SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
Pro-ODM Goons Physically Attack Miguna in Mombasa
A LIVE REPORT BY Onyango Oloo in Mombasa
It is 12:55 pm on Saturday, August 25th, 2012.
I am sitting in the Kilindini room, located on the fourth floor of the Castle Royal Hotel where a couple of hours ago the 120 capacity space was three quarters full of members of the public who came for the Mombasa launch of Miguna's Peeling Back the Mask.
At the front was myself, acting as MC, Mvita MP, Najib Balala and Miguna Miguna.
I kicked off the meeting with the usual overview, clarifying once more for the benefit of the media that I was NOT and has never been my namesake who is Secretary General of TNA. I went into a historical overview of the Kenyan struggle for democracy and justice and lauded the promulgation of the constitution as an important breakthrough for the country's development. Before inviting Miguna to speak, I reminded the audience of the Bill of Rights and the need for all Kenyans to practice tolerance and peaceful coexistence. I then told them how the programme with unfold with Najib Balala following me to greet the crowd and then Miguna would take the podium to make his address following which the floor would be opened for a question and answer session.
That is exactly what happened. Miguna echoed my message of the need for peaceful dialogue and debate, going as far as underscoring that the Prime Minister himself has gone on record to defend these freedoms have served eight years in detention without trial. He then took the audience through an overview of his book which he said was "99.9%" about his life, emphasizing that Peeling Back the Mask was NOT written with the express intention of castigating any particular individual. He implored the participants to take time to actually read the book before rushing to conclusions. He cited the issues raised in the book including unemployment, corruption and other socio-economic ills and political malfeasance.
He then sat down after thanking the audience for listening to him to the end.
I then stood up, announcing it was now time for the Q& A, saying that one was free to ask a question, make a general comment or simply make any kind of intervention.
Several hands quickly shot up. I chose six. I told them to each remember their "number" to keep an orderly sequence and implored the rest not to interrupt each other when one was asking a question or making a comment.
The first heckler, a twentysomething woman who I later learned was called Eva and had spent one a half years behind bars on a drug offence, wearing a white Gor Mahia top made her first appearance heckling at nobody in particular, I reassured her that she would be among the first in the second round of questions. She piped down, seemingly mollified by my calm reassurance. Several voices in the audience also loudly asked her to be patient.
All six asked their questions. A certain percentage of the questions were directed at Najib Balala who was criticized for going silent; castigated for using the Wapwani vs. Wabara ethnic card and for abandoning ODM and Raila Odinga. Most of the questions directed at Miguna revolved around the timing of his books which some participants found fishy; why he waited until he was sacked to go public; why he deliberately mislead the Prime Minister to make questionable decisions yet he was Raila's trusted adviser; what was his agenda on the book tour-was it commercial or with a national interest; what was the justification for according top level state security; where was he when Kenyans were fighting and dying to liberate the country and other questions along the same general lines.
Miguna took the microphone to answer this battery of questions. As soon as he did that, a big burly dark skinned guy of middle height in a green Gor Mahia T shirt starting shouting, but more importantly moving forward towards on the dais. Within a matter of minutes they had surrounded us, caving us in, upsetting the media's microphones before flinging the table we were sitting behind to its side as they edged ever closer to Miguna. The guy in the green Gor Mahia T shirt who I made told is from the Makande area and was visibly drunk egged the others on. Even I was hassled, but I was determined to secure my lap top. I noticed that the person from Prestige handling book sales was nowhere to be seen leaving two unopened cartons of Peeling Back the Mask. I quickly corralled the Castle Royal Hotel staff who carted away the cartons.
Meanwhile a group of local human rights activists formed a protective cordon around Miguna as his security detail led him downstairs. One of them, Magak advised me NOT to follow Miguna downstairs. Instead he led me to a small cavern at the back of the fourth floor where I found a plain clothes officer from Mombasa's Central Police station who later identified himself to me as a Mr. Obade.
We later on found out that the same Mr. Green Mahia T-shirt guy went and grabbed Miguna's Muslim cap, while another hooligan managed to run off with one looted shoe- I am not sure how they managed to rip it off Miguna's foot. Unfortunately, Miguna wears size 13 and it is practically useless when it is not accompanied with the other from the other foot. The OCS has just informed me that in an altercation, Miguna's right hook connected with Mr. Green Mahia's chin knocking that drunken soccer/political hooligan senseless.
Through the magic of mobile telephony (voice calls, SMS) other ODM supporting hooligans and vandals quickly descended in downtown Mombasa's Moi Avenue address of the Castle Royal Hotel in matatu loads from Makupa, Makande, Tudor, Kisauni, Changamwe, Bangladesh to heckle, loot and physically attack us.
But by then hordes of cops in police uniform and civvies were on the scene.
Miguna was taken out of the hotel by members of the crack Flying Squad.
I understand Mr. Green Gor Mahia T-shirt was commenting to the undercover cops that he seemed to know by name:
"Nyinyi maafisa fanyeni kazi yenu. Mimi pia nafanya kazi yangu."
(TRANSLATION: "You officers do your job. I am also doing mine.")
Ok. I have to stop here. The cops are here to drive me out of the venue.
But I have a MAJOR worry.
And it is not for Miguna Miguna.
Rather it is for the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga:
If this trend of hooliganism continues, some of the PM's enemies are going to hire trained goons to make a direct attempt to assassinate the author of Peeling Back the Mask and lay the blame squarely on these mindless heckling vandalizing hooligans.
Is the leadership of ODM remotely concerned about this distinct possibility?
Onyango Oloo
Mombasa, Saturday, August 25, 2012
PS: My thoughts are with the family, friends, comrades, supporters of the late Father John Kaiser as we commemorate the 12 anniversary of his assassination.
It is 12:55 pm on Saturday, August 25th, 2012.
I am sitting in the Kilindini room, located on the fourth floor of the Castle Royal Hotel where a couple of hours ago the 120 capacity space was three quarters full of members of the public who came for the Mombasa launch of Miguna's Peeling Back the Mask.
At the front was myself, acting as MC, Mvita MP, Najib Balala and Miguna Miguna.
I kicked off the meeting with the usual overview, clarifying once more for the benefit of the media that I was NOT and has never been my namesake who is Secretary General of TNA. I went into a historical overview of the Kenyan struggle for democracy and justice and lauded the promulgation of the constitution as an important breakthrough for the country's development. Before inviting Miguna to speak, I reminded the audience of the Bill of Rights and the need for all Kenyans to practice tolerance and peaceful coexistence. I then told them how the programme with unfold with Najib Balala following me to greet the crowd and then Miguna would take the podium to make his address following which the floor would be opened for a question and answer session.
That is exactly what happened. Miguna echoed my message of the need for peaceful dialogue and debate, going as far as underscoring that the Prime Minister himself has gone on record to defend these freedoms have served eight years in detention without trial. He then took the audience through an overview of his book which he said was "99.9%" about his life, emphasizing that Peeling Back the Mask was NOT written with the express intention of castigating any particular individual. He implored the participants to take time to actually read the book before rushing to conclusions. He cited the issues raised in the book including unemployment, corruption and other socio-economic ills and political malfeasance.
He then sat down after thanking the audience for listening to him to the end.
I then stood up, announcing it was now time for the Q& A, saying that one was free to ask a question, make a general comment or simply make any kind of intervention.
Several hands quickly shot up. I chose six. I told them to each remember their "number" to keep an orderly sequence and implored the rest not to interrupt each other when one was asking a question or making a comment.
The first heckler, a twentysomething woman who I later learned was called Eva and had spent one a half years behind bars on a drug offence, wearing a white Gor Mahia top made her first appearance heckling at nobody in particular, I reassured her that she would be among the first in the second round of questions. She piped down, seemingly mollified by my calm reassurance. Several voices in the audience also loudly asked her to be patient.
All six asked their questions. A certain percentage of the questions were directed at Najib Balala who was criticized for going silent; castigated for using the Wapwani vs. Wabara ethnic card and for abandoning ODM and Raila Odinga. Most of the questions directed at Miguna revolved around the timing of his books which some participants found fishy; why he waited until he was sacked to go public; why he deliberately mislead the Prime Minister to make questionable decisions yet he was Raila's trusted adviser; what was his agenda on the book tour-was it commercial or with a national interest; what was the justification for according top level state security; where was he when Kenyans were fighting and dying to liberate the country and other questions along the same general lines.
Miguna took the microphone to answer this battery of questions. As soon as he did that, a big burly dark skinned guy of middle height in a green Gor Mahia T shirt starting shouting, but more importantly moving forward towards on the dais. Within a matter of minutes they had surrounded us, caving us in, upsetting the media's microphones before flinging the table we were sitting behind to its side as they edged ever closer to Miguna. The guy in the green Gor Mahia T shirt who I made told is from the Makande area and was visibly drunk egged the others on. Even I was hassled, but I was determined to secure my lap top. I noticed that the person from Prestige handling book sales was nowhere to be seen leaving two unopened cartons of Peeling Back the Mask. I quickly corralled the Castle Royal Hotel staff who carted away the cartons.
Meanwhile a group of local human rights activists formed a protective cordon around Miguna as his security detail led him downstairs. One of them, Magak advised me NOT to follow Miguna downstairs. Instead he led me to a small cavern at the back of the fourth floor where I found a plain clothes officer from Mombasa's Central Police station who later identified himself to me as a Mr. Obade.
We later on found out that the same Mr. Green Mahia T-shirt guy went and grabbed Miguna's Muslim cap, while another hooligan managed to run off with one looted shoe- I am not sure how they managed to rip it off Miguna's foot. Unfortunately, Miguna wears size 13 and it is practically useless when it is not accompanied with the other from the other foot. The OCS has just informed me that in an altercation, Miguna's right hook connected with Mr. Green Mahia's chin knocking that drunken soccer/political hooligan senseless.
Through the magic of mobile telephony (voice calls, SMS) other ODM supporting hooligans and vandals quickly descended in downtown Mombasa's Moi Avenue address of the Castle Royal Hotel in matatu loads from Makupa, Makande, Tudor, Kisauni, Changamwe, Bangladesh to heckle, loot and physically attack us.
But by then hordes of cops in police uniform and civvies were on the scene.
Miguna was taken out of the hotel by members of the crack Flying Squad.
I understand Mr. Green Gor Mahia T-shirt was commenting to the undercover cops that he seemed to know by name:
"Nyinyi maafisa fanyeni kazi yenu. Mimi pia nafanya kazi yangu."
(TRANSLATION: "You officers do your job. I am also doing mine.")
Ok. I have to stop here. The cops are here to drive me out of the venue.
But I have a MAJOR worry.
And it is not for Miguna Miguna.
Rather it is for the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga:
If this trend of hooliganism continues, some of the PM's enemies are going to hire trained goons to make a direct attempt to assassinate the author of Peeling Back the Mask and lay the blame squarely on these mindless heckling vandalizing hooligans.
Is the leadership of ODM remotely concerned about this distinct possibility?
Onyango Oloo
Mombasa, Saturday, August 25, 2012
PS: My thoughts are with the family, friends, comrades, supporters of the late Father John Kaiser as we commemorate the 12 anniversary of his assassination.
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