Mr. Wachai your article clearly states that ethnic cleansing occured in parts of Western Kenya and Rift Valley. I also believe Kikuyus also massacred non-Kikuyus in Central Kenya when things got out of hand. I think this was kind of vegence not ethnic or tribal cleansing

Good read. But then, what next?

Kofi Annan kept repeating that those who killed should be brought to justice. This man knows what he's talking about! Impunity will only lead to more crimes in future.

Fimbo,
The article on differences in the US and Kenyan elections is interesting. But I think there are more immediate differences.
1. The President appointed 17 of the 22 electoral commissioners.
2. There was no trust in a judicial system and a chief justice who for the past five years had shown himself beholden to the government.
3. In Florida, returning offices did not conveniently disappear and miraculously reappear with different numbers than those previously publicly announced.
4. No counties reported 100% plus turnout in Florida.
5. No police were used to teargas observers out of counting halls where there were appearances of fraud.

In other words, the fraud was so clumsily done and so violently imposed that Kenyans were prepared to dies in the streets than face the prospects of giving these same group of people a chance to preside over another election in 5 years time.

Yes we must bring the perpetrators of that ethnic based violence to justice. But, before we get to that point, we should first arrest and prosecute all those government officials who perpetrated the electoral fraud that triggered the violence. Who knew what and when, and who ordered what and when, and who did what and how and why. We should also fully prosecute all those who denied Kenyans their right to demonstrate and issued orders that resulted in the police killing Kenyans.
It is interesting that just as the government has been quick to arrest leaders in Rift Valley and ignore killings that occurred in Limuru and Naivasha, Mr Wachai completely ignores the killings that took place in Limuru and Naivasha.

Interesting Read
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False Comparison: 2000 US Presidential Election Debacle and 2007 Kenya Election Foul-Up: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/False-Comparison--2000-US-Presidential-Election-Debacle-and-2007-Kenya-Election-Foul-Up/84720

Wachai's account is factual and the evidence on the ground has been well confirmed by witnesses and by voluntary accounts given by young killers in Eldoret and other areas where opposition tribes live and attacked Kibaki's Kikuyu tribesmen. so, ethnic cleansig occured. Naturally the folks opposing this description are merely quibbling about verbiage and terminology.

Wothy of note is that this same scenario occured at other pre-and post-election moments in Kenya as Arap Moi tried and succeeded in holding onto power. He used the same killers (used by Oginga's allies) in 1991 and 1997. Land ownership has been used by rascals as distinct as Ian Smith, Robert Mugabe and Arap Moi. The methdod is always the same -- tell folks this is their land and they should occupy or kill for it. Laws be damned. .

The issue that is germane is: what shall we do with the perpetrators? I think we need the UN and other International groups to investigate this. Whoever killed, raped, burnt homes and churches should be punished. The rule of law must be observed.

The political parties in Kenya must change their approach. They, from now on, must include not just one big tribe: ODM with its Luos and a few other tribes geared to win a paltry majority; or Kibaki's Kikuyu and few other tribes. Kenya must never be ruled by a tribe or an agglomeration of small groups of tribes. It needs to be truly national parties such as we had in years past; KANU was a national party. For legitimacy and credibility, ODM must seek and include many more tribes, including Kikuyu -- there are many who have been passed by whatever progress and wealth has accrued from the changes wrought by a Kibaki government.

It is easy to make pronouncements; to throw epithets of denigration to a columnist's opinion; sadly few of us want to delve into the history of matters: such as land division, the effect of colonialists' land grab from Kenyans in the 1800s.

Ethnic cleansing or not, Kenya needs a new approach and a new determination for fairness for the many of its tribes. To do otherwise is to invite more bloodshed. And if it happens again, I have no doubt the Kikuyu will be of a different heart and posture. It won't be pleasant. It must not be let to happen.

Mr. Wachai joins a few journalists reporting for the Daily Nation back home who gloss over the issue of the stolen election on their way to vehemently demanding for justice for the displaced. The cleansing, however tragic, stemmed directly from the mishandling of the electoral process by Kibaki and his henchmen. We cannot rightfully punish the people who voted faithfully in the belief that they had a say in the affairs of the republic before dealing with those who have laid to waste our belief in the democratic process. The world saw the injustice and spoke loudly. Wachai and his ilk continue to pull wool over their eyes.

Mr Wachai, 2 or 3 wrongs dont make a right.

The problem with this statements is that it emboldens the aggressor and not the retaliator who is thus expected to passively complain.What should i do if you slap me and i turn the other cheek only for you to slap me again and again repeatedly and then act surprised when i react?

The violence that took place in Kenya was wrong and i wont defend it but i cant honestly say that i dont understand.

We need to put in place systems and structures to ensure that the 1st wrong is not commited and it was commited by the president himself.

He violated every natural and man made rule of fair play and natural justice e.g choosing the referees, using state resources and tax payer money to campaign and yet kenyans still were confident enough to play the game trusting themselves and basic rules of numbers and fairness. The final slap was too much to ignore, the equivalent of roberry in broad daylight.

I'm glad that the International community stood by Kenya in this trying time and i hope that this lesson although expensive will be justified over time.

Basic Fairness and the appearance of equity and fairness is a human right.

We love Kenya. Long live Kenya and all the 42 tribes of Kenya.

Why is it necessary for the USA to state that it is ethnic cleansing? Are not Kenyans themselves capable of saying if it is or not? The USA is not a moral authority. Historically, the USA have not lived up to its founding principle. The idea of America is much to be admired. However, its practice of it have fell short in some areas. Anyway, is not there a country in Africa with enough morals to say that it is ethnic cleansing?

Mr. Wachai,

For a Kenyan who has witnessed the various phases of unrest in various East African countries (Kenya againstits Asians several times, Uganda and Tanzania also against their Asian citizens but in Uganda inter-tribal as well), I thought you would have wisened up and welcomed the power-sharing agreement that was agreed to today between Kibaki and Odinga. Instead, you are like the unrepentent maximalist who still esposes the 'might is right' approach.

Where were you, Mr. Wachai, when year after year, corruption got ever worse in your country and The Nation newspaper even published estimates of at what cost which Supreme Court Jugde could be bought to deliver which favourable judgement to disculpate a perpetrator of a tort, crime or other misdemeanor? The rot ate away at Kenya's governance recordand the people had expected the elections to usher in a new dispensation that would peacefully deliver them from the cancer eating away at the fabric of their society.

Yes, there was a certain degree of tribe-based score-settling, but 'ethic cleansing' there was none, not any more than there had been 'genocide' in Darfur -- massacres, yes and on both sides; but 'genocide' has a technical meaning, just as 'ethnic cleansing' must, I believe, also have a technical meaning, although I must admit that I have not verified.

If you are a Kenyan, an African or even a simple human being of good will, you would offer praise to God, to Nature, to Human Goodness or what-have-you, that the Kenyan leaders and people, with help from ambassadors of good will, have moved back from the brink. You should be praying, in the image of the good Asian-African Muslim that I am, that the wisdom that has taken root with the power-sharing agreement should blossom and catapult Kenya onto a higher plateau than the brink from which it has just stepped back.

God bless the Kenyan people, Mr. Wachai.

It seems we cant speak our minds my comments were also removed .God is not blind -Washington post may be blind to the truth but God sees everything

My comments here were not offensive but they were deleted. Is it because I exposed more evidence that this is a genocide? Somebody was not impressed.

I have transfered the comments to my blog

Kenyangenocide.blogspot.com

It is more like genocide. And continues in Mauche, Molo and Saboti

you should also add that the war is over