagalla massacre allegedly happened.

One of the witnesses, Bishar Ibrahim Ishmael, who was a Government official during the period when the alleged massacre occurred, said he identified the Government and security officials who were at the airstrip between February 8 and 16, that year.

Mr Bishar said by February 8, about 2,000 people had been rounded up at the airstrip and by February 16, about 5,000 people had been brought from far as Mandera.

Bishar later recalls seeing two truckloads of dead people, being driven out of the airstrip.

"I can identify the actual Government official and army personnel, who were here during that period. I also can identify the vehicles they drove and the number plates of these vehicles," said Bishar.

The commission heard that in 2003, the Narc Government had promised the construction of Wagalla memorial and public library.

"All we want from the Government is a formal apology for us to move on,’’ said Bishar.

He said upon accepting responsibility, the Government should compensate the people of Wagalla in accordance to the Somali traditions. He said the compensation would be five camels for each man killed.

The commission also heard the area is socially and economically marginalised and the trend must be changed. Witnesses cited the poor state of health and educational facilities in Wajir and greater North Eastern region, saying it resulted to poor education standards and health challenges.

Wajir has 34 witnesses identified and the hearings end on Wednesday.

TJRC is mandated to inquire into human rights violations, including those committed by the State, groups or individuals between December 12, 1963 and February 2008.

The violations include but are not limited to politically motivated violence, assassinations, community displacements, settlements and evictions.

TJRC will also inquire into major economic crimes, in particular grand corruption, historical land injustices and the illegal and irregular acquisition of land especially as these relate to conflict or violence within the stated period of time.

The commission will receive statements from victims, witnesses, communities, interest groups, persons directly or indirectly involved in events or any other group or individual; undertake investigations and research; hold hearings and engage in activities as it determines to advance national or community reconciliation.

Massacre Survivors appear before TJRC

NEWS

Massacre widows testify in private

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Stephen Mudiari | NATION Mr Abdilahi Shurie (centre), a victim of the Wagalla Massacre, is led away from the public hearing on the atrocities on April 18. 2011.

By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com and ISSA HUSSEIN iissaa_nation@yahoo.co.uk

Posted  Tuesday, April 19 2011 at 22:00

IN SUMMARY

• The commission made the decision after it emerged some of the women were victims of sexual violations

A special session to hear testimonies of women rendered widows by the Wagalla massacre 27 years ago was held in camera on Tuesday.

RELATED STORIES

• Women wail as they meet Truth team
• Wagalla: TJRC calls ex-security men

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) presiding chairman Ronald Slye made the decision after it emerged some of the women were also victims of sexual violations.

The session, held at Raha Palace Hotel in Wajir town, was led by women commissioners including vice-chairperson Tecla Namachanja.

Some of the women were determined to speak out on the atrocities last Sunday when they wailed at the Wagalla airstrip, where more than 2,000 people were said to have been killed by security officers in 1984. The official figure is 57.

At the open session, former soldier Abdirahman Elmi Daud narrated how he was asked to wake up his colleagues who were to join an operation with the regular and Administration Police to round up members of the Degodia clan.

Mr Daud was an army corporal serving in the 7th battalion based at Wajir military camp.

“I was personally asked to use military lorry since I was a military truck driver to ferry the rounded up residents who were my clan members to Wagalla airstrip,” he said.

He said he witnessed 30 people beg urine from others since there was no water to drink.

The commissioners heard that 30 people felt they were overwhelmed by the suffering and decided to flee from their tormentors leading to massive beating by the security officers.

Mr Daud said he was arrested after he picked up injured victims and secretly took them to a centre created by an Italian aid worker for treatment.

Military orders

He was taken to Wajir Army camp where he was accused by the commanding officer of breaching military orders.

He was later referred to a martial court in Nairobi leading to his early retirement from the force. “I was denied renewal of contract.”

Mr Daud claimed he drove former military chief of staff Joseph Kibwana, who was then brigadier, from the airstrip to the military camp then to Wajir DC’s office where he held a meeting with former TJRC chairman Bethuel Kiplagat and former Provincial Commissioner Benson Karia.

More witnesses continued to speak about the human rights violations they underwent over the years in the region.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim Dayow told of how he lost his father and five brothers in Hadado during the Shifta war in 1966.

Military men, he said, raided his home and killed his father, five brothers and 300 camels.

Mr Dayow said security officers torched his houses before seriously injuring him. He was detained for 33 days during which his 300 sheep and 400 cows were stolen.

Meanwhile, the commission was told that the ethnic feuds that led to the Wagalla massacre were as a result of the colonial government’s decision to demarcate boundaries in Wajir town along ethnic lines.

Unlike other regions in North Eastern Province, Wajir town was divided into three areas, former Wajir West MP Ibrahim Ali Hussein said.

The east of the town, he said, was left for the Degodia clan, which bore the brunt of the Wagalla massacre.

The west was left for the Ajuran while the south was occupied by the Ogaden.

Mr Hussein, who served between 1969 and 1974, said every community protected its grazing land.

But this changed in the early 1980s when the Degodia clan spread its dominance towards the west, sparking inter-clan flare-up with the Ajuran clan.