BY MUTAHI MURITHI
NAIROBI KENYA:
In what closely mimics the setting of a movie storyline, 3 people died earlier in the week. The dead are a lawyer, a client and a taxi driver. The lawyer was a lawyer, and the taxi driver was just that; a taxi driver. The third person who was the lawyer’s client was also something else. He was the accused, and the accuser. He was accused of six traffic-relatedcrimes as well as possession of Marijuana. The charges were leveled at him after being shot by the police. He was on the other side accusing the police of shooting him wrongly. A motorcycle-taxi(bodaboda) driver, the client sought help from the police oversight authority (IPOA) and a body of lawyers who offer free legal assistance for the poor, the vulnerable and the weak in society. That is why a lawyer is involved in this story.
After attending a court appearance, the lawyer and client took a taxi for their transport need. The trio never arrived where they were headed. They were found dead some days later, their bodies dumped in a river.
There have been rumours of CCTV footage, postmortem investigations,phone call records and many other pointers that say this case will be solved quickly. It is being seen clearly as an extrajudicial killing. It is a unsanctioned act that places the Kenyan police force in a very negative light. It is however not the first extrajudicial killing by Kenyan police. There are numerous cases of youth in Kenya being shot to death by police. Those in the slums are particularly used to this occurrence.
PLOT TWIST:
Into the already muddy, muddled and stirred waters of the story, enters the Kenya civil society and the Kenyan lawyers’ union (Law Society of Kenya –LSK). The two groups have called for protests against the killings. Their anger is directed towards the Kenya Police Force bigwigs. Our Inspector general – Joseph Boinett is under fire, same case applies to Joseph Nkaissery the Cabinet Minister for Interior and Govt Coordination. The two Josephs must be digging in to weather the storm that is surely coming. Under what conditions can the two Josephs survive this storm?
THE VERDICT:
One Joseph can live to tell the story. The other will surely be hounded out of office. Let us keep in mind that both josephs are hardened armed forces veterans. Yes, even the police force in Kenya is an armed force in its own right. However, general Nkaiserry is more hardened than Boinett. Nkaissery would easily weather the storm; he is suspected of having evening walks in fields littered with landmines. Sadly, the man who eats bullets for breakfast and C4 explosives for 11 o’clock tea is going to leave office this time. Nkaissery will go. There is too much fodder for the canons that will be fired against him. There is also anger in the opposition party which he left to go join the current government. Let us also not forget that he has recently teargassed, water cannoned and brutally beaten up opposition leaders in the # IEBCDemos.
The plot should include Boinett in the beginning. Along the way, he should be dropped but he will be too scared to defend his boss Nkaiserry. That is when the sharks will congregate on Nkaiserry. A war of attrition using constant demos and chaos should be at the top of the recipe. Use the mainstream media to keep Kenyans aware and to stoke their sympathies. LSK should rope in the civil society of Kenya and all bodies that are in the human rights business. Utilize social media to pile the pressure. Unearth all indiscretions by the 6-foot general. Focus the laser on his failures. Highlight how he rules by force and his dictatorial tendencies. When the pressure gets high enough, Nkaissery will react. Twist, turn and use his reaction against him. Bring in the opposition to help with the task. Nkaiserry may not be willing to leave office, but the decision makers in government will not be very welcoming to the constant attention. Ultimately, they will invite him to resign.
NAIROBI KENYA:
In what closely mimics the setting of a movie storyline, 3 people died earlier in the week. The dead are a lawyer, a client and a taxi driver. The lawyer was a lawyer, and the taxi driver was just that; a taxi driver. The third person who was the lawyer’s client was also something else. He was the accused, and the accuser. He was accused of six traffic-relatedcrimes as well as possession of Marijuana. The charges were leveled at him after being shot by the police. He was on the other side accusing the police of shooting him wrongly. A motorcycle-taxi(bodaboda) driver, the client sought help from the police oversight authority (IPOA) and a body of lawyers who offer free legal assistance for the poor, the vulnerable and the weak in society. That is why a lawyer is involved in this story.
After attending a court appearance, the lawyer and client took a taxi for their transport need. The trio never arrived where they were headed. They were found dead some days later, their bodies dumped in a river.
There have been rumours of CCTV footage, postmortem investigations,phone call records and many other pointers that say this case will be solved quickly. It is being seen clearly as an extrajudicial killing. It is a unsanctioned act that places the Kenyan police force in a very negative light. It is however not the first extrajudicial killing by Kenyan police. There are numerous cases of youth in Kenya being shot to death by police. Those in the slums are particularly used to this occurrence.
PLOT TWIST:
Into the already muddy, muddled and stirred waters of the story, enters the Kenya civil society and the Kenyan lawyers’ union (Law Society of Kenya –LSK). The two groups have called for protests against the killings. Their anger is directed towards the Kenya Police Force bigwigs. Our Inspector general – Joseph Boinett is under fire, same case applies to Joseph Nkaissery the Cabinet Minister for Interior and Govt Coordination. The two Josephs must be digging in to weather the storm that is surely coming. Under what conditions can the two Josephs survive this storm?
THE VERDICT:
One Joseph can live to tell the story. The other will surely be hounded out of office. Let us keep in mind that both josephs are hardened armed forces veterans. Yes, even the police force in Kenya is an armed force in its own right. However, general Nkaiserry is more hardened than Boinett. Nkaissery would easily weather the storm; he is suspected of having evening walks in fields littered with landmines. Sadly, the man who eats bullets for breakfast and C4 explosives for 11 o’clock tea is going to leave office this time. Nkaissery will go. There is too much fodder for the canons that will be fired against him. There is also anger in the opposition party which he left to go join the current government. Let us also not forget that he has recently teargassed, water cannoned and brutally beaten up opposition leaders in the # IEBCDemos.
The plot should include Boinett in the beginning. Along the way, he should be dropped but he will be too scared to defend his boss Nkaiserry. That is when the sharks will congregate on Nkaiserry. A war of attrition using constant demos and chaos should be at the top of the recipe. Use the mainstream media to keep Kenyans aware and to stoke their sympathies. LSK should rope in the civil society of Kenya and all bodies that are in the human rights business. Utilize social media to pile the pressure. Unearth all indiscretions by the 6-foot general. Focus the laser on his failures. Highlight how he rules by force and his dictatorial tendencies. When the pressure gets high enough, Nkaissery will react. Twist, turn and use his reaction against him. Bring in the opposition to help with the task. Nkaiserry may not be willing to leave office, but the decision makers in government will not be very welcoming to the constant attention. Ultimately, they will invite him to resign.
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