Economist David Ndii. [Photo/ Buzzkenya]
Unfortunate remarks by NASA technical advisor David Ndii that the country will burn should President Uhuru Kenyatta be declared the winner in a disputed outcome should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. Thousands of peace-loving Kenyans have already taken to Twitter, where the economist made the reckless statement, to criticize Ndii, but he is yet to apologize to the country. “Let me quote myself: If Uhuru Kenyatta is declared winner in another sham election, this country will burn,” Ndii wrote on Twitter. For starters, Ndii is one of the leading economists in East Africa. He has previously served as an economic advisor to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, helped President Kibaki and the NARC government revive the economy and has consulted wildly for other governments, corporations and international development agencies. So this careless remark, which many are interpreting as incitement to violence, coming from Ndii is very shocking. It leaves one wondering whether Mr Ndii was speaking on behalf of Raila Odinga, considering that he is now working as NASA surrogate, with many prime-time TV appearances. The remarks went too far in crossing the red line, and cannot be tolerated in any society, not least a modern Kenya. Anyone who saw the post-election chaos that followed the disputed 2007/8 presidential election results should stand up to backward individuals like Ndii to ensure the country does not slide back to madness. After Raila Odinga disputed President Mwai Kibaki’s victory in 2007 and called for mass action, more than 600,000 were displaced from their homes and at least another 1,000 lost their lives. Kenyans are not ready to go that route again. It is disheartening that the NASA coalition, which the economist advises, is yet to distance itself from Ndii’s worrying message. Mr Ndii should redeem himself by apologizing to Kenyans over his statement. He will still need a good name after the August 8 polls.