[Imc-africa] People's Parliament Update

Wed Mar 14 15:29:40 PDT 2007

Dear Comrades,
  Warm greetings from Nairobi.

  I am informed that the comrades from the People's Parliament that had been arrested have been released. Many thanks for your support in this matter. 

  More updates tomorrow.

  Cheers,
  John

Peter van Heusden <pvh at wfeet.za.net> wrote:

-------- Original Message --------
From: ccs-l-admin at dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za Mon Mar 12 10:28:25 2007
Return-Path: 
X-Original-To: pvh at wfeet.za.net
Delivered-To: pvh at wfeet.za.net
Received: from leftside.wfeet.za.net (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by 
leftside.wfeet.za.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id E372C30142 for 

; Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:27:59 +0200 (SAST)
X-Spam-Virus: No
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.7 (2006-10-05) on 
leftside.wfeet.za.net
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,NO_REAL_NAME 
autolearn=no version=3.1.7
Received: from dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za (dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za 
[146.230.128.79]) by leftside.wfeet.za.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 
79F7630140 for 
; Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:27:58 +0200 (SAST)
Received: from dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by 
dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za (8.12.6/8.12.6/SuSE Linux 0.6) with ESMTP id 
l2C8Kjbl011095; Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:20:45 +0200
Received: from spamblock.ukzn.ac.za (spamblock.ukzn.ac.za 
[146.230.254.18]) by dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za (8.12.6/8.12.6/SuSE Linux 0.6) 
with SMTP id l2B8lc3O001882 for ; Sun, 11 Mar 
2007 10:47:38 +0200
Received: (qmail 5795 invoked by uid 1001); 11 Mar 2007 08:47:39 -0000
Received: from 217.21.112.43 by spamblock.ukzn.ac.za (envelope-from 
, uid 801) with qmail-scanner-1.24 (clamdscan: 
0.88.4/1965. Clear:RC:0(217.21.112.43):. Processed in 2.174803 secs); 11 
Mar 2007 08:47:39 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO mailout.swiftkenya.com) (217.21.112.43) by 
0 with SMTP; 11 Mar 2007 08:47:37 -0000
Received: from sgkpop.swiftkenya.com (sgkpop.swiftkenya.com 
[217.21.112.38]) by mailout.swiftkenya.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 
0B9FE9609F; Sun, 11 Mar 2007 11:46:47 +0300 (EAT)
Received: from localhost (localhost.swiftkenya.com [127.0.0.1]) by 
sgkpop.swiftkenya.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 09ED592FC4D; Sun, 11 Mar 
2007 11:50:45 +0300 (EAT)
Received: from 212.49.74.253 ([212.49.74.253]) by 
webmail.swiftkenya.com (Horde MIME library) with HTTP; Sun, 11 Mar 2007 
11:50:45 +0300
Message-ID: <20070311115045.nz9y0ci9wko8k4ks at webmail.swiftkenya.com>
From: tfosa at swiftkenya.com
To: Mondli Hlatshwayo 
Cc: smi-kzn at yahoogroups.com, social-movements at lists.riseup.net, mhlobo 
gunguluzi , Mzimasi Mngeni , 
barry , Roy Chetty , 
molefi ndlovu , molefipilane at webmail.co.za, 
info at khanyacollege.org.za, info at crisiszimbabwe.org, info at xminy.nl, 
info at attac.se, info at rls-sa.org.za, infogrwuv at yahoo.com, Jane Duncan 
, Virginia Setshedi , 
naeem at fxi.org.za, Alan Treffry-Goatley , Alan 
Murphy , psc-sa at yahoogroups.com, 
AWC-SA at yahoogroups.com, ccs-l at lists.ukzn.ac.za, 
"searatoa at netactive.co.za" , Andile Mngxitama 
, Anna Weekes , Anne 
Mayher , Onyango Oloo , 
Wahu Kaara , Boaz Waruku 
, kutokanet at hotmail.com, kiama kaara 
, Mokesh Morar , 
"drdalet at metroweb.co.za" , 
john.appolis at gmail.com, Anele Mbi 
References: 
In-Reply-To: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; DelSp="Yes"; format="flowed"
Content-Disposition: inline
User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) H3 (4.1) / FreeBSD-6.1
X-mailout.swiftkenya.com-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the 
ISP for more information
X-mailout.swiftkenya.com-MailScanner: Found to be clean
X-mailout.swiftkenya.com-MailScanner-From: tfosa at swiftkenya.com
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by 
dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za id l2B8lc3O001882
Subject: [in.the.zone] URGENT APPEAL FOR QUICK ACTION & UPDATE ON THE 
56 MEMBERS OF PEOPLE'S PARLIAMENT ARRESTED ON SATURDAY
Sender: ccs-l-admin at dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za
Errors-To: ccs-l-admin at dbnmail2.ukzn.ac.za
X-BeenThere: ccs-l at lists.ukzn.ac.za
X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13
Precedence: bulk
List-Unsubscribe: , 

List-Id: Centre for Civil Society List 
List-Post: 
List-Help: 
List-Subscribe: , 

List-Archive: 
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 11:50:45 +0300
X-Greylist: IP, sender and recipient auto-whitelisted, not delayed by 
milter-greylist-3.0 (leftside.wfeet.za.net [0.0.0.0]); Mon, 12 Mar 2007 
10:27:58 +0200 (SAST)

http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs

Comrades,

THE SITUATION IS MORE GRAVE, THE GREEN JEEVANJEE GARDENS PARK IS NOW 
BEING REPLACED BY A
CONCRETE WALL AND CONCRETE JUNGLE, UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND FUNDING 
OF UN HABITAT UNDER
THE GUISE OF SAFER CITIES INITIATIVE

As we speak, it is becoming clear why the members of people's 
parliament were roughed up,
mercilessly beaten yesterday, arrested and are being illegally 
detained at Central police
station.

As early as 8am this morning, 4 trucks of city council workers were 
taken to Jeevanjee
Gardens where they are putting up a concrete perimeter wall and making 
arrangements that
will see the only public patch of greenery inside the city of Nairobi 
converted into a
concrete jungle, complete with half the park being converted into, of 
all things, a
public bus park!

Jeevanjee Gardens is under attack again; this time by the City Council 
of Nairobi and UN
HABITAT under the guise of the Safer cities Initiatives. People's 
Parliament is on record
opposing the conversion of Jeevanjee Gardens into a public bus park 
and a concrete park
where members of the public will no longer be able to enjoy the green 
grass and the
serenity of the many trees amidst the concrete jungle. Many members of 
the public,
including People's Parliament voiced their opposition in many meetings 
last year and
wrote to UN HABITAT opposing the grabbing of the public space and 
conversion of the same
for purposes other than those that it was intended for when the land 
was granted to the
people of the city of Nairobi by Mr. Jeevanjee.

If the Nairobi City Council and UN HABITAT succeed in tearing the park 
apart, the city
will have lost one of its gems, forever. The park is a resting place 
for the tired and
weary, a playing ground for children especially during the weekend, 
and an excellent
place to unwind or pass a lunch hour for those who cannot afford to 
buy lunch. For
People's Parliament it is a meeting place with a long record of 
successful social,
political and economic action, an irreplaceable platform where 
ordinary Kenyans from all
walks of life, all tribes, all economic and social strata meet and 
interact. It is where
members socialize and revitalize, plan for action and conduct civic 
education. It is
priceless. If it is lost, it will never be regained.

Apparently, the move to arrest members of people's parliament, besides 
being part of an
effort to permanently eliminate the movement, is also calculated to 
intimidate the
members so that they do not resist the designs of the city fathers 
aimed at grabbing the
space.

We now need urgent action to intercede on our behalf and have UN 
HABITAT and the NCC
stopped from ruining the park that has survived for almost 100 years 
as a welcome patch
of green in the middle of the city. It is a shame that UN HABITAT, 
the agency created to
ensure that cities develop without putting residents in jeopardy and 
the agency we should
be calling on for support is the one funding the initiative aimed at 
destroying the park!

Please, urgently write email and faxes demanding the immediate halting 
of the wall and at
the same time demand that UN HABITAT stop the process that has been 
going on largely
behind the backs of the residents and without their consent. Please 
demand that any
prospective changes be subject to public debates that are more 
inclusive and about which
the public is duly informed and included in.
Write all letters to the attention of the following persons who are 
responsible for the
ongoing problems in addition to the others named in the earlier message:

MRS HELEN TAbAIJUKA
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENT PROGRAMME (UN HABITAT)
Fax: +254 20 762 39 19
Fax: + 254 20 762 43 25
Email: execdir.habitat at unhabitat.org
Tel: + 254 20 762 12 34

and:

MR. JOHN GAKUO, TOWN CLERK
NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL
MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: + 254 20 21 74 75

and:

DIRECTOR , URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: +254 20 340 972

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARRESTED MEMBERS OF PEOPLE'S PARLIAMENT

It's 11:30AM, approximately 20 hours since the arrest of 56 members of 
people's
parliament from the Jeevanjee Gardens yesterday. The current situation 
is as follows:

Of the 56 arrested members, 32 members are still in custody. The 
others have been granted
bail. Of concern is the condition of 5 members who were injured during 
the arrest,
especially of one of the members who is said to have been badly 
injured and unconscious
for more than 30 minutes and is still in custody.

Activists are still camped at the police station waiting to see the 
people in custody. By
the time of this email no person has been seen, although there is 
presently a heavy
presence of police both within and outside Jeevanjee Gardens.

Please work as fast as you can. In our experience, the town clerk 
ordinarily needs only
one or two days to do irreversible damage. Action must be taken today 
if any positive
results are to be realized.

We urgently need people to do the following:

1. Contact the Kenyan Embassy in your country and demand for the
immediate release of all members of Bunge la Mwananchi(People's
Parliament) who were arrested at the Jeevanjee Gardens today 10th,March
2007, 32 of whom are currently still being illegally detained at the
Central Police Station in Nairobi

2. Demand the arrest of the City Council officers who were responsible
for beating and injuring 5 members of People's Parliament.

3. Demand that the government of Kenya stops, with immediate effect, the
concerted effort to harrass members of People's Parliament.

4. Contact your own government and demand that your government stops
supporting the Kenyan government. Your taxes should not be used to aid
in the harrassment of poor Kenyans by a government that is so afraid to
lose
the election that it no longer tolerates discussions amongst the
citizens!

5. Send faxes and email in solidarity to the following offices:

HON. Mwai Kibaki, The president of Kenya
Email: president at statehousekenya.go.ke

HON. MUSIKARI KOMBO, Minister, Local government
TEl:+ 254 20 217475
FAX: +254 20 337 960
(Responsible for the City Council officers)

BRIGADIER HUSSEIN ALI, Commissioner of Police
Tel: +254 20 341411

The Nation Media Group (local media)
Fax: +254 20 213 946

The Standard Group(local media)
+254 20 213108
Email: editorial at eastandard.net

We thank you all for your continued support! Aluta Continua!

For and on Behalf of People's Parliament:

WANGUI MBATIA: (+254 722 74 75 75), + 254 20 204 0192
tfosa at swiftkenya.com
P. O. Box 22708-00100
NAIROBI, KENYA
HASSAN INDUSA (+254 723 489 463),
WAMBUGU MWAI (+254 733 248 301)
TERRENCE NJOROGE (+254 727 881 926)

KENYAN EMBASSY UK

Kenyan High Commission
45 Portland Place, London W1N 4AS
TEL: 020 7636 2371/5 FAX: 020 7323 6717

KENYAN EMBASSY USA
public.diplomacy at kenyaembassy.com
NewyorkConsulate at KenyaEmbassy.com
Losangeles at KenyaEmbassy.com
Hoc at KenyaEmbassy.com

Telephone:
(202) 387-6101
Fax:
(202) 462-3829
Mailing Address:
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya
2249 R Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008 U.S.A.

ITALY
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya,
Via Archimede, 164,
00197, Rome. Italy
Tel.: (+39) 06-8082717/8
Fax: (+39) 06-8082707
info at embassyofkenya.it

Netherlands

Embassy of Kenya in the Hague, Netherlands
21 Nieuwe Parklaan
2597 LA The Hague
The Netherlands
City: the Hague
Phone: (+31)70- 3504215
kenya-net at iwwn.com.na

----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using the Swift Global (K) Ltd Webmail Service.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list please go to http://lists.nu.ac.za/mailman/listinfo/ccs-l If you are having problems with the automated system contact John Devenish on Devenishj at ukzn.ac.za for personal assistance. Please do not send technical queries or requests to all 800 list subscribers.
_______________________________________________
Imc-africa mailing list
Imc-africa at lists.indymedia.org
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-africa

---------------------------------
8:00? 8:25? 8:40?  Find a flick in no time
 with theYahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-africa/attachments/20070314/cbd26a43/attachment.html 