AKINYI: New Breed of Commercial Activism a Threat To Human Rights in Kenya

Police Spokesman found himself engulfed in the protesting anti judicial killings crowd, splashed with the bloody paint

By Bel Akinyi

Hypocrisy levels in my country Kenya has hit an all-time high, we have a group of special Kenyans dooming one sin and turning a blind eye on the other. It’s unfortunate that Kenya lost a gleaming mind, Willie Kimani who was more than a lawyer but a resolute advocate of human rights with the primary interest on police brutality.

In the rise of the fatal event, conniving, opportunistic, commercial, insincere activists rose from their graves to organise mother of demos countrywide to demonstrate against extra-judicial killings.

While the demos are justified and the agenda of condemning state-owned hit squad rightful, the sincerity and honesty of these money motivated bloggers is nauseating to be least.

Extra-judicial killings, for those of you history students dates back to 1963 during Kenyatta regime. Elimination was used by politicians to square scores. Moi came with unlawful detentions and extra-judicial killings as well to deal with critics.

Muslim Imams have been eliminated in what Al Jazeera and many other outlets attributes to a counter-terrorism strategy by the State. At the far North of the country, young men have been going missing only to turn up dead. Children left orphaned, mothers childless and wives widowed. This hasn’t caused enough commotion and caught the ‘activists’ attention as it has this time.

Most recently, Jacob Juma, a prominent businessman, was assassinated in what is now clear was work of the special hit squad, the now fuming, shouting their lungs out activists did nothing other than making few tweets cover up eyes.

The message sent, simple, it wasn’t okay killing Juma, and it wasn’t wrong either. What a bunch of hypocrites.
During anti-IEBC protests police brutality was caught on camera, in Nyanza police were using live bullets, estimated ten people were killed by the police, a five-year-old kid was shot by police. All these didn’t spark a protest, as usual, few tweets condemning the brutality by police.

The loud silence by these activists who’re more plastic than butt implants sent a clear message, some lives don’t matter.

On the death of Willie Kimani and the other two persons, has caused a never witnessed uproar. Civil Society and Law Society have at last woken up from slumber to realise, the killer police don’t discriminate, anyone is a target.

Protestors in Nairobi streets. (Photo: Getty)

A friend is telling me, the protests are funded by an embassy. Money is said to be a key motivation behind this latest demo. Bluff of activism.

It’s unfortunate that this debate had to come while we’re genuinely mourning the death of a human rights fighter and his two counterparts but the sickening hypocrisy needs to stop.

If you’re going to be a damn activist, then you should treat all. Equally, the only reward should come from God. Most of the great defenders in history died poor but left the rich legacy, from MLK to Malcolm X to Steve Biko even Mandela.

While families are shedding tears, briefcase, motivated cash activists are rushing to the foreign envoys in Kenya with proposals for funding, laughing all the way to the bank. Extra-judicial killings must be halted, the backstops with President Uhuru, who swore the oath to protect lives of all Kenyans. Man up and disband this terror unit.

To the scavenging activists, milking dry cows continue with your evil acts, and time will catch up, and history will judge you by your footprints. Hypocrisy is one of them.

I have deliberately left out names since this will cross with many, and if you are reading this and you’re one of them, you just got served con, now wait for another Kenyan to be killed to add something to your bank account. Rascals.

By Bel Akinyi is a Political Science student at Melbourne University, Australia.
Twitter: @BelAkinyii

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