Storm clouds are forming over Kenya. The thunder and lightning and destruction has not yet started, and all of us who love Kenya hope it will not, but the anger is palpable and as a safari broker I must advise all considering Kenya for the moment to stay clear.
My blog yesterday about the election went viral and the hate, death threats, invective and dirty speech publically thrown back at me as comments on the blog and Facebook are chilling.
For the first time ever I changed something that I had written – or rather, photoshopped. I worried that the photoshopped picture was being misconstrued, that I was suggesting that the current election had experienced violence.
It didn’t. There was an incident in Mombasa on election morning that left six dead, but that was it. The rest of the day, and up to this very moment as I write, has been peaceful, and as I wrote on the day after the election, joyously so.
So I have changed yesterday’s blog picture to eliminate the possible connotation otherwise. In Facebook I post twice: once for the full picture and once for the link to the blog. Facebook entries cannot be edited, only removed, so I simply removed the full-size picture. But the other has to remain, so if you wish to see what the picture was that worried me, go to AfricaAnswerman on Facebook.
I do not want to contribute to the growing anger. But as Mwirigi posting the first comment to the respected columnist Macharia Gaitho in today’s Daily Nation says, “I am against any attempt to muzzle free speech. This is how it starts, we have come from a time where it was a crime to imagine the death of the president. Many people have fought long and hard for us to have the ability to express ourselves freely.”
I read Gaitho religiously. He’s an outstanding columnist. Today he says, “The level of malevolent hate, ethnic bigotry, incendiary words and totally criminal incitement [on social media] would put to shame the infamous hate media outlets of the Rwanda Genocide, the newspaper, Kangura, and Radio Télévision Libre Mille-Collines.”
So I am hardly alone. In fact, my few thousands of hits and comments are minuscule compared to the extraordinary traffic on Kenyan sites.
The second comment on Gaitho’s column by Njamba says, “We should differentiate between freedom of speech and abusive and hate speech.” But she continues to incorrectly conclude this means we as individuals can’t come to conclusions or predictions about the future.
And therein Njamba and thousands other Kenyans hit the slippery slope, giving only lip service to free speech by inhibiting it from reasoning to points of view. Unless, of course, it’s their point of view.
“Right now I feel let down,” Gaitho continues today, “and very ashamed to be a Kenyan, for the level of post-election violence assaulting my eyes and ears every day is worse now than it was before and during the elections.”
Words cut ideas. Machetes cut throats. How close are we today to the latter?
My opinion: too close to plan a trip there. As a safari broker professional, I cannot let anyone go to Kenya, now. If the Kenyan Supreme Court invalidates Kenyatta/Ruto winning the election, as I think it will, and calls for a run-off election, all hell could break lose.
Gaitho: “Any time there is bloodshed in Kenya, you will never see Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto or their families in the line of fire… They will be swilling champagne and cutting business deals in … members’ clubs.
“Their children and grandchildren will not be wielding weapons in the battlegrounds, but will be safely squirreled away in some posh boarding schools in England, Switzerland or South Africa; or if of age, gambling and drinking away a fraction of daddy’s fortune.
“A cursory look at the social media war will indicate that the “principals” are not typing out a single word in anger. They leave that to their rabid followers and hired guns who… will throw all caution to the wind and put their bodies on the line.”
I so hope this doesn’t happen. But how can I feel otherwise, now, than it might?
Africans have an art of patience that far exceeds ours. As travelers and brokers of travel, we now have to be patient. We have to wait before returning to Kenya. We have to wait for a certain peace.
I wish you would move out of Kenya and forever be out of sight. Because you will have to wait forever for the whatever storm you are speculating you prophet of doom!!
So sad, my friend. A glorious country with people who just want peace…and now this horrible crime. I know how it must cut you. This is like your second home. I hope for calm.
Jim,
I am sorry for the death threats, invective and hate speech. I am sure that it is “chilling.” I have been following the situation in Kenya for some time and have grave concerns that violence will soon erupt. I feel such pain for the ordinary people who are caught in the middle as innocents regardless of which side they may be on. I am especially concerned about women and children. I cannot agree or disagree with your commentary. I do not know enough. They are so helpful in my evaluation of the situation. It is your perspective based on your experience in the region. I am trying to gather many sources.
I am sorry for the negativity directed at you, but when we speak out with our perspectives, that is what can happen. You, of course, know that.
Colonialism continues to leave its terrible wounds across the globe. All issues cannot be reduced to that, but we know that colonial powers often granted powers to one faction in divided nations.
The growth of international exploitation of resources and the power those international companies have, further complicates the lives and safety of ordinary people.
Stay safe.
Jim, do you not think that you should just keep quiet now? Whilst I dont think death threats etc help, people who live here and make an honest living, get pretty heated up when such things are written. You talk of the hate speech that you have received and clearly dont like it, so why then direct hate speech at Kenya? This is now directed at Lynn (and anyone that needs information on Kenya) – please please please if you need to know anything, ask Kenyans who are actually living here. Surely that will help with your evaluation of the situation.
Well!! I hear what you and Mr Gaitho are saying, and from a philosophical stand point agree with both of your opinions, but with mitigating caution.
Point is you sound overly anticipatory and excited of what you refer as “The thunder and lightning and destruction has not yet started”. You have invested too much of your disappointment towards the Kenyan electorate that you’d wish your lopsided premonitions to come to fruition, if only to find validation and assume subsequent vindication of your opinions – but at what cost or benefit to you or Kenya?
I don’t disagree with your assertions that the Kenyan social media beast is a hidden tribal affirmation mechanism – what the politicians cannot say in public is been spewed liberally by their tribal supporters with intent and much vaunted deliberation – I am ashamed, up to there you are right, and so is Mr Gaitho.
But as opposed to frightening your would be tourists, with pompous un-superlatives like ‘monsters’, ‘genocide’, ‘tribal’ etc. shouldn’t you be teaching us and them of the fundamental differences between the African tribal based politics and the ‘American collective tribe’. What we in Africa know and see of the individual private American elector is that he/she is a perfect picture of liberal perfection, until he or she hides behind their government to justify foreign expeditionary killings, under the guise of fight against this and that – from communism to terrorism.
All along avoiding all the diplomatic spaces created to seek international consensus, you yourself mentioned the ICC, the “world court” that you are not subject to as an American citizen, should your blog as you rightly noted about the role that “Kangura, and Radio Télévision Libre Mille-Collines.” During the Rwandan Genocide. Should you turn-out to be the ‘butcher of the Masaai Mara’, how would you suggest we’d squeeze justice of you?
I am ashamed that you were subjected to all the abuse and death threats, regardless of how illogical and spiteful your opinions are towards Kenya – you don’t deserve that. I am personally not slighted by your sentiments, I’d rather have a discourse to challenge them. And whilst some will ‘un-invite’ you from Kenya, I would re-extend the invite and say – Karibu Kenya!!!
We are a lot that like to talk, especially politics as you’ve probably already noted over your obviously many years in Kenya. The idiosyncrasy been that we have a mixed bag of politicians, some poor at heart and spirit – but we are devolving the next batch of future politicians, so as they can learn to serve their own, before they can stand to serve Kenya. But even then some will steal from their own grandmothers and neighbours and still think Kenya is blind – That is when we will know how significant ‘tribal politics’ are in Kenya.
Until then join Kenya in prayer for peace now – so as we can get there!!!
How pathetic, more western moles who would like nothing more than for Kenya to descend into chaos so that they can have another story to tell. The fact of the matter is, people on the ground are tired, tired of politics and even the mention of the chaos, mayhem etc. Social media hate is prevalent worldwide, some of the hate I have seen on American and European blogs make the hate speech on Kenyan sites look like child’s play. So get off your high horse and if you are not happy here, please by all means leave us to sort out our issues. There has never been a perfect democracy, but as a country, we will try.
Proud Kenyan
You are such a prat Jim,
Why would you try to destroy a whole tourism industry in a countryfor the sake of some riots .. that may .. or may not happen
Tim Lapage
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I am in Kenya. It is very safe at the moment. No appetite for violence. Spend every day in a slum with diverse ethnic groups, they’re organised to protect each other in case of trouble makers. But that is a long way from anything safari goers see. The views in this post are inaccurate, and not in touch with the reality on the ground. Kenya is safe and open for visitors.
A foreigner comes to enjoy our beautiful country and calls our elected leaders “monsters”. You speak like that and expect polite words from your hosts?
Dude, put it together or go back home.
Of course you must try hard to prove to your paymasters that you are working hard. However, this time round Kenyans know better than harming each other.
In the background of this, I can understand your pain when you see the current peaceful Kenya.
Why don’t you go back to the USA and work on those AMERICANS who from time to time walk into a public gathering and spray bullets killing dozens instantly? Or do you not know of the constantly rising crime rate in all the major cities in the USA?
Jim, you should be telling the world NOT TO GO TO USA until crime rate has gone down; until racism stops.. why do you give a blind eye to our African brothers who are killed when they stop for refueling in some gas stations in the southern states?
Please leave Kenya alone and go back to USA…. you are comments are so full of spite one could also tell that you are a step next to a racist!
Having lived in Kenya for 20+ years I know the ground swell feeling and I can assure you it is positive. Your opinions and they are only opinions are damaging KENYA . What makes you a world authority on all things. Please Please don’t tell people not to travel to KENYA.
KENYA is peace loving with fantastic people and all the joys of the wild life to see. The USA has much greater problems than Kenya with your GUN Laws.
http://www.farmerschoice.co.ke/
Jim, You write horrible things about Kenya and you expect us to treat you with kids loving gloves, cmon get serious. You’ve always wanted to tell the world to avoid Kenya but we will not allow you to continue misleading the world. You now advice would be visitors to avoid Kenya, what makes you think you are an expert on Africa and Kenya. I dont know what is fanning your hatred fro Kenya. Good people dont listen to this man, visit http://www.tripadvisor.com for a more review on Kenya and the rest of the world.
You should have written all this crap during past regimes and getyour balls hammered flat!
Hi Jim, you over react over nothing. The monster is in your own imagination. No violence will erupt. People are just expressing their ANGER to which ever side. But this does NOT mean chaos or violence or state of emergency will occur. You JUST trying to feel so important for NOTHING. You are NOT the one to provide travel advisory.
Try to paint a positive picture and will be shocked to see a true democracy in Africa only in Kenya where people differ to agree and DON’T have to fight.
Promote your TRAVEL bizz peacefully and stop seeing the MONSTER in your own imagination.
Sam Odera-Dar es salaam
If you say it’s not safe to go to Kenya, where will you then go to? I will NOT go to USA. To many guns in the street. Even in Denmark we have shootings every day at the moment. No I will travel to Kenya or Tanzania at any time. I suggest that you stay back in unsafe USA – and let Kenya in peace.
We have seen it too often -this false sense of caring about Kenya which is just a disguise to exercise a patronising and misguided attack on the people of this country . As a journalist , i have seen it flourish amongst a crop of old fashioned western journalists who never can fathom the changes and amongst some opinion pollsters who change roles pretty fast . If you do not like it here , stay away !
I agree with Annie here, consult with Kenyans and DMC’s on the ground… and I too think you should just be quiet now! I am sorry for the hate speech directed against you… but you can hardly be surprised?? If you don’t feel comfortable sending your clients here at present, then don’t! But do that and keep the rest of your thoughts to yourself? They are opinionated and biased, so…
Kirsty Smith
to you Jim and the lady Lynn Werner, I wonder what school or state you germinated in. You sound so illiterate and ignorant just like those who would say that Africa is in Kenya or Kenya is in china. How would you write such hateful journalism that is lucking in any authenticity and full of speculations. It’s people like you that need to be removed from publishing anything. You are destroying a peoples nation yet pretending to empathize with the common people. Lynn you still think that colonialism should have been better than a nation that has it’s own decision makers of course africans, by kenyans. Please go take your shallow minds and get some more education and stop saying you are following Kenyan politics closely while sitting behind your laptop and writing nonsense. you are the guys that come to the country on your company money and sit outside the pool in salt lick lodge writing nonsense..
Mr. Heck, we have already had strong words in the past, about your “non factual, sensational journalism”. It is so clear to us you create these highly argumentative blogs just to increase traffic to your blogs and website.
You have no clue what you are talking about and quite frankly you have no authority base to make sweeping remarks about things you know so little about.
Just for your information, Uhuru is the ONLY presidential candidate that has an absolutely un-tarnished record. He is the only one who has never been accused (let alone charged) with mis-appropriating government funds. Your so called “clean one” is far from that, please do your research on the “kazi kwa vijana” Kshs. 3 billion scandal (just to mention 1).
We as Kenyans voted, peacefully, we chose our leader, we accepted the results “peacefully” and the looser went to court “peacefully”.
In the eyes of most Kenyans, the ICC is just a big joke, a pity and a laughing stock. This is because the main culprits of 2008 Post Election Violence have not even been mentioned, we all know it. So the fact that the “protected ones” have cut some kind of deal, makes Kenyans shrug off the process as just another corrupt organisation.
Your baseless, disrespectful and outright foolish blogs affect the lives of a million Kenyans who make their daily bread from tourism (the same industry as you). We will not and cannot allow you to mess with us like this, just in the interests of increasing blog traffic.
YOU ARE NOT THE AUTHORITY ON AFRICA THAT YOU CLAIM TO BE.
Jim, you are piece of work, how much money have you made brokering safari to Kenya, please stop this. We do not need it. By you killing tourism, you are no better than those fanning violence, to me the effect would be the same. The only deference is your “violence” is now but both will leave me without an income, so please do us a favor..Kimya
Mr. Heck, please read the following article:
ICC has fallen from high ideals of global justice, accountability on
http://www.africareview.com//Opinion/-/979188/1722654/-/1524gvvz/-/index.html?relative=true
You might find yourself a little better informed about the ICC