KITUO CHA SHERIA BLOG

Dear President Pierre Nkurunzinza,

I am a young Kenyan lawyer still learning how to climb the ropes up the profession. I have been quietly watching the news just to monitor the state of affairs in your country. I am not a citizen of Burundi but I am an African woman. I believe in the simple values taught to us when we were young children. I believe in peace, justice and love for one another as well as for my country and my continent-Mother Africa. I will not tell you to stop the war or end the plight of Burundians, our fellow Africans. Instead your Excellency allow me to remind you the positive things about your country that people have admired before these inhuman killings started and hence resulting in thousands of people fleeing their country.

Firstly, your country prescribed to a specified two term rule for a president but somehow your excellency, the wisdom of your judiciary decided you could run for a third term. Despite the protests, you contested and won with a landslide victory. I do not admire your move but I admire Burundi’s judiciary. As a law student I relied sometimes on judicial decisions by the courts of Burundi that I believed then to be progressive. For example the decisions from your supreme court addressed some of the legal issues so well. Currently your judiciary is operating on fear of the executive yet your constitution proclaims the independence of the judiciary. Furthermore your constitution upholds the principle of independence of the constitution.

Secondly let us look at your economy. According to World Bank statistics Burundi had a thriving economy up to 2015 which was about 4.8% annually and would be grow to 5% in 2016 if peaceful circumstances would be thriving. Many Kenyans had even found job opportunities in your country. I believe the move by my fellow Kenyans and people of other nationalities to work in Burundi was a sign that your country was expanding to the levels of promoting a global community in a country. The war currently has seen many people go back to their homes leaving Burundi short of some of the services that they provided. One may argue that Burundians can take up the jobs but your Excellency it is very hard to rebuild an economy that has been destroyed twice by wars that are no longer fashionable in the 21^st century.

Thirdly I admired the negotiated democracy concept in your constitution. The negotiated democracy started off by talks spearheaded by the late Julius Nyerere and taken over by the late Nelson Mandela. This saw your country pick up. You signed the Arusha declaration that bound your country but sadly your Excellency you forgot how you had led the Hutu in the rebellion to get peace, justice and democracy for Burundi. You forgot what war feels like and its draw backs and as a result forced your way back and now your country is burning down again.

Fourthly I admired the way your laws protected women and children and the most vulnerable categories of persons in Burundi for instance the Burundi constitution ensured women got 30% appointments to the assembly. Burundi did not even think about the concept progressive realization of fundamental freedoms and rights, Burundi simply found ways to adhere to the law. The children of Burundi are the future generation of your country and the laws always sought to protect them. Sadly they too are affected by the current situation in your country. Your Excellency children are the future. Being an asylum seeker is not fashionable and should not be routine. Remember to protect them always

Lastly your Excellency let me remind you of how human we are. Bottom line is no one deserves to loose life because of your political ambitions. Your country does not deserve to burn down. Your people deserve to have their human rights and opinions respected. However you are now in power and since you have rejected the peace troops I think you should call the shots as you want and restore peace. Restoration of peace does not entail using your troops to commit killings to calm down the masses. Restoration of peace can sometimes involve going back to the drawing board and asking for help from the east African community or the African union or the United Nations to help rebuild your country before it is too late. Perhaps you could be on time to rescue a little which you can build from. Remember you are not doing this for you. You will be doing this for the people of Burundi.

Your Excellency my request is simple end the war in your country and restore peace. With all due respect Your Excellency I trust you will consider all this and quickly resolve the situation in your country.

Yours sincerely,

Concerned African.