Chaos, Booing At Kibaki Rally As Rivals Clash

The East African Standard (Nairobi)

NEWS
6 December 2007
Posted to the web 5 December 2007
By Cyrus Kinyungu And Biketi Kikechi
Nairobi

Riot police tear-gassed rival youths of two Cabinet ministers on a day President Kibaki came face-to-face with the ugly side of local politics - violence and heckling.

But the bitter rivalry between PNU politicians, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi and Mr Musikari Kombo, could not have peaked on a worse moment with the campaigns entering a critical stage in a province where ODM poses a real threat.

Kibaki's frustration and pain were evident when TV footage showed him leaving his seat to calm down a heckling and rowdy crowd.

He did this to save Kituyi from further humiliation and enable the former Kimilili MP address a rally in his own turf.

"Vitu gani hivi mnafanya? Hivi ni vitu vya kitoto. Mnapoteza muda wetu kwa kupiga kelele. Hiyo ni kelele tu hakuna kitu mnafanya," the President told the crowd as an embarrassed Vice-President, Mr Moody Awori, who had spent the better part of the morning trying to placate the feuding factions, watched pensively.

When he finally got a chance to speak - at least briefly before heckling again disrupted his speech - Kituyi said: "Wageni wasio na nidhamu tutawafunza nidhamu." (We will teach indisciplined visitors manners).

Earlier, atop the dais and in full view of the rowdy crowd, Kituyi and Kombo squared up to each other with the VP trying to make peace between them.

Kituyi's camp is angry because even though he got a direct nomination to defend his seat on a PNU (New Ford-Kenya) ticket, Kombo fielded a Ford-Kenya candidate, Dr Simiyu Eseli, to fight it out with the minister.

Sporadic fights

Tension was evident as early as Tuesday evening when supporters of the two ministers engaged in sporadic fights.

On Wednesday, fighting broke out at 6am, about four hours before Kibaki's arrival as Kituyi's supporters battled followers of Ford-Kenya's Eseli.

PNU posters along the way to Amutala Stadium, the venue of the rally, were torn as rival groups tried to outdo each other. Police had to fire teargas to break up the fighting.

Kituyi's arrival was greeted with cheers from his supporters, while hundreds of youths wearing Ford Kenya T-shirts jeered him.

Minutes before Kibaki arrived, Awori found himself on the wrong side of the conflict as he tried to chant Kibaki Tena, Kituyi Tena.

Kombo supporters openly protested, heightening tension. This prompted the VP to go to Ford-Kenya supporters to plead for calm. It was at this point that he was overheard asking the surging crowd to re-elect Kibaki, but decide who their next MP should be.

But Kombo did not take this lying down and confronted Awori over the remarks. The situation calmed down when Kibaki arrived, only to erupt again after some former MPs took to the stage.

First to be heckled was former Kanduyi MP, Mr Wafula Wamunyinyi, when he said PNU nominations in Kimilili were flawed.

Wamunyinyi was at pains to explain why Ford-Kenya fielded a candidate and cited the decision to award Kituyi a direct nomination.

Equally under siege was Kombo, who was also jeered by a group shouting: "Traitor! Traitor!"

Invoked Muliro and Wamalwa

Unruffled, Kombo carried on with his speech: "Endihe muvolela mukubile ekura emundu wa Ford-Kenya chigila engovi ya Muliro nende Wamalwa eli muno mu Kimilili (I'm urging you to vote for the Ford-Kenya candidate because the placentas of (Masinde) Muliro and (Kijana) Wamalwa - both deceased - are here in Kimilili), he said.

Standing on either side of the dais, the two groups welcomed friendly leaders with cheers and jeered those they felt were unfriendly.

The two ministers walked out of the dais and each headed for the corner where his supporters stood and tried to calm them.

The VP's greetings of PNU were greeted with shouts of "Kibaki Tena" by Kituyi's supporters, but "Ford Kenya" by the latter's supporters.

Eventually, he pulled aside the two politicians and walked with them out of the grounds where they discussed the issue as they waited for the President.

When he finally addressed the rally, Kibaki said his rivals had no chance of defeating his coalition of more than 10 parties.

Expressing confidence that he would win the December 27 polls, Kibaki, who was in his third day of campaigns in Western Province, said: "There is no way you can defeat 10 parties that have united. No way."

He said his Government was committed to free secondary education from next month, adding that funds had already been factored in the Budget.

The President also addressed a rally at Tande Secondary in Malava after launching Butali Sugar Factory. He addressed another rally at Navakholo in Lurambi.

Moi's rally aborted

Elsewhere, a rally that was to be addressed by former President Moi in Nandi North aborted after rowdy people chanting ODM slogans demanded money from the organisers.

They shredded Kibaki's posters and warned that no rally would take place unless they were paid a 'listening' allowance.

"We do not want to deal with brokers. We want money and we are not going to negotiate about it," said a grey-haired man.

They blocked a van carrying seats and tents that were to be used for the function from accessing Mlango trading centre grounds, a few kilometres from the Eldoret International Airport.

They shouted down a former Uasin Gishu Kanu branch chairman, Mr David Chepsiror, who had organised the function.

A former minister, Mr John Cheruiyot, who is in ODM-Kenya, arrived and managed to cool down the agitated crowd.

He asked them to organise themselves in groups, list their names and pick a team leader. Cheruiyot temporarily contained the situation when he dished out Sh100 to all those listed.

But the situation went out of hand when youth carrying Mr Raila Odinga's posters unfurled them and chanted: "ODM! ODM!"

They became more rowdy when the Nandi DC, Mr Mabea Mogaka, arrived with Administration Police officers.

The DC and the OCPD recommended that the meeting be cancelled.

At that point, former nominated MP, Mr Ezekiel Barngetuny, arrived and used his public speaking mastery to calm the crowd.

He convinced them to sit and he lectured them on good manners, respect for elders and their right to choose leaders of their choice.

"Use your heads. I know a few of you have been paid to cause chaos," said Barngetuny.

The crowd responded with calls of "Acha! Acha! Mi ODM mukuleldo (No! No! ODM is in our hearts).

Additional reporting by Robert Wanyonyi

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