By Andrew Mbuva
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday marked 20 years of diplomacy and 40 years of political discourse with a call on Kenyans not to dispare in the fight for a better tomorrow.
In his reflection of the country's struggle for a long-envisioned path to socio-economic prosperity, freedom from hunger and disease, Kalonzo said time for vigorous and positive action had come.
“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today,” Martin Luther King Jr reminded us six decades ago. Dr King’s seminal words mean even more as we confront “the fierce urgency of now” that is unfolding here in Kenya", he said.
Kalonzo claimed that this is no time for apathy or complacency for the country was at crossroads.
He took issues with the recent sharp increase in kidnappings and abductions of Kenyans saying that the unnecessary and disproportionate increment in the use of excessive force by Kenya’s police service should be a concern to all Kenyans.
"That four young men could be tracked just a few days ago and taken into custody by the security services because of the BBC Africa Eye documentary ‘Blood Parliament’ clearly demonstrates the increased authoritarianism in this country against anyone deemed to have a different view, regardless of age" he said.
Kalonzo took pride in the June 25, 2024 GenZ protests against the harsh Finance Bill 2024 saying that the socially conscious youth irrevocably transformed the political and socio-economic discussion in Kenya forever.
"This Call to Action was keenly watched and followed by millions worldwide. It inspired many movements in Africa and around the world", said Kalonzo.
He however called on the international community to join Kenyans in condemning the killing of over 125 young Kenyans who lost their lives to police bullets during the demonstrations.
"Article 37 of our constitution affirms that “Every person has the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities", we are therefore demanding an immediate cessation of human rights abuses and systemic oppression", he said.
Kalonzo also said the reconstruction of the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was another major point of concern.
He said that in adherance to the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, the Opposition was now represented by the Wiper Democratic Movement and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and ought to be represented in the selecting the new Commissioners.
Kalonzo said he has written to the president requesting the exit report from the selection Panel.
"We strongly believe this report will be in the best interests of the people of Kenya so that Kenyans get an IEBC Commission that has the support of both the opposition and the ruling party; one that inspires public trust and has the independence that is required of it", he said.
Kalonzo urged all Kenyans and the diplomatic community in particular to monitor this process closely.
