A chat with a friend across the divide

Harris: dude

me: wasup

Harris: are still travelling to central ?

AVOID IT

WE LOVE YOU

me: i just told paul i feel uncertain about going there

i am scheduled to go to kirinyaga and muranga

Harris: yeah PLEASE DONT GO

me: thanks for the love bro

Harris: send paul and ahmed

me: any details?

Harris: not yet but we are in a very volatile period as a country

no need to risk all these issues

mtindwa went up in flames

me: yeah. i was in Kerugoya on sunday and I could feel the tension

i was telling Paul i dont need to do anything wrong - just be myself and lose my life

Harris: if u were taita or coasterian maybe

but being kaleo ....

I have heard horror stories from nakuru

me: my cousin Alex is trapped in Naivasha

Oserian

cant leave the house

Harris: yep

Njosh was in naivasha and saw guys being slashed...

he is still shaken

me: it is becoming a war man

Harris: my neighbour was saved by some brave Kenyans who defended her that she is not kyuk after they stopped the mat

she is luhya but has a luo look and name

she couls not have survived

she was shaken for 2 days

Jaye's sister is due any minute she is now in my house...\

me: from Njoro?

Harris: nakuru town

Njoro went up in flames kitambo

Kina njosh's shagz ( solai ) - 2 people killed

his folks moved to ol kalou

me: what can me and you do about this? i refuse to think we cannot do anything

Sent at 10:37 AM on Thursday

me: first you must stay alive. this nation has invested so much in you

then you must protect life, no matter what tribe

and we must preach tolerance and forgiveness

Sent at 10:39 AM on Thursday

me: now all of these seem abstract and far fetched but we must do this in our hearts first

Sent at 10:42 AM on Thursday

Harris: yeah very abstract

when it hits you that people you love have been infringed things change

but we are trying to keep our heads

it is impt that we lead the way

we cannot sit and watch any more

me: this is the time for us to be the leaders

Harris: exactly

We have to take charge it is our life

We tell the mungikis/chinkorokoro/warriors and the rest that this is not helping

You know now politicians are helpless they can only take advantage of it but nothing else...

The problem is the church is also lost in all these

when you look at all these guys

who really should lead the way

Sent at 10:53 AM on Thursday

me: we are the ones who are most invested in kenya

Harris: yep

me: the "elite" can afford to flee

the "mungiki" and the other militias are poor - they have invested nothing

they dont have much to lose

Harris: yeah yeah

but we can influence them

me: we need to stand for peace

Harris: We must however be wary of them in our rank and file who feel they stand to benefit if the violence continues

the mugune mugunes

me: yeah. and those that want revenge

these are the most dangerous coz they have a genuine interest in the violence

they have already lost so much

Harris: true

Sent at 10:58 AM on Thursday

me: OK. Let me convince my peers to go without me

and let me do all the other work from here

when we start going to Kericho, I will do all the donkey work

Sent at 11:00 AM on Thursday

Harris: yeah yeah man

do that

Sent at 11:09 AM on Thursday

me: Thanks too

Sent at 11:13 AM on Thursday

Harris: And take care avoid othaya ndogo pia...

now we can nolonger take risks

or can I get you a kikuyu ID ?

what name do you want to use ?

me: Mugo Gaitho

Harris: kamau ?

njoroger ?

sawa wacha tuone how easy that will be

born in Burnt forest

1980

village karagita

me: you guy

Harris: location

kwa kiongo

me: can you send me a Kikuyu crash course PDF?

Sent at 11:19 AM on Thursday

Harris: ha ha ha

well wacha we tafuta what we can get

seems Nairobi will be the battle of the titans

if it ever gets there

me: let us hope it doesnt get to that

Sent at 11:23 AM on Thursday

me: hi bado uko

Sent at 11:26 AM on Thursday

me: Any battle in Nairobi will permanently destroy Kenya

tourism

investment

markets

financial systems

Harris: yeah man

did you see the NSE jana ?

me: the entire corporate world will crumble and Kenya can as well kiss goodbye to the UN

Harris: I purely ans squarely blame Kibaki

how comes he has never spoken

he is suppossed to be leading the way

Jinga tu ananyamaza

the general feeling among the kikuyus is that he doesn't care if we are killed or not

infact there is increasing discomfort with him and his cronies

me: i think the blame goes both ways

Harris: no wonder saitoti received a cold welcome

we are wondering where is the kikuyu leader

LUO- raila

Kaleo- Ruto and Kosgey

Luhyia- Mudavadi

Kambas- Kalonzo

Kikuyu - NONE ( Ndura waruingi maybe ?)

me: i think the Kikuyu have many leaders but the most prominent ones are radical and very conservative

they have not sought the goodwill of other communities

Harris: man we dont feel like we do have any

me: but there are many Kikuyu leaders I admire

Beth Mugo

Mutahi Kagwe

Kimunya

Harris: Let me tell you this mungiki thing maybe govt sponsored or not at all...

people are mad with a stupid man called kibaki

Uhuru - could have been

me: what should Kibaki do?

I dont admire Uhuru Kenyatta - maybe my prejudices

Harris: Get out and talk to the nation

Go to Nakuru, Naivasha and Gilgil and preach peace and challenge Ruto and Raila to do the same

maybe even organise a joint rally and let them skip the meeting

That way we see he is committed to peace

this war will not be won in board rooms

it is beyond that now..

me: He is polarised. If he goes to Eldoret, people dont see him as the president but as coming to sympathize with the victims ONLY.

Harris: Mungiki and the militias are not in the board rooms but in villages

But at least try...

me: I think the best way for him to bring peace to Kenya is to simply demonstrate a commitment to a fair resolution of the crisis

i think for there to be peace, both sides of the divide have to be won over

Harris: well each wants winner takes it all

then the hardliners

the rutos and anyang' nyong'os

me: i think it would be a great score for peace if Kibaki empowers some of his less radical people to significant positions even if the radicals still wield the real power

Harris: We have damning evidence on ruto and kosgey and Anyang nyong'o

very damning

was recorded by a friend and they are willing to testify when time comes...

when eldoret was burning why did they fly and meet militia men ?

in a private plane ?

recorded by a phone

me: i think if there is sufficient evidence, anyone who provoked violence should face the law

Harris: Now that poses a challenge....

coz they will do anything to make sure they control the next govt if not they will suffer..

me: but it requires alot of care coz these are symbolic leaders

Harris: yeah yeah

That is why the govt was let us go to the hague...

Sent at 11:51 AM on Thursday

Harris: what do you think is the solution man

and what can me and you do...

1. Truth

me: the first solution is political

Harris: 2. Justice

3. NO AMNESTY

me: i dont think we are ready for truth and justice

Harris: why not man

the problem is this

Kip..... killed my mum how do I reconcile to get back to the same village again

me: we need to obtain political equity first because as long as the political issues have not been resolved they will be fuel for more injustices

Harris: Dagorreti fighting

mbagathi impassable

me: as long as the politicians are fighting, we cannot a path to truth and justice

Harris: why no kill them both coz they value power than they value us

me: we need them to be on the same side ushering us towards truth and justice

Harris: well yes

me: we cannot afford to lose these guys right now. we have just lost lives and billions in political scholarships for both of them. we need to realize a return on this price

as long as they are trying to outdo each other, we cannot be seeking truth and justice

whose truth?

whose justice?

because justice according to ODM and justice according to PNU are mutually exclusive

Harris: well I just want this to end I feel so vulnerable

my gut feeling tells me something bad is just about o happen ( I hope am wrong)

Sent at 11:59 AM on Thursday

me: we are at the brink of Kenya's gullag. Kenya is just about to commit suicide and me and you are in the thick of it

Harris: yep man

Let us pray

take a day and pray

just pay for kenya

the land you want to work

het married

live and bear children we need Kenya

me: Before you pray, Jesus asked us to do one thing

if you have a problem with your brother, go and sort it out first

before we pray, we must forgive

Harris:

yep

me: what do we need to forgive?

Harris: People

who wronged us

me: violence

Harris: who raped our country

me: death

Harris: who stole our livelihoods

me: destruction of property

hate

Harris: killed our fellow citizens

me: ethnic cleansing

Harris: raped our sisters who now have HIV

me: political fraud

selfish leadership

Harris: People who took the coutry from us and made us feel like slaves in our own country

Sent at 12:06 PM on Thursday

me: and the police who killed innocent people

not the ones who did their work genuinely

Harris: Innocent yes

and police who were killed by gangs

me: yeah

we need forgiveness for trusting people rather than God

institutions that failed us

Harris: uhum...

me: now we need to figure how we will forgive all these and more before we can go to God for prayer

Harris: And for pastors and preachers who are tribal leaders than church leaders

for that sunday school techer who burnt the church in Eldoret

me: if we could forgive these, we will not even have a crisis to solve

Harris: For having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof...

being lovers of money

and by allowing our love to grow cold

I mean am really distracted

while I know I could easily be moved in another unit and maybe france or Asia am worried for Kenya

really worried...

me: I love Kenya

i have no plan B. It is Kenya

Harris: I never want to leave Kenya ( except on business)

me: I am worried for Kenya

Harris: See what can we do on the web...

me: but i am confident that we will get out of this

Harris: to unite kenyans and give them a forum to air their views

and maybe aid the healing process....

But again these are not the people in problems and causing the chaos and mayhem

me: its a good place to start

I need to leave

Harris: yep..

ok

sawa sawa

me: Can I edit and publish our chat?

Harris: wapi passport ?

me: I might help someone

Harris: yeah yeah

sure man

me: will get you my passport soon

Harris: cool

Harris is typing…