By Billow Issack Hassan
On Thursday 4th of November, 2021, cloud of darkness shrouded Marsabit town as six innocent people murdered while a dozen others injured in a canter vehicle used by Badassa residents as means of transportation to and from Marsabit town. An incident that happened in less than 2 KMS from police station.
Those killed are mothers, spouses, brothers, sisters, sons, in laws and relatives in many perspectives, most importantly, they are creatures of Allah who the killers decided to take their lives.
It is only Allah who decides which life to take and when to do so. And in the words of Mulky Baibe, one of the artists who spoke during presser by Northern Kenya Artists condemning the killings, “what will you tell your creator when you took innocent lives”?.
A 30 year old teacher, A 50 and 33 year old mothers, they are not just statistics, they are known members of the family who the killers printed permanent mark of hate in their hearts with urge of vengeance to any suspect they’re direct to.
May Allah grant them Jannah, give the bereaved families patience at this trying moment, eases their pain and heal the injured. Those who participated in the cowardice act, will never see peace. They brought sadness to a healing society and we pray to Allah for their discomfort in life and punishment in their grave and thereafter.
Another incident happened last evening where one person was killed and two others injured in their homes in Marsabit town, in what looked like a retaliatory attack, May Allah grant him Jannah, heal the injured and bring peace to the only highland of the North.
During the Badassa killings presser, I was disturbed by the comments made by one Ali Dido Rasso, the MP for Saku Constituency. Rasso finger pointed one Ukur Yattani, the CS for National Treasury to be behind the killings in a live National television, a comment discouraged by the reporter. Hon. Rasso is a retired Colonel in Kenya Defense forces, serves in National Assembly as a member of Administration and Security committee, Foreign Relations and Defense Committee in addition to been the area MP.
I have known Rasso as a sober and a respectful leader for sometime now but his latest actions to play the tribal card and finger pointing a National leader from the North, who is holding a docket never witnessed by Kenya’s post and pre-independence history is wanting.
We celebrated when our son was given the docket, what changed now when he has served in the position with highest level of Integrity, free of scandal, surpassing the Revenue targets, breaking many glass ceilings and most importantly earning the trust of H.E. the President as one of the best performing CS in the Country.
What changed that you want to drag his name in your local politics?. Pursue the killers, security is your Expertise Hon. Rasso, put pressure on the security agencies, not percieved enemy, stop name calling without any evidence.
FYI, When the incident happened, The CS Yattani was thousands of miles away in UK and a panelist with David Malpass- President of World Bank Group, Kristalina Georgieva- President of IMF and Mark Carney- UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance on the topic dubbed “Financing our Future”. If at all you knew the kind preparation and planning that goes into such kind of conference and nature of the office he holds, then you will realize local politics will be the last thing on his menu.
Hon. Rasso be leader that you ought to be, stop taking leaf from the Queen of hate speech, the noisy horn bill by the name Rehema Jaldesa or Governor Mohamud Ali, whose identity crisis shroud his decision making and must use Ukur’s name to deter people from accountability and be a leader to Boran Community who desperately need one.
Let the Northern Kenya leaders be supportive of each other, Compromise instead of competition, unity instead of divisions. We have a seat at the table now, let’s not fight to remove our representative from the big table by constant name calling. Benjamin Burombo (Labor Union leader who died in 1959) said “each time I want to fight for African rights, I use one hand- because the other hand is busy trying to keep away Africans who are fighting me” If almost a century later we are experiencing the same, when will learn our lesson?. 10th April, 2006, all the leaders from Marsabit and Moyale perished in plane crash on their way to peace meetings in Marsabit together with internal security Assistant Minister then, Hon. Mirugi, MP for Nakuru, if we are not careful and continue perpetuating hatred and killings of innocent lives, God might sink us again.
Free advice to Marsabit County leaders, Demand the security agencies to account for all the lost lives in Marsabit County, not the officers attached there but from The CS and PS internal security.
Article 26 (1-3) of the Constitution guarantees Right to life, The people of Marsabit have been deprived off that obligatory right, take them to court or summon them to Parliament for heaven sake; failure to do so, the security agencies will will never take your press conferences seriously and will just overlook the cries of the people. Be United in pursuit of Justice and peace, stop using killings of innocent people to gain political mileage and let Ukur Yattani be the leader God moulded him to be.
The Writer is 2017 Parliamentary candidate Moyale Constituency, Marsabit County.
