- At certain moments, silence can be invaluable; however, this does not apply to the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party, which responded forcefully after being targeted by artist Octopizzo.
- KANU shared a Butere proverb discussing a leader attempting to halt progression once the people have made up their minds.
- Octopizzo halted their tweet challenging the morality they purportedly stood upon while attempting to silence others.
The KANU party was responsible for bringing Daniel arap Moi to power and maintaining his rule for 24 years.
Established in 1960, KANU developed under Jomo Kenyatta's leadership into Kenya’s official political party upon achieving independence in 1963. It maintained its status as the sole legally recognized party and held sway for many years thereafter.
Through the KANU platform, his governance was marked by authoritarian tendencies, political suppression, corruption, and violations of human rights.
Recently, the party shared a Butere proverb via Twitter, alluding to the latest developments in "Echoes of Power" by the Butere Girls.
It served as a warning to a leader attempting to block progress; once the people have chosen to bring about change, efforts to hinder this will not only falter but may lead to downfall. The tweet stated:
A leader attempting to quiet the sounds of disagreement when an idea’s moment has arrived quickly finds themselves hearing only the resonance of their impending defeat. Butere Proverb.
Upon seeing the tweet, Octopizzo sarcastically questioned their party’s name using multiple question marks.
The artist was astonished by KANU's emergence from obscurity, trying to address topics where it has no moral, political, or cultural authority to intervene.
He remembered how they burned catalogs of music that challenged their oppression.
Octopizzo asserts that the party didn’t merely suppress politically aware individuals; it extinguished their influence entirely.
He penned:
KANU??? You possess neither ethical standing nor political or cultural legitimacy to address this issue. You represent the system that brutally suppressed dissenting voices, even resorting to burning down collections of music that challenged your authority. You facilitated, masterminded, and concealed the tragic loss of young lives. Your history is marked by oppression, violence, and ruthless censorship.
It is not only brazen but also repulsive for you to suddenly surface and try to manipulate the country’s perception of history, pretending to be righteous. We won’t allow you to alter our experiences. Besides, has this become some sort of trend?
It appeared as though they were steering clear of the musician's tweet and excluding him from the discussion; however, the writer behind KANU encouraged him to return to his musical pursuits instead.
Kanu won’t try to escape its past and history. However, our focus has shifted to something more pressing. Right now, let’s concentrate on either joining forces with Panda Kitanda or entering the studio.