Flirting with the land devil – Will invasion of Kenyatta land trigger the ‘dominoes’?

Yesterday, we were treated to images and news of large crowds storming the land belonging to the Kenyatta family in Ruiru. (Northlands). The raucous mob proceeded to chop down trees and steal the sheep they spotted grazing. This blatant act of trespass and theft in full view of the cameras astounded many and (I hope) delivered a strong message to many wayward aristocratic landowners and their enablers who are responsible for the escalation of land conflicts in Kenya. The message?

We are coming!

Few people like to hear it, but Kenya’s most villainous iblis (satan) is the land demon, and he would not leave if the Pope himself tried to exorcise him. The unresolved land conflicts in Kenya are scars so deep and infested, that no election has managed to heal them. No time can heal them either. Regime after regime has been blind and deaf to the muffled cries of victims of land grabbing and illegal evictions. But you know the strangest thing? Everyone somehow knew that the children of these victims would rise up one day, not against any sitting government, but against the land-owning aristocracy. The land-owning class is not an individual. It is a loaded minority that often avoids the spotlight, but is awake and aware of everything going on.

Is it a curious observation then, that the public land reclamation campaign could begin in the mountain, where the Deputy President is from? Ironically, it is the Gikuyu nation, which has been in power for 35 years and is regarded as Kenya’s blue-eyed tribe, that is at odds with each other. The poor, downtrodden Gikuyu are reminding the rest of Kenya that they are ready to take the first courageous step in their land reclamation revolution. Will the rest of Kenya follow suit? Will the people’s invasion and reclamation of land and property be limited to the mountain? Certainly not.

Sure, the masses can start with the Kenyatta family land and move on to any other open ranch available, but before every open ranch and ‘animal reserve’ in central Kenya is taken over by angry Gikuyu squatters, before every golf course is occupied by slum-dwellers, and before every polo-grounds are taken over and divided for settling the poor, there is likely to be similar acts of masses invading and forcefully reclaiming property and land elsewhere in Kenya. This is most likely to further spiral and snow-ball into a full-fledged class-revolution, which will either bring the military into the conflict (with a whole new set of implications) or altogether sweep everything in its path, including the same regime that is fanning its embers now. This ‘tsunami’ will become the government’s worst nightmare if it spreads. The intricate kettle-of-fish will attract numerous players, making it difficult to contain. The state should exercise caution in this regard. You don’t play these games casually because your property, let alone your authority to govern, could as well be jeopardized.

The state should exercise caution in this regard. You don’t play these games casually because your property, let alone your authority to govern, could as well be jeopardized.

NGITO JL.

It is now evident why Uhuru needed Raila’s handshake. Raila assisted him in delaying the inevitable by placing a lid on the boiling kettle. Uhuru drove a bus that was punctured, tattered and battered, with parts barely holding together but managed to complete the journey, and park it safely for the next driver to take over. Unfortunately, the new driver has embarked on another long journey without fixing the bus. Even worse, the bus conductor (Raila) that had kept the passengers quiet during Uhuru’s driving tenure, has been declared an enemy of progress by the new team. He is now branded the scapegoat, an attempt to divert attention from the real issues.

Raila, on the other hand, has decided to let the lid fly open. He is even energizing the people and channeling their rage against the authorities. As a result, a powder keg scenario is building up. Attempts by state-sponsored elements to divert attention by sowing discord in Raila’s strongholds such as Kibera by turning life-long neighboring communities against one another will not prevent the Kikuyu proletariat from forcefully taking over the Kikuyu aristocracy’s land and property. It’s the same as scratching your back when it is your hand that itches. Raila is not involved in the Mountain land disputes, yet he holds the key to a peaceful resolution and could mid-wife the next dispensation without a civil strife. But who will listen?

With each ‘maandamano’, the people get bolder, and the government loses its authority to govern. For the first time in Kenya, there is a real possibility of a class revolution.