Dorothy Resigns fro Kenya Global Unity (KGU)

Saturday, January 29, 2011 Dear Ladies and Gentleman: Please be advised that effective immediately and with sadness I must submit my resignation as an Advisor to Kenya Global Unity. KGU was founded with the following core values: I.Honesty and Integrity II.Respect III.Transparency and openness IV.Discipline V.Unity KGU as a committee should take the lead in setting the core value of unity. Unity means open communication, reciprocity, transparency, honesty, and joint action. However, what I have witnessed over recent weeks has strayed far from unity and is sickening. As it stands, KGU is far from united and in this respect it is currently fundamentally flawed as an organization. Noone can deny that over the past several months, Joseph Lister Nyaringo has spearheaded the actions taken by this group. The very constitution which was used to suspend him, was ironically for the main part drafted by Mr. Nyaringo. Please review the history of KGU's emails and appreciate that he has, for example, called the meetings, set the agenda and often implemented next steps. However, more recently Mr. Nyaringo made several attempts to reach out to the leadership of the organization via phone in order to communicate about what actions to take next and received absolutely no response. An organization needs fluid and open communication in order to effectively function. If there is no open communication, how can next action best be determined? Mr Nyaringo also sent out an email about holding elections, to which he received no confirmation or feedback. How can the Secretary General operate in a vacuum if KGU is supposed to be working together as a team? How is KGU expected to proceed if there is failed communication within the organization? How can KGU which claims to be member driven, show indifference about holding elections, show indifference to its members, the very reason it was founded? Recently, Mr. Nyaringo has also been labelled as “evil” by a member of KGU. He has been accused of tampering with the KGU facebook page, with absolutely no evidence to back up this statement. If Mr. Nyaringo had such knowledge, surely a website designer would not have had to be hired to build KGU's website? This is just one in a series of examples where intense hostility and violent threats have been addressed both towards Mr. Nyaringo and Mr. Kinity. I ask you, is this a democracy where freedom of speech and assembly is honored or a feudal state where we threaten to literally “burn peoples fingers” if they speak up? (There exists the documented proof of these violent and untoward emails and phone calls). How can you, in all good conscience, stand alongside someone knowing that they are this violent? A violence which is out of hand in relation to any actions, in my opinion, that either Mr. Nyaringo or Mr. Kinity took. Are you working for an old Kenya, where meetings happen behind close doors, where phone calls are not returned, where only a select few are in power and maintain that power over time? Or are you working for a new Kenya which is just, where the rule of law is followed, where the citizens have a vital voice in their leadership? What Kenya do you want your children to grow up in? That being said, I can no longer operate as an Advisor to this organization. I am speechless beyond words at the unprofessional manner and uncalled for attacks on both Mr. Nyaringo and Mr. Kinity. It is clear that Mr. Kinity and Mr. Nyaringo had a parting of ways with the leadership of the organization. But rather than flailing out and attacking them mercilessly, more diplomatic, unifying, and non-violent means should have been chosen. Please remove my name, photo, emails, and all identifying information from all KGU internet spaces and publications. I no longer wish to be affiliated with this organization as it currently stands. I leave you with one more thought, from President Obama, regardless of what you think of him as a President, I believe this statement is on point. "All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings." Sincerely, Dorothy Johnson-Laird