A History of Violence

0 0
Read Time:18 Minute, 58 Second

KANU Youth ’92, Kalenjin Warriors and Mayhem
Available reports show that Ruto has been mentioned in the same breadth with violence for a long time. Ruto made his considerable wealth as a leader of the Youth for KANU ’92, a dubious lobby group that was formed to support the Presidency of former dictator Daniel arap Moi. At the time the organization was formed, he was a Masters student in zoology at the University of Nairobi. He abandoned his studies to throw his weight with Moi’s totalitarianism and to take advantage of the free money flowing into the organization. This organization was famous for one thing: its bottomless pockets. It was never clear where the money came from, but it has been claimed that former Central Bank governor Eric Kotut, a fellow Kalenjin, printed paper money to finance Moi’s campaign.

Other reports allege that this money came from the Goldenberg swindle which started in the early 1990s, and in which the Kenyan taxpayer lost over Shs. 80 billion. If this is true, Ruto, his YK’92 colleague Cyrus Jirongo, as well as Musalia Mudavadi, the finance minister at the height of the heist, have a good motivation to prevent a government that might prosecute them.

Aware of this murky past, the British have slapped a ban on Ruto so that he cannot travel to the UK. YK’92, as the lobby was called, was manned by youthful operatives in flashy suits, the most conspicuous ones being Ruto and Jirongo. However, the YK’92 represented the urban, sophisticated face of a campaign whose mantra was to show that multiparty politics was not going to work in Kenya. The mission of YK’92 included vote buying, bribery, and intimidation.

In the rural areas of the Rift Valley, the more unsophisticated phase of YK’92 was in operation. Styled as “Kalenjin warriors,” and armed with bows and arrows, some of industrial grade, their mission was to drive out Kikuyu, Kisii, Luo and Luhya voters. It is notable that the very first clashes broke out in Nandi, Ruto’s neighboring district that still retains the name of the tribe.

A report compiled by Human Rights Watch called Divide and Rule, notes:

The ethnic clashes first broke out on October 29, 1991, at Meteitei farm in Tinderet, Nandi District, on the border of Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western Provinces….As the fighting continued, the Kalenjin community was accused of attacking the Luo community….Luo leaders, whose community was the first to be affected by the clashes, concluded that the violence was the direct result of the majimbo rally held at Kapsabet a month earlier. After the violence erupted, leaflets were distributed in the area warning Luos and other non-Kalenjins to leave the area by December 12, 1991, or “face the consequences.” The leaflets were signed by a group calling itself the Nandi Warriors.

These Nandi Warriors later became known as the “Kalenjin Warriors,” as more attacks were launched on non-Kalenjins. According to Divide and Rule, “The attackers were often identically dressed in informal uniform of shorts and tee-shirts and always armed with traditional bows and arrows as well as pangas. Sometimes, the warriors would have their faces marked in the traditional manner with clay. The warriors would loot, kill, and burn houses, leaving death and destruction in their wake.” Some of the fiercest fighting was between the Kalenjin and the Luo. This is how Divide and Rule puts it: “The Kericho-Kisumu road was temporarily closed as “Kalenjin warriors” armed with bows and arrows battled with Luos across the road. The confrontation between the two communities followed an attack by Kalenjins against hundreds of Luos residing in Nandi and Kericho Districts during which the Kalenjins had looted and burned Luo homes. The Luo community responded with a counter-attack. A Luo policeman trying to stop the fighting allegedly killed a Kalenjin, resulting in a new attack by the Kalenjins against neighboring Owiro farm, populated by Luos.”

Given this history, it would appear that the Luo, in their bid for power, have suppressed their memory and allowed themselves to be dragged by their leaders into a pact with the devil for political expediency. Although the Kenyatta regime was accused of carrying out targeted assassinations of politicians deemed to be a threat, it is true to say that in terms of ethnic groups, there is no community in Kenya that has caused more death and destruction to fellow Kenyans than the Kalenjin.

Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Average Rating

5 Star
0%
4 Star
0%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.