Dr. Alfred Mutua – the arrogance of power or Kenya’s new “Comical Ali”
Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf was one of the few persons capable to deliver a comical relief during a time of war, a time that almost by definition, is a time free of any humour. As the Iraqi Information Minister he became famous to the world as “Comical Ali”, with even T-shirt and cups being sold with his picture and his quotes. Even fan-sites were dedicated to him. On his daily press conferences he announced the military victories of the Iraqi army and the failure of the invasion, despite all evident facts. In his final speech as the Iraqi Information Minister he vociferated:
“There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!”,
with US infantry tanks almost in firing rang to where he was speaking. Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf was just the spokesperson of Sadam Hussein’s system, but he spoke the arrogant language of an elite that either was willing to lie beyond imagination, ignoring the fact that everyone is noticing those lies, or an elite that totally lost its own sense for reality. Either way, it was a system that had already lost everything, not willing to give up, no matter how many of their own people suffered or died.
“Lying is forbidden in Iraq. President Saddam Hussein will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity. Everyone is encouraged to speak freely of the truths evidenced in their eyes and hearts.”
“because we will behead you all”
It seems that Kenya has found its “Comical Ali” in Dr. Alfred Mutua, spokesperson of Kibaki’s government. Even before the election he was known as a verbal acrobat, being cable of making long statements without any content, like:
“We are in the process of putting together a team of experts well versed in the necessary required areas so that they can join their counterparts from other countries participating in the inquiry,” (quote)
or “The reasons are confidential and are best known to the minister,”(quote)
But he was also very capable of agitating and attacking in the name of the government.
(c) by Gado
Since Kibaki swore himself into power, Alfred Mutua seemed to have put quite a distance between him and reality. First of all he denied that there were violent conflicts all over the country. With international media coverage and horrifying reports about Police brutality and ethnic clashes, he changed his mind and stated, that only about 3 percent of the country’s 34 million people were effected. “Kenya is not burning and not (in) the throes of any division.”(AP) Leaving aside that this number bares any facts and much more people were “effected” by the crises, Mutua did not seem to be much worried about the Kenyan people or he had a sever problem with arithmetics: 3 Percent of 34 Million is more than one Million people! Any crisis of this dimension would alert any government in the world.
But then his scale or the scale of the government he is speaking for is a different one:
“We have not yet reached a Somali like situation to allow mediators to come to our country,” he told at a news conference. (Nation)
Does this really mean the Kenyan people have to suffer to the extent a civil war and total anarchy, before this government will except mediation?
“What will they (international mediators) come and do that we have been unable to do as Kenyans?” (AP)
How about peace, Mr Mutua? The Kibaki government proved an incapability in handling the crisis on its own, neither could it provide safety to its people, nor could it provide humanitarian aid without millions of Dollars from the international community. With the almost total stand still of East-Africa’s economy and Ugandan military on high alert at Kenya’s border the conflict has reached an international dimension.
Many approaches to mediate have been made, and it was Alfred Mutua’s job to discredit everyone of them. Starting with honourable Desmond Tutu, about whom he said, that he is not invited by the government and is welcome as any other “tourist”.
Can someone, who speaks like this about the one of the few Nobel Peace Prize winners, who really deserves to be one for dedicating his life for Peace, Freedom and Unity in Africa, have anything else on his mind than civil war?
After Tutu nobody really expected that the effort by the African Union and its present President Kufuor would bring any results. Even before he came to Kenya, Mutua stated, that Deputy Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula travelled to Ghana to explain that
“the political and electoral situation in the country and that we are able to deal with criminals” to Kufuor. (source)
No, he is not referring to those who rigged the election as Criminals and bodies. Bodies pilled up in mortuaries, full of Police ammunition leave not doubt as to what Dr. Alfred Mutua is talking about.
Again Mutua denied that the AU would even try to mediate:
“They [Kufuor and Kibaki] are age-mates and friends and Kufuor is coming to have a cup of tea with him.” (Guardian)
What will he say about Kofi Annans intention? He has come to play cricket?
Let us not forget, that after all, he is nothing but a messenger. But he is delivering the news of a system, that shows no interest in Peace, a system that knows it will not sustain in a Democratic environment and can therefore show its infinitive arrogance of power. And as long as we see Dr. Alfred Mutua delivering those messages on TV, on radio or in newspapers, we can be sure that that Kenya is still in crisis.
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I do not worry much about a blundering idiot, which is what Mutua is paid to do but the fact that the president has nothing to say. He ignores Kenyans with impunity….!!!
Anyway,
I am excited that a lot of Kenyan writers have formed a collective to counter some of the global press’ misrepresentations.
Their opinions have been published worldwide and are now being run at:
http://www.kwani.org/blog
It would be lovely to see a conversation on the fundamental issues that inform this crisis; hopeful a dialogue for peace can grow there.
Comment: POTASH – 11. January 2008 @ 11:10 am
[...] In addition, an interesting article about this idiot Mutua at http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=31 [...]
Pingback: BAGHDAD MUTUA, JUST SHUT THE HELL UP! « INSIGHT KENYA – 13. January 2008 @ 7:59 am
The Standard agrees and adds some qouts today:
http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143980353&cid=4
Is Dr mutual a man in denial?
Published on January 13, 2008, 12:00 am
By Dennis Onyango
Dr Alfred Mutua, the Government spokesman, is either a man in denial or one paid by the public to deny.
If Kenyans choose to believe him, then Ghanaian President Mr John Kufuor must love tea. According to Mutua, Kufuor who is also the chairman of the African Union, flew all the way from Accra to Nairobi last week just to have tea with President Kibaki.
On January 7, as Kenyans hinged their hope for peace on the then expected arrival of the Ghanaian President, Mutua argued at a news conference that Kufuor was not coming as a mediator.
“This is a fact-finding tour,” he said, adding that there is “nothing to be mediated”.
“They (Kufuor and Kibaki) are age-mates and friends, and Kufuor is coming to have a cup of tea with him,” the Government spokesman said, making light a weighty issue of life and death.
According to Mutua, even America, Britain and European Union thought it was sensible for the Ghanaian President to come for tea in Kenya.
Again, if Kenyans choose to believe the Government’s spokesman, all is well and there is neither trouble nor violence in the country.
Even if one is expected to defend the indefensible, something appears to be amiss in the Office of Public Communications.
Ready-made answers for everything anytime have become the stock-in-trade emerging from that office. Statements that appear too insensitive or outright careless have become too ordinary and regular from the office that was supposed to give accurate information on what the Government is doing.
A week earlier, on January 2, more than 300 people are said to have died due to post-election violence, including dozens burned alive as they sought refuge in a church in Eldoret.
By that time, the UN cited Kenyan police sources as saying 70,000 people had been displaced in five days of violence.
Uganda’s Disaster Preparedness Minister, Mr Musa Ecweru was also quoted saying that around 5,400 people had fled to the country from Kenya. Several hundred people had also fled to Tanzania, officials there said.
But during a media briefing on January 2, Mutua downplayed the violence.
He said it had only affected “about 3 per cent” of the country’s 34 million people.
“Kenya is not burning and not at the throes of any division,” he said, stating the Government’s position.
By that time, opening of schools had been postponed nationwide. Six former African presidents were expected in the country to help put out the fires. At the same time, America had sent a top diplomat, Dr Jendayi Frazer. The British Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown had personally talked to both President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga. Also Senator Barack Obama spared time from his busy campaign schedule to talk to both State House and Raila on the situation in country.
By mid-week, President Bush had also voiced his concerns about the events in Kenya.
All these efforts, if Kenyans choose to believe Mutua, were too much ado about nothing.
At around the same time, he called a press briefing to deny there was in problem in the country.
He came up with his usual ” the Government wishes to make several points very clear” statement.
All is well in Kenya
The points included statements that leaders are responsible for actions of their supporters, “for example when their supporters burn a church and kill people.”
After his proclamation of ” all is well” Mutua went on to say: ” Its very sad time in our country to see politically instigated violence in the country where women and children have been killed.”
Another point he made among the “several points” was that President Kibaki was ready to speak to anyone and at anytime. “However it should be noted that Kenya is not at war and does not need mediators or peacekeepers. Dialogue is open with anyone but the talk is not mediation or cease fire.”
“It’s good to see that things have gone back to normal,” Mutua declared, as riots began to engulf the country.
“Many people have agreed to go back to work and have said they are tired of politics,” he concluded.
Mutua appeared to be outdoing himself when, on January 2, with the violence just escalating, he posted a statement on his website titled “Government assures investors and visitors that Kenya is safe and secure.”
“Following the electioneering and holiday season, the Government of Kenya wishes to assure the business community, foreign and local investors, tourists and all other visitors that normal operations have resumed across the country, apart from isolated areas,” Mutua said.
“The Government assures everyone that there is normal security and they can go about their business as normal. The Government has created an enabling environment for business and tourism and Kenyans are engaged in their various economic activities.”
Ordinarily, media houses do not need the Government’s advise on how to cover the news, unless the State opts for open censorship.
But when the Government issued a blanket ban on live news coverage soon after President Kibaki was declared the winner, Mutua, again, was at hand with an explanation. He couldn’t hear any of the protests even by the international community.
The Government by requesting media houses not to air live press conferences and call-ins into radio shows wanted “to empower editors to be in control of the information relayed by their media houses.”
“In the prevailing environment, some people are using the media to call for violence and to incite members of the public to engage in violence. By running these comments live, at the prevailing emotional state of many citizens, can be dangerous. However, editors are free to screen whatever they want a few minutes later after they have reviewed the material.”
Rumours flourished
In the age of the Internet, camera phones and digital pictures, the ban never amounted to much, especially for urban dwellers with access to the little IT gadgets. Information flowed freely within and across the borders.
In rural areas, where the facilities do not exist, the blanket ban gave way to rumours. Some of the rumours said that ODM Pentagon members, Mr William Ruto and Raila had been arrested, that Police Commissioner Hussein Ali and Chief of General Staff Maj General Kianga had resigned. Panic spread, forcing the Commissioner of Police to issue a statement hours later that he was still in office.
Last week, again positioning himself as the public’s watchman, Mutua was on the Law Society of Kenya’s neck.
LSK had struck Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Mr Samuel Kivuitu from its roll of honours’ list. The Society cited the elections debacle as its reason for doing so.
Reacting on the LSK’s statement on the swearing in of the President, Mutua said it was “inaccurate, misleading and confusing to members of the public.”
“LSK should not be partisan and should exercise responsibility by refraining from making claims based on events where they were not present, have no idea of what occurred and at what time,” Mutua said.
“It is important that the LSK should be seen to rise above partisan politics and to be a reliable organisation when it comes to legal opinions.”
In trying to stand out as the sole defender of public interest, the spokesman still never gave the public the facts that would render those of the LSK irrelevant.
In the same week President Kibaki issued an invitation to Raila for a meeting, Mutua featured in an interview with CNN saying the Government would not negotiate with losers, the ODM.
Denying and condemning is a trend the spokesman has carried from his early days in office. Sometimes thought to be a diplomat for the Government and sometimes representing its worst face.
When, in September 2006, Obama was in the country and asked the Government to act decisively on corruption, Mutua rose with unsparing fire.
He said: “It is now clear that Senator Obama was speaking out of ignorance and does not understand Kenyan politics.”
Apparently, in the Government’s spokesman’s world, corruption and Kenyan politics are intertwined. Seemingly, it takes a local or a lesson in corruption and politics in Kenya to understand that.
“It is very clear that the Senator has been used as a puppet to perpetuate opposition politics, which is very shocking because he is supposed to be an intelligent man,” Mutua said of Obama.
“We forgive him because it is his first time in the Senate and he is yet to mature into understanding issues of foreign policy.”
Comment: Jannek – 13. January 2008 @ 12:23 pm
I as a Kenyan i am confused with the talks of the people in the government as another idiot Githaige police spokes man who said that the pictures which are shown are “movies.” thats why in the forces nowardays we need form fours and degree holders because in the times of akina githaige they were considering height but not education do you see the repacations of taking non educated?Talking like this means so much to the Kenyans and it shows how Kibaki is proud of his governers may he die in peace.We will kill all those who have wronged us with our tears and the blood that the police have shed may they receive hardship from the children that are left without parents.
Comment: florence – 19. January 2008 @ 4:30 pm
[...] In addition, an interesting article about this idiot Mutua at http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=31 [...]
Pingback: Public Eye Group » Blog Archive » News: Serious kibaki Attrocities Graphic Pictures – 20. January 2008 @ 8:09 pm
[...] died in Nandi, Rift Valley region. At least this time it seems that none of the mediators got insulted by Mr Mutua.We appreciate the presents of Mrs Graca Machel. Finally the UN resolution 1325 on women, peace and [...]
Pingback: Eyes on Kenya » Habari ya leo - Today’s news from Kenya 01/23/2008 | – 23. January 2008 @ 10:52 pm
Its an herculine task to imagin that Dr Mutua has a wife and children, that, he actually goes home every evening to his family knowing that he defends the killing and denies the massacre of other families in the state he represents. He must be morally challenged, to sleep well at night with all this killling, I hope to see such persons charged in Hague for Crimes against humanity, He is a million times worse than the men with machetes in the streets!!!!
Comment: Joe – 30. January 2008 @ 9:24 am
from http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/2008/02/no-power-sharing-so-says-dr-mutua.html
No Power-Sharing, So Says Dr. Mutua
Reports appearing in Uganda’s press attributed to PNU Spokesman on-a-public-payroll Afred Mutua indicate that PRESIDENT Mwai Kibaki has ruled out the possibility of sharing political power with Opposition leader Raila Odinga, with his spokesman saying that would be “unconstitutional”. Dr Mutua is further quoted as accusing ODM politicians of “greed, ignorance about democratic practice and plotting ethnic cleansing” against Mr Kibaki’s Kikuyu kinsmen and women.
Ironically, at his own website Mutua says that the government is committed to dialogue. In other words, Kibaki can only absorb ODM MPs as ministers in his cabinet and they must remain his subjects whom he can hire and fire as he so wishes. Surely, is this man Mutua serious and does he understand the gravity of the Kenyan crisis? Power-sharing (explained at this link) does NOT and cannot mean ‘having two presidents’.
In what should be the mother of all cock-ups since his namesake Mutua Kivuitu declared Kibaki the winner of the presidential polls, Afred Mutua says in an interview with Kampala’s 93.3 KFM’s Hot Seat programme, that for Kibaki’s PNU to share power with the ODM leaders would be tantamount to allowing the Opposition party to “eat the piece of the cake that does not belong to one”. What nonsense Mutua I say.
President Kibaki’s history teaches us he is poor at keeping promises or honouring agreements. It goes without saying international pressure is what has forced PNU into the Annan mediation talks but it is safe to assume that ODM, the international community and Kenyans at large being taken for a ride.
Going by Mutua’s rants and that he was speaking on behalf of his boss, it is possible the on-going mediation efforts are but a waste of time and are meant to allow Kibaki consolidate his illegitimate regime. Mutua seems not to be aware that Koffi Annan has called for a special session of parliament and that he has also held several meetings with Speaker Kenneth Marende because the legislature will be a facilitator to the peace deal in creating necessary constitutional amendments to accommodate whatever will have been agreed upon. The IPPGs and MOUs of yesteryears will not do this time and no one will trash anyone. ….
Comment: Jannek – 16. February 2008 @ 3:05 pm
[...] “No such meetings took place at State House or any government office,” government spokesman Alfred Mutua told the BBC. He said the government had been cracking down on the sect for the last year, arresting [...]
Pingback: BBC: Connections between Kenyan Goverment and Mungiki | Eyes on Kenya – 07. March 2008 @ 1:00 am
Dr. Alfred Mutua is fit for the job of Government Spokesman.
It’s not every day that I get to stumble upon an article that reeks of nothing but malice. But these particular ones are, to say the least, works of biased thinkers, and could at best be described as lacking in any objective analysis.
Both writers, in their freedom of expression, which the law of this land and the Kenyan government upholds chose to do a mudslinging at the character of the Government Spokesman of Kenya, Dr. Alfred Mutua, a man who earned his title of doctorate vide hard work and academic excellence.
I believe the role of the Government Spokesman in any country is collecting information about what is happening inside the Administration and around the country, and getting that information to the media and the public in a timely and accurate fashion. I also believe Dr. Mutua has lived to that expectation and obligation.
The argument by one blog writer that the job should have been given to a lawyer, a political scientist, or someone with a background on international relations is foolhardy. Naturally this position has to be filled by an individual from news media background.
Any intelligent person will know that the job is purely Journalistic. The current holder of the office, Dr. Alfred Mutua is therefore in my conviction best suited for the job he does. The description of Dr. Mutua as an “idiot,” is pure personal and the writers on both blogs are waging a personal war when from the word go, they portray themselves as championing a public interest course.
The writers, I may be wrong, but I fear I am right, exhibited a high degree of idiocy on their part. And they admit even in their blogs that Dr. Mutua is “much more learned than the rest of Kenyans whose names begin with mere Mr. Miss, or Mrs.” The inference that Dr. Mutua should “shut up” is therefore in my observation, mediocre.
How could anyone contemplate a situation where a person whose job description is to speak, to shut up! as these advocates of doom would like us to believe? The position being held by Dr. Mutua requires a person who is intelligent in the ways and understands the politics of the country and the world, these qualifications, Dr. Mutua meets and even beyond.
From the expressions by both bloggers, I see a duo whose understanding of the works of media is shallow, and I also see a pack of persons with skewed thought, with aim and intention of spoiling the good name of Dr. Mutua and the government he serves.
I see persons who are intent on pampering their selfish egos. Of course as a patriotic Kenyan I believe that Dr. Mutua is working in the best interest of this nation and that he is working for me. That’s why I am bothered as a Kenyan when I read such egocentric, malicious correspondences from persons I would naturally think are knowledgeable.
Dr. Mutua’s role requires him –as an obligation- to make sure that Kenyan people are getting an accurate account of what is going on in the country. That means the spokesman must essentially not be misleading to the citizenry. One forum through which he executes this mandate is the weekly press briefings usually held at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, where his office is located. In these briefings he usually responds to questions from reporters. The responses emerging therefrom are disseminated to the public vide various news outlets. I will repeat it here that Dr. Mutua has exceeded on this role; I faithfully believe he executes his mandate in a professional manner. But of course I also believe that in life you can’t please everyone. Even Jesus Christ himself couldn’t.
Comment: Naftali Okuko – 10. December 2009 @ 12:26 pm
Ths is the reason I like eyesonkenya.org. Insightful posts.
http://kikezidane.blogspot.com/2010/03/zidane-agglomeration-dribble-attackers.html
Comment: Dante – 14. March 2010 @ 5:07 am
It sad but true.Most Kenyans are simply copy cats–colonized in their minds by the pink ( most including their preacher think he is GOD)man and manipulated in their booze friendly minds by western media.They will kill their neighbour because he is a kikuyu or whatever but will not touch the pink man who owns half the farmland of his district or the asian who owns 70% of the wealth.Pity such low natuionalism!They are the only ones who think that Mugabe was wrong for telling the Whites off.Whoever told you that the pink man smiles at you because he loves your black face? Truth is the pink man sees the ordinary Kenyan simpleton and sees an opportunity to rape our resources,.In Zimbabwe he has identified Morgan, in Kenyan he had identified Amolo(luckily it never came to pass)
Comment: mbuuri – 11. April 2010 @ 8:52 am