Raila's statement on WikiLeaks

1. The current reports of leakage of official American government diplomatic cables now dominating world news are in my view, a deplorable breach of certain aspects of common human decency. The leakages of so-called ‘secrets’ also really belong to the domain of gossip and rumours and therefore do not merit more attention than is really necessary;

2. One would have expected that even with the kind of technological advancements that have made it possible to live and share in a world that is almost seamless, we are all still enjoined to acts of responsibility and restraint even when we have access to certain types of information;

3. One would therefore have hoped that the Wikileaks, in spite of its philosophy and commitment to a world without any government secrets, can weigh and realize the potentially hazardous implications of reckless and unfettered release of information, especially when it has been obtained illegally. To act responsibly in such situations would not in my view, really imply that we do not subscribe to the fundamental rights and freedoms of access to information as are now widely recognized internationally and indeed affirmed in Kenya’s new constitution;

4. I will therefore be the first to admit that the whole saga surrounding these Wikileaks also therefore underlie an incredibly significant development in Human affairs in the world today. In particular, let it be known and appreciated by Kenyans, that in today’s world, all those things that we do under the cover of darkness in the hope that they shall, so remain, unknown as ‘secrets’ must at some point bubble out and be known.;

5. It is also no simple coincidence that these Wikileaks are also coming at a time when we in Kenya are squarely confronted with some of the very untoward secrets of our own national past. The national momentum for reform, is indeed the confirmation that we in Kenya desire a more truthful, honest society that does not need to be haunted by any dark secrets or deeds of the past;

6. Those in our midst who still therefore believe in and persist in the false hope that corruption and other acts committed outside the public purview, must be on the lookout, given that the unprecedented development and explosion of information;

7. I therefore urge fellow Kenyans not to be unduly distracted, let alone believe everything being said or disclosed from these leakages. Instead, there is need for greater circumspection and calm. I urge our patriotic citizens to exercise fair judgment, responsibility and proper analysis in their treatment of whatever information has come, and still may come from Wikileaks.

Posted by KiN Reporter nr 11 in Nairobi