Kisumu Massacre (1969) was a massacre in Kisumu of ethnic Luo by the Security personnel of the Late President Jomo Kenyatta. It took place on October 25, 1969.
The President Jomo Kenyatta, visited Kisumu to open the ‘Russia’ hospital that was a pet project of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Most of all, he wanted to stamp his power on the region where his rule was most unpopular. He was received by a hostile crowd that waved placards written ‘Where is Tom (Mboya)?’ This implied that Kenyatta knew and/or had a hand in the death of Tom Mboya. The crowd also began to chant ‘Dume! Dume!’ which was the symbol of the Jaramogi-led opposition, KPU. This angered Jomo who told Ker Jaramogi that had they not been friends he would have crushed him like ‘maize flour’. Jaramogi said that the Luo were unhappy with Kenyatta’s leadership. As they exchanged harsh words, the crowd got hostile.
The security personnel of Jomo fired into the crowd leaving more than 18 dead on the spot and hundreds injured. The venue was filled with unsuspecting children and teachers who were to perform poems and songs for the president. Many of them met their end. The presidential security continued to fire on people travelling along the presidential route until Jomo Kenyatta was safely out of Nyanza leaving a blood bath in their wake.
Excerpt from that fateful day October 25,1969 just before the Kisumu Massacre
Finally Kenyatta began to address the
assembled crowd. The president of
Kenya, visibly enraged, addressed his hosts and his countrymen and women,
the people of luoland, with the following
words translated into English from the
Swahili used:
“Now I want, before opening this
hospital, to say a few words, and I will start with the Swahili proverb which
states that , “Thanks of a donkey are its
hind kicks”. We have come here to bring
you luck, to bring a hospital that is for
treating the citizens, and now there are
some writhing little insects, little insects of the KPU, who have dared to come here
to speak dirty words, dirty words. I am
very glad to be with my friend Odinga,
who is the leader of these people here.
And I wish to say that, if it were not for
the respect I have for our friendship, Odinga, I would have said that you get
locked up today, so that we see who
rules over these citizens, whether it is
Kanu or some many little insects who
rule over this country. On my part I say
this, if these people are dirty, if they bring about nonsense. We shall show
them that Kenya has its government.
They dare not play around with us, and
you, Bwana Odinga, as an individual, you
know that I do not play around. I have
left you free for a long time because you are my friend. Were it not so, you
yourself know what I would have done.
It is not your business to tell me where to
throw you; I personally know where.
Maybe you think I cannot throw you into
detention in Manyani because you are my special friend….. and therefore today I
am speaking in a very harsh voice and
while I am looking at you directly, and I
am telling you the truth in front of these
people. Tell these people of yours to
desist. If not, they are going to feel my full wrath. And me, I do not play around
at all. They are chanting Dume, dume…
bull bull. Your mothers cunts, this Dume
Dume. And me, I want to tell you, Odinga,
while you are looking at me with your
two eyes wide open, that I have given my orders right now: those creeping
insects of yours are to be crushed like
flour. They are to be crushed like flour if
they play with us. You, over there! I will
come over there and crush you myself.”
His son President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to visit Kisumu notably the same date as his further. Given the atrocities and bad blood its only fair for the son to apologize for father’s sins maybe not?
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