Written by West Fm 2012-01-19 14:56:00 Read 975 Times

The looming next General Elections whether in 2012 or 2013 bring into sharp focus the likelihood of the escalation of political impunity in Western Province and North Rift and Kenya in general. 

Notwithstanding the overwhelming possibility that the International Criminal Court (ICC) will atleast confirm the opening of criminal prosecutions against all or some of the Ocampo Six make no mistake that Kenya’s dyed in the wool political actors who use political impunity as a tool to gain or retain political office will not be deterred by that eventuality and it is incumbent upon ordinary Kenyans to stand up and resist the spectre of the political elite using them as pawns in the political gymnastics of winning or retaining political power using impunity. 

West fm has noted that there are already symptoms of politicians in Western Kenya And North Rift resorting to barbaric tactics of hiring, recruiting unemployed youths to throw stones, use violence as means of countering, intimidating their opponents.  The trend must be nipped in the bud and those harboring the illusions and dreams of using violence as a tool to advance their political careers must be told in no uncertain terms that Kenya under the new Constitution has no room, space for the merchants of political impunity to employ violence, bribery, abusive, insults and any other retrogressive political theatrics, antics, fraud, corruption and high handedness to attain political office. 

West fm challenges the Security Agencies in Western Province and North Rift and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to spotlight twenty four seven the complete political horizon in all its manifestations and be able to identify those bend on using violence as a tool for their political campaigns in 2012 or 2013 and apprehend both the masters and their hirelings and goons. 

The political class, the ordinary citizens and all and sundry ought to be reminded that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 sets out elaborate principles, guidelines along which the political discourses of the country ought to be undertaken with decorum, integrity, transparency, civility, and in peace and respect for all our divergence  of thoughts. 

The challenge of 2012 and 2013 is that Western Kenya and North Rift and Kenya at large must exorcise the ghost of past political impunity as the “modus operandi” to achieve or retain political office are never permitted even for a second to gain credence and condonation. It will be tragic for any youth or any other Kenyan to permit himself or herself to be hired as a political goon, gun, mercenary by a politician to inflict violence on another Kenyan or destroy the property of any other Kenyan. 

West fm challenges all residents of Western Kenya and North Rift to stand for and promote peaceful, courteous, respectful, mature political deliberations in the run up to and after the next General Elections.  The Constitution of Kenya 2010 has embodied in it the Dreams and Promises of all Kenyans and we must not permit a few detractors and agents of political impunity to undermine our present and future in pursuit of their parochial selfish greed to occupy political office at whatever cost and using whatever means so as to entrench or advance their corruption and impunity.

West fm states that the challenges for all of the residents of Western Province and North Rift in 2012  and 2013 is to be a role model of mature political deliberations that shun and reject any form of violence in the political arena or any other aspect of our life.  Yes it is the ordinary citizen who must name and shame and report to the law enforcement agencies all those who attempt to use violence as a political tool.  Kenya must never again witness the shame that political impunity drove it to, its near implosion into civil war in 2008.  And it will need men and women prepared to stand up for the ideals, dreams and promises embodied in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 to say no, no, no to political impunity.  Where do you stand, for or against political impunity? Your actions will tell. 

WEST FM EDITORIAL©2012