BY NYAMBEGA GISESA E

Tribute To Oscar Kingara and GPO Oulu



TRIBUTE TO SLAIN FORMER STUDENT LEADER, OULU GPO By Nyambega Gisesa E

. The whitewash of the issues and even mystery that often surround the murder of a popular, but controversial, leader always raises questions and doubts, among the masses. A few days after his assassination, the question is who really killed Oulu GPO and why? The easy answer is that his murder is a way to silence a man who with him carried a poisonous dossier implicating the police on extra-judicial killing and the bitter and contentious attacks against the government made by him and his boss Mr.Oscar Kamau King’ara the founder and CEO of Oscar Foundation.

“The government had a hand in his death. The assassinators that shot them at point range were well organised and choosing state house road for that task at 6.00 o’clock in broad daylight with traffic jams all over Nairobi can only be the work of the government, “Emmanuel Dennis, a youth activist, who was waiting for Oulu GPO to deliver the mysterious envelope in his possession says. Oulu GPO was supposed to deliver a mysterious envelope with hard evidence against the police to the Partnership for Change offices on Thursday afternoon. “He called and requested that he deliver the documents the next morning,”Emmanuel recalls the last words he had with him. Three hours later after that call, a bloodless Oulu GPO lay dead next to his boss in a white Mercedes Benz KAJ 179Z after a shooting from men wearing black suits in a convoy of four vehicles-a four-wheel drive car, a Nissan van, a mini-bus and a luxurious black Mercedes Benz. A few hours after their death, there were calls all-over the world to open independent investigations into their death.

The US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger offered “assistance services from the Federal Bureau of Investigation effective immediately for an independent investigation into their death.” A week before his death he had sent me an email accusing the government of ignoring Kenyans and requesting me to inform other young people to come together and chart a way forward for the country. Oulu was by far one of our most dynamic young leaders i have met my in life. Oulu GPO had become a major student leader and national figure who shortly before his death had worked out a constructive program for African youth together with other young leaders in Africa after a trip to Gaborone in December. Kenyan leaders increasingly viewed him as an able, respected, and visionary spokesman against corruption and human rights abuses. Oulu GPO had evolved from the ashes after being arbitrary expelled from the University of Nairobi to become a Program Officer at Youth Agenda up to Dec 2008 and later a Communications and Advocacy Officer at Oscar Foundation even with the fact that he was not yet through with his university education.

What always impressed me the most about Oulu GPO was his constant search for answers, his overwhelming humour and his selflessness in serving humanity. In his home, he was the only breadwinner after his bed-ridden mother could not afford to take care of his sister and brother who dropped out of school in class eight. In his place of stay at Eastleigh, he joined the common mwananchi to seek solace after their structures were demolished by scrappy land grabbers. Being a Luo from Luo Nyanza, he went ahead boldly to defend Mungiki who were being extra-judicially killed. Oulu GPO brought pride to Kenyan youth and university students. He made us feel that we were entitled to be a good life, to demand justice, in the face of the oppression and backward dictatorship in our institutions.

He also pointed out the ills of the society. His writings across the web and in local daily newspapers were extremely important to any University student yet they came from a man whom the same institution had closed its doors to. His life was more or the same like that of Martin King Luther and Malcom X.Its only sad that he has gone too early to benefit from the revolution whose pace he set. He was a young man who breathed with a fierce passion for Africa, a true pan-africanist. So in the undying spirit of Oulu GPO, let's keep up the struggle!

The writer is a guest editor for Daily Metro (Campus Lowdown) and a student leader in Kenyatta University.

For comments write to engisesa@yahoo.com