REPORT FOR PARALLEL LABOUR DAY BY UNGA REVOLUTION HELD ON 1ST MAY 2011AT KAMUKUNJI GARDENS

Introduction

As a response to the ever rising prices of basic commodities Bunge la Mwananchi in conjunction with Poverty Transition Initiative and other Community and Faith Based organization formed the Unga Revolution whose main aim is to push the government to enforce Article 43 which guarantees social security to all Kenyans who cannot afford the high prices of the commodities.

It must be noted that the Unga Revolution Steering Committee which had been meeting prior to the day resolved that the struggle to have all Kenyans access basic needs should not be anchored on funding from the well endowed Civil Society Organization and instead relied on contribution from steering committee members.

As a mobilization strategy the steering committee members combed Kamukunji, distributed leaflets and mobilized members of the public to attend. The Unga Revolution Steering committee thanks all those who attended the parallel celebrations in Kamukunji and eventually marched with us to Uhuru Park without pay where we managed to highlight the issue of rising commodity prices and brought it back to the national agenda.

We also thank members of the public who sided with us as we entered Uhuru Park preventing the police and security guards who wanted to arrest us. THANKS A LOT.

   

Kamukunji

Members of the Unga Revolution Steering Committee met at Jeevanjee Park Gardens and marched peacefully to Kamukunji grounds where they were received by locals who were waiting for them.

At Kamukunji the following were agreed upon:

1. That the Unga Revolution’s main objective does not start and end with the calls to have the prices go down per se but to force the government to honor Article 43 by ensuring social security to the poor Kenyans through subsidies.
2. That the government should increase the acreage under farming to ensure food security
3. That the government should desist from investing on misplaced priorities like shuttle diplomacy and instead invest on the welfare of Kenyans
4. That just like government offices never misses tea and snacks due to treasuries allocation the same should happen to all households in Kenya. IF THE GOVERNMENT ENSURES THAT TEA NEVER MISSES IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES, IT SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL KENYANS HOUSEHOD HAVE FOODON THE TABLE.
5. That Education, employment, security, housing, clean water and food are rights enshrined in the Article 43 of the Kenyan Constitution and are even supported by Articles 3, 25 and 26 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights hence the government has no option but to take responsibility of social, political and economic of the downtrodden.
6. That Labor Day is not about the employed alone but also about those who have accumulated Labor through training but which has not been harnessed by the state hence it is not their failure but state’s. The government should then take responsibility of their welfare.
7. That claims by the government that the consumers shall bear the cost of any salary increment is not only misplaced but an act of conman ship, oppression and modern day slavery. The Unga Revolution CALLS ON THE GOVERNMENT TO BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH SUBSIDIES
8. That a small section of well paid Civil Society Organizations who met the Energy Minister and claimed that Kenyans are now comfortable due to KShs. 7 decrement of prices are sellouts and reminiscent to the home guards during the colonial days.
9. That the decision of the Government to put only 2000 people on welfare is drop in the ocean and all Kenyans who can’t afford the high cost of life should be included in the program.
10. That the whole team is to march peacefully to the main Labor Day celebrations at Uhuru Park in order to highlight the plight of the majority of Kenyans who are starving.
11. That Basic need is a human right and the Unga Revolution shall push the KNCHR to state what they are doing to have the rights met by the state.

The whole team then marched from Kamukunji to Uhuru Park receiving heroic reception whenever they passed on their way to Uhuru Park

Uhuru Park

We reached Uhuru Park shortly before 1300 hours where the public who attended joined us in calling on the government to ensure the price of Unga and other basic commodities go down. The public who were present prevented the police from arresting us and we managed to bring the issue back to the national agenda.

Way Forward

As a way forward the Unga Revolution resolved the following:

1. THAT UNGA PROTESTS SHALL CONTINUE UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS TO SUBSIDIZE THE DOWNTRODDEN
2. THAT WE SHALL VISIT ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES OF NAIROBI STARING WITH MABATINI SLUMS IN MATHARE THIS WEEKEND. THESE VISITS ARE AIMED AT EDUCATING KENYANS ON THEIR RIGHTS AS ENSHRINED IN ARTICLE 43.
3. THAT A PROGRAM SHALL BE RELEASED SOON WHICH SHALL CULMINATE INTO A MASSIVE TWO DAYS PROTEST ON 31^ST MAY AND 1^ST JUNE 2011

UNGA REVOLUTION STEERING COMMITTEE

Mwai Kibaki's and World Bank's history of Corrupt relationship.

Leaked memo deepens Kenya crisis

Posted by africanpress on January 11, 2008

By William Wallis and Michael Holman in London and Krishna Guha in Washington

http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/leaked-memo-deepens-kenya-crisis/

A confidential memo from the World Bank's Kenya office that supports President

Mwai Kibaki's claim of victory in the country's disputed elections plunged the

Washington-based lender into controversy on Wednesday.

The leaked January 1 briefing note, originating from Colin Bruce, the World Bank's

country director in Nairobi, lays out the case for accepting Mr Kibaki's victory on the

basis of "oral briefings and documents from senior [United Nations Development

Programme] officials" who "monitored the overall electoral process".

The memo claims that "the considered view of the UN is that the Electoral

Commission of Kenya announcement of a Kibaki win is correct".

However, Michele Montas, a spokeswoman for the UN secretary-general, denied that

the UN had adopted that position. UNDP officials said they had neither monitored the

elections nor provided any assessment suggesting a Kibaki victory.

Given the widespread irregularities reported in last month's elections, the leaked

briefing note is likely to trigger accusations that the institution, which lends heavily to

Kenya, has lost its political objectivity.

European Union election observers, whom Mr Bruce criticised, on Wednesday stood

by their conclusion that the election was impossible to call.

Mr Bruce's memo has created discomfort among some senior World Bank staff who

fear the bank's analysis of the Kenyan crisis has been influenced by too close a

relationship with Mr Kibaki. Mr Bruce, from Guyana, lives in a house owned by the

Kibaki family. The bank said the tenancy was inherited from its previous country

representative and was chosen on security grounds.

The World Bank has been criticised for maintaining its large development programme

in Kenya in spite of evidence of high-level corruption in Mr Kibaki's government.

The bank says its projects are vital for the country's poor.

Mr Bruce told the Financial Times the bank had no position on the result of the

elections and he "was simply reporting the information that was available to me to

headquarters".

World Bank officials in Washington backed Mr Bruce and released a series of other

communications from him, stating these showed his balanced approach to the

elections. None of the other briefing notes regarding the Kenyan crisis revisits the

question of whether Mr Kibaki won the election.

Marwan Muasher, head of external relations at the bank, said: "The bank does not

take political positions. Neither Colin Bruce nor the bank has a position on Kibaki or

[opposition leader Raila] Odinga."

Separately, Kenya's opposition ODM on Wednesday called for the withdrawal of Mr

Bruce.

Additional reporting by Barney Jopson in Nairobi and Harvey Morris at the UN

Lifted and published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@chello.no source.the

financialtimes

BUNGE LA MWANANCHI Kariokoo Dar es salaam

Pan-Africanist inspiration: The Julius Nyerere Intellectual Festival Week

Pan-Africanist inspiration: The Julius Nyerere Intellectual Festival Week

Gacheke Gachihi

2009-06-11, Issue 437

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/56906

Kenya: Social movements must bring constitution to life

Kenya: Social movements must bring constitution to life

Gacheke Gachihi

2010-09-09, Issue 495

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/66810

HOMAGE TO MZALENDO PETER KIHARA YOUNG A COMRADE OF THREE GENERATION OF SOCIAL STRUGGLE IN KENYA, 30/09/2010

 HOMAGE TO MZALENDO PETER KIHARA YOUNG A COMRADE OF THREE GENERATION OF SOCIAL STRUGGLE IN KENYA, 30/09/2010

    On 6^th  October  2010 , comrades,  and  freedoms fighters of all generations  from Mau Mau liberation movement ,Kenya Peoples Union (KPU) , Mwakenya , Forum for restoration democracy (FORD) ,Release political prisoner RPP, Bunge La Mwananchi  social movement   will gather in  Githiga a small village in Githuguri , Kiambu county  to return the mortal remains of  the Late . Mzalendo Peter Kihara young, to the soil of our ancestors, under the shade of Mugumo tree that symbolize and immortalize Peter Kihara young life  in social struggle in three generations distinction , with patriotism , dedication and commitment, to our motherland Kenya and Africa to the last day of  his death on 26/09/2010, at Nairobi hospital, after ushering in new constitution.

  The late Mzalendo Peter Kihara young was first arrested in1954 by British colonial government, as member of The Kenya land and Freedom army, Mau Mau, only when he was    nineteen years old., and he was detained at Manyani detention camp during the height of independence struggle in Africa and among those who had a profound influence on Kihara’s early political beliefs were such heroes as Josiah Mwangi Kariuki (J.M.) and J.D. Kali and many others Mau Mau cadres. Like Gen. Kago.

   After the flag independence in 1963  the Late Mzee Kihara Young was  arrested in  1969 by special Branch  in Nyeri  and taken to  Ruguru  police post where he was tortured during interrogation , bunt with cigarettes and was buried neck depth  while still a live ,  tortured for 70 days before he was officially detained without trial for 2 years by Kenyatta regime, due to his right  of  association and  being national organizing secretary ok  Kenya peoples union  party (KPU), a progressive  party that was organized under the leadership of Jaramogi odinga , Pio Gama Pinto and Bildad Kaggia.

       The late  Comrade  Kihara Young  again  on  January 23  1986 was arrested   from his  home Githunguri   and taken to Muthaigari  and Buru Buru Police station, after where he was delivered to torture chambers in Nyayo House,  where he stayed for 69 days  while being subjected to torture and humiliation, and thereafter being charged in  with offence of possessing of seditious publications  and being member of Mwakenya by MOI and KANU dictatorship , and was sentenced for 4 years. In jail, and followed again in July 11 1990 with another detention during demand for return of multi-party democracy, where he was founder member of FORD..

    We  pay homage to the great son of our history, the Late Mzalendo Kihara young in  his life was embodiment of three generations of Kenya resistance  and africa struggle , his body and life had marks and wounds like that of  Jesus in the crucifixion , Mzee Kihara Young had opportunity to enrich himself , and steal from public service as his tribes men in kikuyu land did  under Kenyatta government , but he choose a different life and values  of humility and courage to question the powerful  and the rich  taking the future of Kenya and hopes of our generations as his  personal cross and as way of life that followed the foot steps of Bildad Kaggia in central province  who was his comrade in  arms  and both have died in poverty but with dignity  after paying the price of freedom and struggle for social justice for many years

We hail our  Late comrade  Peter kihara  Young as freedom fighter of   truth and social justice  , who was always willing to support the course of liberation of our motherland, we  had opportunity to be with the late Peter Kihara young and many other as applicants  in Kenya against impunity campaign (KAI) that instituted a civil case against the truth justice and reconciliation commission  chaired by Bethuel Kiplagat (TJRC) in 2009 to demand accountability  from the chair of the commissions who documented evidence show his  complicit with  human rights violations, and his actions that borders on corruption,  another demand in the case  is to open    the TJRC act  that  created the commission which   limit the investigations of human  rights violations in colonial period, that today  manifests in neo-colonial poverty. The case is still going on in court and there will be no tears comrade ….. we will continue with the struggle that  the late, Peter Kihara young started ,and draw the lessons  from many struggles and battles  that embodied his life, in order to understand the past and live the present with courage and hope that will overcome the  neo-colonial reactionary  forces that is  betraying  the struggle of our people. And the finest flowers that we can immortalize the memory of our comrade Peter Kihara young on 6^th October 2010 are the bullets of social justice, shells of truth and accountability and the missiles of commitment and under united front for social change in implementing the new constitution……. this are values that we must   fire against the reactionary neo- colonial forces in form of invisible government in Kenya., that Jaramogi Odinga spoke about  in his book NOT YET UHURU

   From Bunge La Mwananchi and all comrades in Kenya against Impunity campaign ( KAI) we offer our comradely condolences, to his wife and family and all members of Githiga community that Mzalendo Peter Kihara Young hailed from. And we are certain absolutely certain  sure that fired by the resistance spirit of all our heroes from mekatilili   wa menza , Muthoni Nyajiru  and  eternal vigilant of  Mugumo tree in Kihara  young homestead and  the Mt Kenya forest , that sheltered gallant Mau Mau freedom fighter….., the grave of  late  Peter Kihara Young   will breath  redemptive spirit and Kenya and Africa  our motherland will triumph..

Aluta Continua.

Gacheke Gachihi- Bunge La Mwananchi social Movement and KAI member. 

BUNGE LA MWANANCHI -PEOPLE'S PARLIAMENT (KARIOKOR)