By Abdul Yassin
The arrest of Mandera senator Hon Billow Kerrow by CID police was ordered by TOP STATEHOUSE operatives and nothing to do with Interior CS Gen Joseph Nkaisery. Statehouse operatives were angered by Senator Kerrow not just by the claims of mass graves in Mandera BUT for refusing to pick President Uhuru’s calls on Wednesday mid-day.
General Nkaisery had asked senator Kerrow to apologize a thing he did hours before his arrest. a source close to Gen Nkaisery alleged the order to arrest the senator came from elsewhere (read Statehouse corridors) and not Harambee House.
Here is how a source who accompanied senator Kerrow narrated to this writer how Hon Kerrow a URP elected senator ignored the president’s call yesterday during Raila’s tour of the county.
”Uhuru starts calling Billow Kerrow when he heard Raila is in Mandera.Senator Kerrow rejects receiving Uhuru’s numerous miss calls as I watched.
Billows tells Raila and others leaders present that he has been looking for Uhuru for a week,but now that Raila is town he is eager to know what’s going on.
He completely shut off his phone and says Baba usituwache please……!
I hear now Nkaiserry is threatening Billow Kerrow”
It is now being rumoured that the senator was arrested for hosting Raila Odinga to a warm reception especially at an impromptu rally attended by thousands in Mandera town -bus Park. In the meeting local leaders castigated Uhuru regime.
Raila’s approval ratings have skyrocked in the Northern frontier and its understandable why the paranoia by the statehouse operatives. For starters Uhuru has not visited the region despite several terrorism attacks that have claimed hundreds of Kenyans. Only last week DP Ruto visited Garissa.
Here is how Arap Doyo castigated Statehouse operatives for questioning Raila’s visit to Mandera County.
If we could care to jog our minds, Agwambo was among the first to send condolences to the families of 148 killed. In addition, he called for a serious approach to matters security to contain terrorism which is a global concern. In some of the burial ceremonies for the victims, Rao if not there in person his foot soldiers were present.
Morever, arguing why Raila did not visit Garrisa when Alshabaab struck is stupid in all sense. Why would he visit Garrisa yet the victims were largely residents of other regions? Was there any point of visiting Garrisa yet all students were evacuated and ferried back home? Or he should have visited Garrisa and condoled empty Garrisa University college buildings?
Again, the same people peddling that propaganda forgot to tell us if Uhuru or Ruto visited Garrisa. Why didn’t they? Or they want to tell us that the two never gave a damn about Garrisa attack?
If anything, DP Ruto himself visited Garrisa as late as last week, accompanied by the likes of Duale, why didn’t the same people ask him why he never visited when the attacks happened?
All in all, Rao was within his rights to visit Mandera and condole the people. It does not matter how many graves were found. Be it one or a hundred, the fact that is, there was loss of life in mysterious killings. And in our Cushitic communities, a loss of a single life is a loss to everyone. That is how we live. Much appreciation to Raila Odinga for standing with the Mandera Community.
Most importantly, Rao’s visit to Mandera is a show of unity with the many families (Muslims and Non Muslims) across the country that have lost beloved ones to extra judicial killings. The message is clear ; Kenya is a nation governed by the RULE of law. And yes we need to fight terrorism by all means possible but not killing innocent people in guise of fighting the menace ironically committing the same crime terrorists are known for.
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