
Statement by Munyori Baku, Senior Director Public Communication – Statehouse: “What Does Raila Odinga want?”



Third Monday of Demonstrations at Anniversary Tower in Nairobi as the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD) continues to challenge the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) who they ask for the head of the Chairman Hassan Ahmed Issack who has questions towards partisan role toward the ruling regime.

The CORD has the rights to question an appointed Commission who seems to serve the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP), the Executive President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. They are using the security forces to disperse citizens who demonstrate with escalating violence. The Nairobi Metropolitan Police have today gone too far.
Seeing the vicious Police Officers beating on a citizens, kicking and using all kind of means to hurt fellow citizens are not justice. That is violating their right to demonstrate and show peaceful disobedience. Would be different if the stole from shop or even destroyed a street vendor who pays the Kanjo Kingdom and the Nairobi County Officials.

The Pre-Election period will not be peaceful when the Nairobi Metropolitan Police, tear-gas and use water-cannons like they are trying to kick them as far away from the Central Nairobi as possible, while the other Police Officers uses their sticks to beat and kick the demonstrators while they are laying on the ground.
The videos and footages shows the violence from the authorities who doesn’t care really care about their citizens. The Police just treat the public as cattle… they do not give the credit or respect that the people should have. Instead the Police are chasing and hitting them. Spreading fear and initiating violent behavior.

The CORD might be wrong, but if not then the JAP is totally wrong for hiring Police Officers who without any form of justice attacks fellow citizens. They are acting as the people are criminals before their innocent. They are trial on the street shows they are guilty of questioning the Electoral Commission, instead of silencing their voice and except what the Government and Institutions are serving them.
The Kenyan Government should have the charm and ability to be capable of having streets of protestors without turning violent towards the ones who demonstrate, if they are against maggots or lice they should still be done in peace; as much as the ones who wants to have an really independent Electoral Commission. That should not be a crime! A crime is to violate the law, not jumping on the street claiming that the Electoral Commission are far from independent; but the action of the Police towards the citizens shows that they must be a bit right.
The Kenyan Government would not have problem of being question if the citizens was wrong, the Police Force would not answer in violence if they wasn’t afraid of the truth and the Electoral Commission would not answer with silence while the citizens are beaten to pulp on the streets by Police Officers. Anti-Riot Police and their water cannons would not disperse and use the force of violence as they did today. Peace.

Usually, me a Political living being would be giddy and happy knowing that people who have worked hard and wanting to represent their constituency, finally gained their justice and the opportunity to work as legislators and men and woman working for the common good in the Parliament and in an chamber that, an august hall where the Members of Parliament would create and make policies for a better tomorrow.
So when they are swearing-in Members of Parliament in Uganda, I should be happy, but I am not. I am just, eh! Let’s say I am mediocre, or full of fatigue as the Electoral Malpractices, the sham-election and rigged election of 2016 still lingers on, I don’t believe the results of any of the Members of Parliament, even with the few MPs from the Opposition, but the way the practices and the total pictures is so flawed that even FDC men there; is just to show the Donor Countries that we have Multi-Party Democracy through the ballot, but I don’t believe that is the real picture. Even Norbert Mao couldn’t contest this election in Gulu Municipality.

There are little to celebrate as the elections are so hectic and fraudulent, nothing I see as the pictures of these representatives swearing-in on the Constitution or Bible. The words and the distinct participation, the regress of democratic values, while the Ruling Regime even tried with opening of new districts clear the citizens and the constituencies to secure the new hand-picked men of the Executive. The men and woman who even went uncontested for the position of becoming an MP; that is just questionable, as the NRM Primaries was just full of flaws, no matter how much Dr. Tanga Odoi thinks he is an election king and grand master of controlling elections.
Certainly the whole picture is a smear of sadness and grim anticipations of the 10th Parliament. Usually it would be looking forward with some hope of real progress and sustainability of wise leadership to develop infrastructure, education, health care and all level of bureaucracies of the state; instead it’s with sadness of the strong grip of power by the Executive and his hands into all coffers of the government. There are no strings his fingers is not touching, none orders from above that is not directed from him. His words are now laws while the MPs are paid to secure his views or silenced by the payment structure instead of representing the Constituencies and being Nobel leaders of the land.

The Parliament and their MPs are not a force to be recognized, they are puppets dancing to the tune of the Executive and his war-chest. A war-chest he is using to dissolve and disperse the crowds to silence the opposition with house-arrest, phony charges, spying on political activity and creating special police forces that are monitoring the opposition without any care of laws or freedom of movement. The Executive does what he can to centralize the Power in his hands, while letting the loyalist amongst him being happy on breadcrumbs; while the Executive eats the whole Bakery.
The liability and guilt-ridden authorities that does what it can to be there and keep the other at bay, at any cost and even starting to get rid of the men and woman inside the Police Force who might have allegiance to the Opposition, as they did not accept the way the Former Presidential Candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye we’re able to get out of his home on the 11th May and have a Mock Swearing-In 24 hours before the Executive himself Sworn himself for the 7th term in Office.

The way he was able to Kasangati home:
“Besigye exchanged all the cloths and the helmet with the motor cyclist (Commonly known as Boda Boda) man. Immediately without wasting time, Besigye jumped on the bike and that’s how he managed to escape”.
The initial violence against the Opposition, the detaining, the sieged headquarters of Forum for Democratic Change, the raids against the rehearsal studio of Bobi Wine and the raid of JEEMA Forums headquarters in recent days. So the level of political freedom is dwindling, the FDC house-arrested MPs was only freed so they could be there and be parts of Swearing-in, not being really free.

Therefore today’s action at the Parliament doesn’t really matters to me, because of the state of affairs, the electoral laws and the war-chest of President Museveni. The way the Security Forces are used to silence the Opposition and the citizens are unbearable, the tear-gas and the live bullet towards fellow peers, is not justice as the civil disobedience should alter the actions of the government, not make it detain the ones that opposes it. This is the reasons, why people oppose this government, this Executive and the current Police State.
If the people and the government where in sync then the government would not need to deploy the army for the Swearing-In, would not need to deploy the army around the Election Day and would not need to use French Speaking Soldiers recently, as the Government would have trusted the people and the people would also trust their representatives in Government. This is natural beneficiary stations between the elected people and the people who are elected. But since the representatives are selected by the Executive instead of by the citizens that they are supposed to be; therefore the Executive uses the Army and Police to silence the ones that feels the representatives is not representing them.

Certainly, some of the MPs are proud of the Elections and finally made it after many tries, but the sham elections, would hope that they came into Parliament like FDC’s Francis Mwijuke who finally cracked into the Parliament. I wish people like him came into the Parliament without the questionable elections as then the legitimacy of his Honorable position. I would have congratulated him more for the honor, but he and the ones who have fought for become MPs had deserved to come there through a credible and fair election.
I don’t care what Hon. Jacob Oulanyah hoop’s and lies to get to his position again, as he had controversies into the ballots and other issues with his local Talley Offices and results. Others were in the same way, not everybody who was elected without contest like Hon. Sam Kuteesa. The others have to pay of their constituencies and use the NRM Village Fund and the 250k could not save the votes or the Local Councils who needed the money to clear the local pledges. There certainly too many issues with this election and violence to be happy about the Members of Parliament swearing-in.

It is not enough that Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu can announce whatever he wants and follow the Master, the Executive who is in control of the Electoral Commission, as he has appointed them and keeps them in order. Therefore the results are cooked in away the Executive wants them, instead of honoring the citizens and their votes. Therefore you saw on the Presidential Election that people showed up, but on the Local Councilors and Lord Mayor elections where the we’re less people showing up to the Polling Stations; shunning the ballots, because of the lack of transparency and value of their vote on the Election Day for the Presidential Election. The Electoral Commission together with the Authorities with their arrogance thought the people or the citizens would not mind the harassment or the violence from the Police towards the Opposition, they we’re wrong.
As we speak Dr. Kizza Besigye is sent from Moroto Government Prison and airlifted to the Luzira Prison. His second time treason charge as President Museveni cannot own up to his thieving and has to stifle the opposition by all means. Therefore he will blame the international community and others then looking into his own created problems. Henceforth he will deplete all outcomes and crash all institution to consolidate more power. That is also why on the same day Members of Parliament where sworn in, the UPDF had official promotions, which happen to be his son Brig. Muhoozi into Major General of Special Force Command of the Army or the Flying Squad. So the Executives works to secure all wings of Government are under the family, we will see Janet as Minister and other close connected NRM elites in the 10th Parliament as the NRM are more unsecure about their security.
The Army and Police will be more draconian towards the Opposition as the people are not behind the NRM or their Executive. Peace.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Police Japheth Koome must calm down his Police Officers that are dispersing the CORD-Protesters around the Anniversary Tower in Central Nairobi, Kenya. Since they are not only shoting tear-gas and using water-cannons to stop their demonstrations there. On this THIRD Monday. The Police have gone further today as the Picture shows that the Police Officers used live bullet towards a Car. This car is not some random citizens car. This is the car of Hon. Raila Amullo Odinga, the CORD Principal Leader and former Prime Minister of Kenya. They shot directly at his car! This cannot be justified and the Officers who did this should be questioned and get punished for the consequence this bullets could have had.
IGP Joseph Boinett needs to take charge and set the standard for Policing in Kenya, as this unkind violence cannot be accepted!
Time for Police Commander of Nairobi Japheth Koome to take responsibility of the violence they creates with their Anti-Riot Police Force and the tear-gas and water cannons, that the Police Officers even shoot at the cars of Oppostion Leaders, that his Policing with IMPUNITY and UNJUSTIFIED behaviour. No pride, no need and no care for life when you shot bullets like that towards a brother. Hon. Raila Odinga deserves not to be shot at! That is just taking it too far. I condemn that shooting and the acts of Nairobi Police, who did this without thinking about the implications. Peace.

Another day in capitivity for an Opposition Leader in Uganda, the unlawful arrest of the Lord Mayor Kampala Erias Lukwago. NRM Regime continues to harass the Opposition and not let them go. Even if certain individuals are free, the freedom is still seens as unlawful and that is adjusted to make sure they are not to vibrant. The arrests have been to silence them and also stop them from mobilizing people around the Swearing-In ceremony of President Museveni; therefore the continued detaining the Opposition is just an assault of the Opposition. The reality is that the FDC is still not a legal unit, as the FDC Headquarter is under siege and even FDC President Gen. Mugisha Muntu was not allowed to enter the Headquarter. Therefore that Erias Lukwago are still under house-arrest proves how much the ruling regime, fear the legitimacy of them.
Lukwago Statement:
“11th DAY OF HOUSE ARREST. Finally our brothers, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda and Hon. Michael Kabaziguruka have been set free but there is no indication that these policemen are about to vacate my home. However, the psychological torture has today been somehow mitigated by my nieces, Asha Nkambo, Nkambo Aidah and Salma Nkambo,who have brought my ”grandchildren” to have lunch with the family. Have a blessed Sunday, dear friends” (Erias Lukwago, 15.05.2015).
I think that is enough for now. Peace.