Last Words of GPO OULU

5th March 2009

Fellow citizens,

Allow me to address you as follows;

That it is unfortunate that most of you are yet to understand the meaning of the words Government and Governance.

That many of you have decided to donate your noble thinking and reasoning to be informed by what you
hear not what you know.

Good people, it is the duty of the government through police force to protect lives and property; to do so to all citizens regardless of their economic, regional, religious or whatsoever affiliation.

It is the duty of the other hand of the Civil Societies to protect all citizens from the excesses of the government. When the government shows that it can not detect and prosecute crime, citizens should not run and blame the Civil Societies.

We pay taxes to the government of Kenya and not to Civil Societies or KNCHR. A government that can not protect her people has no mandate to be in power.

Let it be known that there is no instance in which KNCHR or any other Civil Society deterred the police or security agents from arresting and arraigning any suspected criminal in court.

There are no instances where any civil society has advocated that criminals be not punished. What they have said is that someone in power, some police somewhere should not take advantage of crime to kill and maim, to rob and extort, to intimidate and torture; that is what should be known to all of you in this forum.

KNCHR is not a Mungiki organization; it serves the interest of all Kenyans. It is time that we changed our shallow analysis and quick emotional expressions on issues of generational and national significance. The police have heavily invested in Media Strategy whereby they can afford public support as they advance in impunity. Arresting people, extorting them and killing them is not and will never be the primary terms of reference of the police force and when they involve themselves in such offence, it would be in the interest of the public to see beyond a mere inconveniency in transport sector that may after all turn out to be stage managed by the same police force and government.

We need to look beyond what is presented to us; why don’t we wonder that the anti Prof. Alston demonstrations across the country were not
licensed yet they went on undisrupted? Because the govt. wanted to buy your support; and indeed it got it.

The police should tell us of the number of arrests and prosecution that they will make out of today’s mayhem. After all, we employ police to protect us not to complain of an outlawed group. They should therefore show us the efforts they are undertaking to protect us, not pointing fingers and showering blames.

So be informed and transform your thoughts and approach to isuues.

OULU
GPO

Filed under: Advocacy, Inspiration