Home » Through their foreign development arms, the external funders from America and European Union are channelling their funds through local civil society groups that have been uncomfortable with the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is facing virulent opposition from Raila Odinga, the man who lost the 4 March general elections.
Last week, police investigators summoned Eliud Owalo, an aide to Odinga, and interrogated him on a raft of allegations broadly tied to his efforts to organise nationwide demonstrations that would culminate into a revolution to topple Kenyatta.
At the centre of funding the wild cat strikes include Elkana Odembo, the immediate former Kenyan ambassador to the United States, Boaz Waruka, the chairman of URAIA trust and Morris Odhiambo, the head of National Civil Society Congress, credible sources said.
On organizational level, virulently anti-government Bunge la Mwananchi (BULAMWA), Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK), Civil Action Plan and Coalition For Constitution Implementation are believed to have received a large amount of money to fan the strikes.
Last week, teachers ended their three-week strike, the latest in a series of agonizing industrial go-slows that have blighted the Kenyatta administration, barely three months in office.
Anti-government forces have thrown their weight behind the strikes, leaving many social analysts wondering if there were some external forces pushing a political agenda in Kenya, a nation of about 42 million people whose strategic impose to the world cannot be overstated.
n the America’s front, the United States and Canada, through their international development arms – US Aid for International Development (USAID) and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) are pumping millions of shillings or perhaps dollars to bolster open defiance in the name of funding the civil society, sources said.
In Europe, the usually reticent Scandinavian nations, Denmark and Sweden — known for generosity and soft spot for Third World “projects” are sending money through their respective development arms, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
The United Nations Development Programme, the richest UN agency known for working with the civil society in the developing world, is reportedly dishing out cash through a serious of local initiatives packaged as promoting democracy.
The Ford Foundation, East Africa and Open Society Initiative Easy Africa (OSIEA), two mercenary outfits that routinely adopt “cloak and dagger” strategy, are also pouring funds into several dubious initiatives, but their real agenda is to create conditions necessary for revolution in Kenya.
Its public knowledge that OSIEA has been working in cahoots with some civil society activists to ensure President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto – both facing crimes against humanity charges — do not escape the ICC dragnet.
Last week, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) summoned Owalo, the man who helped sink the Raila Odinga presidential ambitions, and interrogated him on allegations that he was among a group of people plotting to destabilize the country by pushing for an Egypt-style revolution.
Other allegations include, holding secret meetings to fan chaos, plotting to provoke police and trigger running battles, incorporating churches and civil society in his anti-government schemes, working with embassies and diplomats to use the ICC issue to fan bad blood between foreign nations and Kenyan president and his deputy.
In addition, police are probing a dubious group, March Fourth Movement (MFM) — initials for the day Kenyan voted in Kenyatta — with “a plot to create civil unrest and plot nationwide demonstrations which will lead to discrediting the government,” and spark a Egyptian-style revolution.
Coincidentally, former Odinga’s personal assistant, Dave Arunga, is Kenya’s ambassador to Egypt, the cradle of Arab civilization that does is struggling to define democracy.
On the same breathe, sources told the Jackal News human rights activists, John Nyongesa, Ken Wafula – who are suspected of coaching ICC witnesses — met with a relative of Odinga, nominated MP Isaac Mwaura, Kibra MP, Ken Okoth, Sabaoti MP, Chris Wamalwa in the Intercontinental Hotel with the agenda of pushing for revolution that would topple the government. The meeting was reportedly facilitated by activists George Githongo and Timothy Njoya, whose anti-government stance is known.
The estimate amount of cash that Western governments and agencies are pumping was not immediately clear.
Since President Kenyatta announced his presidential ambitions, many western governments threw their weight behind Odinga and started funding the civil society to use “any means necessary” to block him from vying for the top office, but all their pre-election schemes were scorched.
Stung by the needless interference in Kenyan affairs, the electorate stolidly filed for hours and voted in Kenyatta into office, offering the arrogant schemers in the West and their local puppets a reminder that Kenya might be a poor nation, but its people have a right to elect its leaders.
Since then, the new government faced an avalanche of obstacles designed to undermine the president, who has responded by focusing on his mandate offered by the people of Kenya and the constitution.
No comments:
Post a Comment