#SomeoneTellUhuru: Why Burundians are not happy with Uhuru
President Uhuru Kenyatta has been viciously attacked by Burundians who accuse him of supporting Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial third term in office despite the ongoing deadly post-election violence in the country.
The Burundians have camped on Twitter since Saturday using the hashtag #SomeoneTellUhuru after the Kenyan leader met Nkurunziza’s allies and paraded them at State House, Nairobi.
The hashtag remained largely invisible until some Kenyans latched onto it Monday.
President Kenyatta later tweeted: “They informed me tht the gov’t of President Pierre Nkurunziza & the opposition had agreed to work together for the interest of their country.”
Some Burundians interpreted that as an endorsement by President Kenyatta, disregarding the continued loss of lives that preceded and followed the July presidential election.
President Nkurunziza garnered 69.41 percent of the votes. Dozens have been killed in the violence that has forced more than 175,000 people to take refuge in neighbouring countries.
Some Twitter users attached gory photos of violence viuctims lying in pool of blood as a reminder to President Kenyatta that all was not well.
One user iBurundi @iburundi said: “This is the reason #SomeoneTellUhuru was born. There was no agreement, it is a lie by impostors. People being killed”, while AmahoroIwacu (@AmahoroI) said “#SomeoneTellUhuru that this family was wiped out by the regime becoz it lived in #Mutakura perceived as anti-3rdTerm.
Another tweeter Sabushimike Arielle wrote: “#SomeoneTellUhuru to stop playing this little diplomatic game knowing that a body is found every day in the streets of Buja..”, while AmahoroIwacu added: “#SomeoneTellUhuru that we will keep reminding him how wrong it is to support a regime that kills its own citizens.”
Morris K (@Owaahh) said: “But UK has not shown any mettle in the diplomatic space. He is a status quo kinda guy. #SomeoneTellUhuru.”
#SomeoneTellUhuru has stories of the pain of a citizenry shackled to a greedy political elite.”
A tweeter Collins Bett (@CollinsFabien) said, “There was a real pain of a people in the #SomeoneTellUhuru. These are a people being butchered by their own government.”
