CPM-K, PSLNATIONAL, WILLIAM, APPRP, COMMIE CENTRAL

On 11 January, armed assailants broke into the home of the general secretary of the ‘Communist Party Marxist - Kenya’ (CPM-K). Booker Omole says they intended to kill him. But it was he who ended up killing one of them, in self-defence - prompting the others to flee. African Stream paid him a visit to get a first-hand account of what happened.

The Kenyan police quickly decided the incident was an attempted burglary. But, given his activities as a socialist organiser, Omole suspects other, political motives were at play. He told us that the assailants did not attempt to steal anything, and the only thing they said in his presence was ‘ua,’ which is Kiswahili for ‘kill.’ He’s demanding a thorough investigation.

His suspicions have a strong basis. Even after Kenya’s independence, progressive organising in the country has been met with hostility by the authorities. CPM-K members have previously been victims of state persecution and repression, including Omole himself - as he relates in our interview.