NEWS GANG: Gas or drink? Kenya’s scheduled killings

As is the tradition in this show, the weight of national events dictate our approach here. And so tonight, events in Embakasi, Kirinyaga and Muthaiga compel us to wrap the Take, Kicker, Sense and Memo into one solemn opening word. When lives are needlessly lost like 7 were in Embakasi explosion and another 13 to poisoned brew in Kirinyaga, we must not just mourn but be outraged by the repeated, and damning writing on the wall.

When it comes to disasters, it would seem, in this country that we are stuck in a loop. An endless loop of scripted and scheduled disasters. Fellow Kenyans, let us call it for what it is; Embakasi and Kirinyaga were appointment killings. How else do we describe killings that were preceded by warning and alarm bells that were seemingly ignored by authorities? In the case of the gas explosion in Embakasi, the authorities were aware of the illegal gas refilling station, but seemingly chose to wait for murder.

And officially sanctioned murder, it must be called. From the energy regulatory body EPRA to the intelligence officers, criminal investigators and to the nearest police station – gentlemen, and ladies, you have blood on your hands. The Embakasi gas explosion was a basic level failure; a careless lapse in regulatory structures and ultimately, a damning statement on broken governance. Official statements of outrage must be dismissed for what they truly are; a belated attempt to sound right just for the ears of the bereaved.

The uniquely Kenyan official run-down normally starts with some sharp rhetoric laced with threats and clothed in pretence to bravery. This is swiftly followed by random arrests, sackings and pledges of doomsday for the supposed offenders. But tonight, we choose to see right through the façade and instead appeal for a national conversation on the fixing of our broken systems of governance.

As illegal gas killed 7 Kenyans in Embakasi and illicit brew killed another 13 people in Kirinyaga, our police service decided to crown our national midweek follies by letting a murder suspect stroll out of custody in a way that can only be summed up as a national embarrassment. Kelvin Kangethe, wanted for murder in the United States of America, literally walked out and boarded a matatu in an escape that not only defeats logic but also points out to greater cracks – on both the administrative and moral fabric of our nation.

And that is the common thread running from Embakasi to Kirinyaga and back to the Muthaiga police station. In Embakasi, for instance, where were the authorities when there were complaints raised about the illegal gas station in Mradi? Why was such a site allowed so close to a residential area? How many of these are out there? The county governor has now asked his sub county officials to shut down all illegal businesses operating within the county. Why did this wait for a disaster to happen? Shouldn’t this be a standard governance practice?

Embakasi raises countless governance questions. Whether national or county level, authorities owe Kenyans many answers. Do the authorities for example even know how many illegal entities are operating in the county? Where was NEMA? Where was EPRA? The body simply gave a statement that the site had been denied licences to operate. What did they do after this? How could something so illegal be conducting its operations so openly?

The question we ask here on our joint word is, how many more will have to die for us to finally get things right? Here is an example, after Precious Talent School collapsed in Nairobi, didn’t they promise to do an audit of all schools to ascertain their safety? What promise did we get after the Huruma building collapse in 2016 that killed 49 people? How many other buildings have collapsed since then? Here is another example, just this week, yet another killer brew has taken the lives of 13 people. This in the midst of a crackdown on killer brews and alcoholism led by no less than the deputy president. How many killer brews have we seen in this country? How many have died, how many have lost their sight. How many arrested?

Folks, we are not short of laws in this country, certainly not short of enforcement and compliance agencies. Investigating authorities and all these entities that are supposed to keep Kenyans safe wherever they choose to work or live in this country. So how do we find ourselves here, time and time again?

It is a question we must collectively ponder as a nation; and just off the surface we have traces of why. And here is why – greed. All illegal businesses in this country survive on one pillar – bribery. Let there be no doubt, it takes bribes to get authorities to turn a blind eye on any illegal business in this country – whether the business is selling cooking gas or illicit brew.

Na hapo ndipo tulipo. That is where we are. That is what connects the dots between the exploding gas in Embakasi, the killer brew Kirinyaga and the strolling murder suspect in Muthaiga police station. We are resting on a base of rotten values and broken systems.

Which is why on our joint first word, we’d wish for an end to the national pretence, the official posturing and instead the beginning of the facing of the reality that Embakasi, Kirinyaga and Muthaiga, this country can rot three places at a time. And that is a scary, yet real prospect. And that is our Sense, Take, Kicker and Memo.