Secession talk stirs heated debate among Kenyans

Secession talk stirs heated debate among Kenyans

An anonymous Caucus  by the name the People’s Republic of Kenya has lodged a petition with the African Commission on Human and Peoples Right in Banjul, Gambia, to grant them their human rights of self- determination of forming their own state.

The cardinal principle of self-determination, which has been polemically redefined by law elites and scholars is provided by the United Nations Charter and mirrored by AU charter and it states that people have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference.

The secession conversation, which was sparked after David Ndii’s twitter post advancing a petition titled, ‘Kenyan peoples’ for Right to Self-Determination’ has seen Kenyans express their espirit de corp to the doctrines of the petition as some shun it, including Political analyst, Mutahi Ngunyi who dismissed it as vexations of a man being blamed by NASA for losing the August 8 General Election.

“When madness of a nation disturbs a solitary mind; it is not enough to call him mad, NASA blames David Ndii for loss, is he disturbed or mad?”  Mutahi Ngunyi asked.

NASA strategist and head of technical team, David Ndii, affirmed that NASA has launched a national campaign for truth and electoral justice in Kenya.

However, in an interview with NTV, Mr Ndii distanced himself from the petition saying he shared it as any other Kenyan would, saying talks of political separatism are fairly normal naming, Scottish referendum and the Brexit,  except that they do not fit in the conceptualisation of self-determination in a  sovereign state.

The petition, which is targeting at least 15 million persons, representing the regions of Western Kenya (Luo, Luhya, Tesos, Kisii, Kuria), Eastern Kenya (Kamba), Coastal Kenya (Swahili, Mijikendas, Pokomos, Giriamas, Taitas, Tavetas, Boni, Ewana, Segenju, Orma, Munyoyoya and Badala) Rift Valley (Turkana, Pokot, Samburu, Maasai, El Molo, and Iichamus), Northern Kenya (Somali, Borana, Rendile, Dasanaach) and other interested communities has so far attracted over 13,000 supporters.

The petition is warranted on the basis of centralisation of power between two communities, discrimination in accessing of natural resources and violation of human rights through extra judicial killings

So far, South Sudan, which is the newest state in the world, has been the only African state to front a successful secession, which saw it the first state in Africa to achieve their motive of secession under the principle of self-determination, by cutting off from a sovereign state with the help of non-state actors after a hectic and rigorous referendum.

Arguably, this is the second time Kenya is in a secession quagmire, following the unsuccessful petition fronted by Mombasa Republic Commission (MRC) to declare Pwani a sovereign state.

According to lawyer Kaburu, dividing Kenya in the hopes of solving political exemptions is a case of a jilted lover, otherwise the frustrations of post-election aftermath.

Kaburu added that, as much as Kenya’s municipal law mirrors international law, the provisions of realising a successful secession, in this case are starved, even if the online signs accumulate to the projected 15 million signatories.

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