PICTURES: #Kenya excels again - its politics are shaped by #ICC

Following the August 8th peaceful polls in Kenya, we wrote a piece on 12th August thus; MUSEVENI'S SAVAGERY, KAGAME'S CRAZY AND UHURU'S
CIVILISED ELECTION RIGGING. KENYA EXCELS AGAIN - ITS POLITICS ARE SHAPED BY THE ICC (https://changeofguards.blogspot.ca/2017/08/pictures-of-musevenis-savagery-kagames.html)

We highlighted how by comparison, Uhuru's election was characterized by rigging at the stage of results' transmission hence "civilized rigging". We commended Uhuru for not persecuting the opposition before, during and after the polls. Further, he had set an example by keeping the armed forces and security agencies out of the electoral process.  A small clique of 'Mafias' led by the Electoral Commission CEO, Ezra Chiloba chose to tamper with the results transmission process.

The Supreme Court has annulled the August 8th Presidential Polls and ordered for a fresh electoral process. The incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta has declared his respect for the court ruling and is warming up for a re-run. From his body language, it was clear that the court ruling had taken him by surprise. He had to take 'a strong cup of coffee' before picking the courage to give his public reaction at a press conference. It was under the influence of the same 'cup of strong coffee' that he stated that " six people can not overturn the will of 40 million Kenyans".  Later in the afternoon, the shock and 'cup of strong coffee' took him to Burma Market where he addressed his supporters before further asserting that "wakora" (thugs) had ruled against the will of the people. The general security situation in the country has remained calm.

For other Africans and Ugandans in particular, what has shocked them is for the incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta not to arm-twist the Judiciary and not to use the security forces to create insecurity. Ugandans are wondering if Kenya has Counter Terrorism experts because no terror alerts were issued to dissuade crowds; if Kenya has commandos because they have not invaded the Supreme Court; if Kenya has Military Police and police Anti-riot units and sophisticated equipment because they are not seen on the streets; if Kenya security forces are professionals because they did not disperse jubilant crowds; if Kenya police has helicopters because they were not deployed on the Nairobi  airspace to scare residents; if Kenya has District Police Commanders (DPCs) because we didn't see them harassing the opposition; if Jubilee has a Secretariat because we have not heard its Secretary General issuing a warning of killing youths; if Kenya has Military Intelligence and District Commissioners because they were not cited in election rigging; if Kenya has a communication regulatory authority because we have not seen it close down social media and other media outlets; if Jubilee has militias because we have not seen them putting on hoods and clobbering jubilant crowds, if Kenyatta has a Special Presidential Guard Unit because we have not seen it actively involved in elections; if Kenya has an Army Commander because he has not stated that the army will not hand over power to the opposition candidate; !!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is Kenya and it is not by accident that it has been a regional economic power and now, a continental democratic power. Some quarters repute Kenya for being tribalistic but by comparison, its tribal tendencies are developmental and now, democratic.

What has shaped Kenya into the current democratic and spirit of tolerance? The 2007 disputed general elections resulted into a bloody violence that saw 11,000 people killed and 600,000 displaced. In 2011 the ICC indicted both Uhuru and William Ruto.  In March 2013 Uhuru Kenyatta won elections when he was still an ICC indicted. In April 2013, he took office and promised to respect the ICC and clear his name in that court. Uganda's military dictator, Museveni attended Kenyatta's inauguration in Nairobi where he publicly declared that "the election of Kenyatta was a rejection of the ICC and its neo-colonial masters."  

In May 2013 while addressing the IGAD Heads of State summit in Ethiopia, Museveni attempted to blackmail Uhuru into not attending the ICC in The Hague by claiming that there was a secret plan to detain Uhuru at The Hague.  He argued thus; "......African governments have information that the ICC intends to detain President Uhuru Kenyatta. They should tell us if they plan to detain Kenyatta. They should give us an explanation if he is going to come back to Kenya because the information we are receiving is different. We will not agree to have him attend if the intention is to detain him. If we don't have a clear picture of the plans by the international court, then it means our relations with them will be soured. They should treat us with dignity."  In September 2013 Museveni addressed the UN in New York thus; "......the latest manifest of arrogance is from the ICC in relation to the elected leaders of Kenya."

Uhuru Kenyatta defied the above blackmail attempts. by Museveni and instead continued to attend the court in The Hague. In December 2014, the ICC dropped charges against Uhuru Kenyatta.  During the December 2014 Independence Day celebrations in Nairobi, Museveni publicly declared his withdrawal of cooperation with the ICC. He stated; "African leaders through the AU had advised the ICC not to prosecute a seating President like President Uhuru Kenyatta but they refused to listen to our advice. Next year I will move a motion at the AU summit for all the African countries to withdraw their membership from the ICC".

The ICC indictment of Kenya's number one citizen sent a clear message to every Kenyan that gone are the days of acting with impunity. Since then every Kenyan is acting cautiously or else he/she may not be as lucky as Uhuru Kenyatta. That ICC indictment has continued to shape the political life of Kenya. Any African advocating for pulling out of the ICC is a devil.

The ICC scare not withstanding, Kenyans deserve credit. They have made Africa proud.

May you add this sentence at the end:  Donald Trump made it clear that Kenyans fight for their vote but Ugandans are cowards.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND DEFIANCE IS THE WAY TO GO  

change of guards blog