The Pangani Six Detentions Were Necessary for Sanity

The 8 MPs when they appeared before the Milimani Law Courts

In the heights to the arrest of now FAMOUS Pangani Six, the political temperatures were hitting high grades, and hate speech taking the toll, and tribal hatred appeared to be at its peek. While the contributing factor was IEBC, which bred other scandals, incitement, hate speech overshadowed the core factor.

It all started when Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri mobilised and led a group of youths to storm a planned Rally in Nakuru to be attended by Raila. Ngunjiri in a lethal recorded address is heard calling for the immediate evacuation of Luo community from Nakuru. He argued that the Luos in Kisumu destroyed Kikuyus properties, and so the revenge was to send Luos in Kisumu away.

Before the cloud and wind winds could settle down on Ngunjiri’s inciting speech, his Jubilee counterpart Moses Kuria and Ferdinand Waititu kilometres away in Kasarani were in full gears with tribal hatred and inciting bigotry. Moses Kuria called for the assassination of CORD leader Raila Odinga as the only option to silence the problem.

Senator Boni Khalwale offers MP Ngunjiri first aid when he nearly collapsed in the court

Combatively, legislators from the CORDside, didn’t take the claims by Kuria and Ngunjiri lightly, went ahead and delivered a warning press address calling for the immediate arrest and investigations into the claims by the Jubilee MPs. Unknown to them, the call to action to the police presser is what would, later on, land them in detention for four days.

MPs Junet Mohammed, Timothy Bosire, Florence Mutua, Johnstone Muthama and Aisha Juma from the CORD side landed themselves behind bars. At the heights, demos on Kuria’s statements were reported in different parts of the country. The temperature was hostile.

Charge sheet

As hours turned into days and the MPS faced the wrath of cold nights and deplorable conditions in the cells where they were being detained. Reconciliations, real or perceived were ongoing in the cells, the MPs from the political divides made peace with themselves, and their ties became tighter.

Tales from the cells saying, the Jubilee affiliated MPs tried in vain to reach their principals, but nothing was forthcoming. They were left on their own. Using a smuggled in the phone, the CORD MPs were constantly in touch with their leader Raila.

Surprisingly, Raila talked with the Jubilee MPs, and they made peace particularly with Kuria, who had prayed for his death. It is Raila who kept talking to them giving them encouragement to brave the cold nights. Ngunjiri, Waititu and Kuria promised to visit Raila, eat together and attend peace meetings together to preach unity.

Moses Kuria and Muthama reconciled

The magic of detentions would show more during their court hearings where the MPs were later on released on bond. At one point, Ngunjiri was near to collapsing in the courts when Senator Khalwale from the CORD side and a doctor by profession swung into action, offering him emergency aid.

In a rare occasion, CORD leader was pictured shaking hands exchanging hearty emotions with Kuria and the Jubilee MPs. On learning they had secured bond and getting released, all the 8 MPs joined hands together singing solidarity songs in the court.

Moses Kuria follows the proceedings

Demos and hostile remarks have toned down if not died off ever since. The detained MPs are singing peace songs since release. The state of tranquillity is what Kenya needed most, and if it had to take detention for it to be realised, then the end justifies the means. Even though some of the charges were crafted as analysts notes.

How long will the currently enjoyed state of sanity stay? Will this be a long term or a short term effect on the politicians embarks on their full force venom utterances? Either way, lessons learnt and that unity is possible if we drop down our differences and live together in harmony. As everything calms down, we can’t forget the realities that we have IEBC to deal with as we move ahead and other matters of national interest. Decorum in addressing all these, vital.

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