The recent description of Ghanaian President and AU Chairperson John Kuffuor’s mediation bid as a ‘tea taking’ mission by a Kenyan Cabinet Minister is contempt of high degree and a downplay of serious national issues. In the same vein, it is absolute disgrace for another government minister to state that former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and other eminent personalities need not help broker peace as ‘the country is not at war ’ and everything is normal.

Normal when people have become refugees in their own country? Normal when the country has turned into a police and paramilitary state? Normal when one can’t plan for tomorrow as a result of the prevailing unpredictable state? Normal when prices of essential commodities have quadrupled? Normal when election rigging continues to tear the country into pieces? Are these tough talking dignitaries in touch with the reality on the ground? Kenya is dealing with an emergency where close to 1,000 people have died, over 260,000 have been displaced, and normal business life has been disrupted.

Choosing to hide behind legalism as opposed to dialogue will not save our country. Kenya belongs to us all; let us give dialogue a chance. Let us respect the right of Kenyans to express themselves and be served by a free press.