04 * CORD launch at Uhuru Park - The Politicians - Kenya Elections 2013

From the foot soldier’s perspective: The Kenyan elections 2013 from an election observer’s viewpoint.

Chapter 4: CORD launch at Uhuru Park – The Politicians

After Kibaki was declared winner, he suppressed all critical voices by brute force through use of military and Police.
The crisis became a civil war with widespread ethnic violence turning into genocide when the supporters of Raila Odinga and William Ruto started to retaliate on members of Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe. Many Kikuyu’s were killed and expelled from their houses.

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All leaders of the parties making up the CORD alliance were seated at the dais in Uhuru park.

All leaders except one: Maina Njenga. Maina came on purpose later, and he came in style! In a display which resembled something in between the welcoming of a Roman Emperor and an ancient African King, Maina was driven to the dais standing in a SUV, while his supporters where waiving huge leafy tree branches all around him. As Maina’s convoy drove slowly into the masses in front of the dais, the situation turned a bit chaotic. For a brief moment it was not clear if actually fighting had started between Maina’s supporters and the rest of the crowd. All after all, Maina’s Mungiki and Raila’s supporters had battled ferociously during the Post Election Violence of 2008.

But after a bit of commotion, all went quiet again. Raila’s second man Kalonzo went to the microphone to deliver his speech. But after his initial words, he was shouted down by Maina’s followers. ‘We want Maina! We want Maina! We want Maina!’. Kalonzo tried everything to continue his speech and to cool down the shouters, to no avail. Only when Maina himself went to the microphone, delivered a small speech and called his supporters to calm down, order was restored. ‘They are now our friends. I want you to support Raila!’, Maina said. Obviously, the CORD spin doctors had not planned that Maina should give a speech, nor even sit anywhere near Raila on the dais.

Maina had showed them what he thought of that.

When the speeches continued, Maina was never far away. It seemed that the CORD leadership consisted of a triumvirate + 1. Many people wondered that day, which price Raila would have to pay to Maina and the Mungiki if Raila would win the elections? Or maybe even worse, what would the Mungiki do if Raila and Maina would lose the elections?

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