From: Rodgers Akombe

Yes, Kenya is a failed state!

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?
category_id=23&newsid=103972
MPs have condemned Kenya to failed state status

Publication Date: 8/8/2007

Yes Kenya is a failed state! I have finally thrown in the towel after living in a lie for along time.

Currently, Kenya is ranked lowly in terms of human development. This is a classification that I have objected to until the recent events arising from an attempt by the 9th Parliament to award itself a Sh1.4 billion bonus. Kenya is one of the biggest economies of Africa. But this is useless in the absence of rule of law.

Rule of law is only possible when the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary carry out their duties without fear or favour. This has not been the case as politics seems to be dictating how the laws are made and enforced.

Our Executive and Parliament are run by people who should have been locked up for corruption and murder many years ago. Ours is a system where criminals in the opposition will cry intimidation when they are cornered while those in the administration are given a free ride to freedom because they think they own the country.

We are in a situation where the administration and the opposition are pointing nuclear weapons at each other. One side has the power given by the constitution while the other has power derived from the masses. To avoid a nuclear warfare, the two sides breathe hot air and stage mock fights as each side tries to show off its weaponry. The result is suffering of the masses.

The police force has been reduced to a charade of a law enforcement organ. Do you ever laugh when told of a prominent person being asked to record a statement with the police? “Recording a statement” is one of the puerile lines that the police use incessantly. What happens after the mighty Kenyans file these statements is still a mystery. Maybe we need to probe the Dandora garbage dump to uncover where the so-called statements are stored. Filing a statement with the CID is the biggest travesty of them all. The higher you rank in society, the higher the rank of CID officer assigned to interrogate you and get your statement.

Health minister Charity Ngilu was the latest prominent person to file a statement with the police. In April, we were treated to a dramatic cat and mouse games between Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo and the Kenya Police. Mr Ndolo was wanted for assaulting anti-Corruption officers. He was later cornered and forced to “record a statement” with the police. His comrades in the opposition came in handy to allege intimidation by the Executive.

Before rushing to shower Mrs Ngilu with praise for her “heroic rescue” of a suspect from police custody, let us stop and evaluate the impact of her actions on law enforcement. There are hundreds of citizens in police custody for crimes they may not have committed -that is why they are called suspects. Should these suspects’ families and friends storm jails across the country to release their loved ones? That is exactly what Mrs Ngilu is telling us to do in the event that we feel a suspect is unfairly held.

We have seen a few cases in the past where police have been killed by mobs attempting to free suspects. What action will President Kibaki take? None! This is election year and that means it is not the time to make enemies. Keeping tribal chiefs happy trumps everything. Re-appointments to the Cabinet, glossing over major financial scandals, name it. Kenyans ain’t seen nothing yet!

RODGERS AKOMBE,
New Jersey, USA