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Kenya: One Year After Elections Unleashed Brutal Violence, How Is The Country Coping? (Slideshow)
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Africa, December 2007 Kenya, International Rescue Committee, Irc, Kenya, Kenya Elections, Kenya One Year Anniversary, Slideshow, Violence In Kenya,
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One year after disputed presidential elections in Kenya triggered horrific clashes between different ethnic groups, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless, how is the country coping? Joanne Offer, who works with the International Rescue Committee in Nairobi, has been talking to communities in West Kenya to find out.
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It's almost a year since Kenya, one of East Africa's most stable and prosperous nations, went from being known as a land of big cats and safaris to a country beset by brutal mob violence; a place where a church full of terrified worshipers could be set ablaze with dozens inside burned alive. In the chaos that followed the disputed presidential elections of December 27, 2007, more than 1,100 people were killed and a further 350,000 forced to flee their homes. So one year on has Kenya been able to heal her wounds?
The truth is that it's been quite a rollercoaster year for Kenyans. The violent fallout from the elections left them stunned - many of my friends still talk of their embarrassment and disappointment that their country could have exploded in such dramatic style. High food prices and ongoing drought left the north of the country in dire need for much of the year, while rising fuel prices made the cost of everyday life spiral throughout Kenya.
Moods were then dramatically lifted by victory for Kenya's favorite son Barack Obama in the US elections, (the Kenyan government even called a public holiday to celebrate). However, Kenyans are once again looking inwards as their politicians dawdle over implementing the recommendations of the Waki Commission, the body set up to look into the root causes of the violence. The report suggested politicians had fanned the flames of the fighting and should be brought to justice by a Kenyan tribunal, but progress along this route has been slow.
In November, the European Union even threatened sanctions if the report's recommendations were not implemented quickly. But most Kenyans I speak to have little faith that the root causes of the violence will ever be thoroughly examined. As one man who lost his house in last year's violence told me: "I don't think the Waki report will change anything. The government will just protect its own like they always do."
Given this apparent lack of faith in higher powers, how are communities themselves coping? Have they been able to move forward, to forgive and forget and to rebuild their lives and their homes? This is a hard question to answer, because you can visit two communities, only kilometers apart, and their situations are subtly different.
Standing in a field in Sikhendu, Trans Nzoia district, for example, there's no sign that it once housed hundreds of families chased out of their homes by angry mobs. The former camp's tents are long gone, the last of the rubbish has been collected, and local school children now play on the grass in between lessons.
At first glance, there are no IDPs (internally displaced people) left here. But after a few moments I'm approached by a small group of women who are living just outside the camp in cramped, rented accommodation. These are the 'invisible IDPs' - the camp may have been closed, but that doesn't mean they've gone home.
In fact many had no 'home' to go back to. They were squatters, working and living on other people's land in return for a salary and a small plot to farm themselves. Understandably they're reluctant to go back and work for communities that chased them away. But since they're no longer in a camp, they're not receiving government assistance.
"At first, we got jobs on farms here, but now the harvest is in and we have no work. Between now and April - the next farming season - it will be hard. We don't know what we will eat," says a spokeswoman for the group. "The government said we had to go home to get money, but it's better to be somewhere peaceful like this than in a place where there's food but the threat of being killed."
Just down the road in Gitwamba, there's nothing invisible about the IDP presence here. Their now-grubby white tents are still visible on the horizon long before you reach the village. More than 8,000 people remain living under canvas, almost twelve months after they first fled their homes, although most tell me they're desperate to move out and get on with their lives.
Families have been given 10 to 25,000 Shillings (about $130 to $325) compensation by the Kenyan Government, but this won't rebuild and furnish a complete family home. "I'm rebuilding my house but I ran out of money so it's not finished yet," says one elderly camp resident. "It's cold living in a tent and I want to be in my own place. I have forgiven the people who did this - it's money not fear that is stopping people going home."
Along the side of the camp, small businesses are starting to re-establish their trades. But it's not easy, having seen all of their stock burned along with their stores last December. Local farmers are also struggling to replace tools stolen by looters and to buy fertilizer to grow a healthy crop next year. Organizations like the International Rescue Committee have been supporting them to restart their livelihoods, but one year later, the need is still great. As one man admits: "I want to be independent again but I can't take care of my family. That makes me feel bad in my heart."
I've read articles criticizing the remaining camp residents as spongers, layabouts, people trying to extort the system. This seems an easy way to dismiss the IDP problem, to pretend it no longer exists and that things are back to normal. But there are still camps in Trans Nzoia with thousands of residents and overwhelmingly the people I meet are desperate to regain their independence. They don't want to be stuck in limbo for another year.
As one woman says: "People are hard working; they don't want to be refugees receiving handouts. They want to work with their hands and sweat, but they need to be given some means to do this." Just a small support now - maybe farming tools or fertilizer - would make a huge difference to people who lost everything.
All photographs and text by Joanne Offer.
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Nice and very objective artice on the current situation.
A heart wrenching story that of course will get no play in American media. I shamefully admit to being an insulated American not often exposed to this kind plight. I agree with others that we as a nation only care about what happens in an African country when there are whites (and American whites at that) involved. The greatest crime committed by America against all the poor regions of the world is our willingness to pay farmers to grow massive corn crops to be used as ethanol rather than share with the hungry and starving. Our government is paying the farmers so it wouldn't cost us anything more, but I guess we would rather feed it to our SUV's than to your children.
http://new
http://eng
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links to Ghana elections
Kenya can do it..Ghana has been democratic and peaceful in an otherwise turbulent region and they have one of the fastest economic growth in all of Africa....
Ghana boast a higher than average literacy rate and far higher inter-tribal marriage than most African countries.
You need to read more about Kenya not from MSM...
Weren't these mobs backers of Odinga? The man from the same tribe as Obama's father, who calls himself Obama's cousin, who Obama campaigned for and who has strong ties to Muslim extremists?
http://www
As an American who has lived in Kenya for the past 7 years I find the framing of the Obama/Odinga relationship and the conspiracy theories very entertaining and ridiculous. The Washington Times article is nonsense.
The violence was different from region to region. Kibaki and Odinga supporters and the police were responsible in various regions. Although the Kalenjin supported Odinga their violence had its roots in the elections of 1992 and 1997 and the historic political and land competition between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu. That violence was not new or unpredictable.
It was the perceived rigged election which set off the violence. The U.S. realized this and it was the Bush administration and Condoleezza Rice who forced Kibaki to share power with Odinga.
And Fox News's favorite anti-Obama pundit Dick Morris actually held a press conference with Odinga before the election saying he was going to be advising him. So do Dick and Fox also support a supporter of Muslim extremists? No! The MOU was an agreement with some influential mainstream Kenyan Muslim leaders and not sinister at all.
Oh and Kibaki and Obama's father were actually very good friends. Kibaki employed Obama's father back in the day. And Obama called Kibaki after the Nov. 4th election. Does that mean Obama helped rig the election too? To know more about Odinga, Kibaki, Kenya and Obama's relationships read the Kenyan press www.nation
I have to tell you all that Ghana is and has always been the most civilized African nation and just a couple of weeks ago a free and fair and an incident free elections were held which absolutely vindicates my claim. I have to say I was disappointed though in Huffington Post for not covering or even mentioning Ghana's election in this blog. I bet my bottom dollar though that had any violence or disturbances erupted over there as a consequence of the election a full front page coverage would have been given to it on this blog like those of Kenya, Nigeria and more recently Zimbabwe.
It is also fair to note that life has returned to a semblance of normal in most cities and rural places. I have relatives living in the villages and relatives and friends in the cities - things are much better. The international media however thrives on selling the most negative pictures they can find, they should interview all the new vendors now selling cell phones to help farmers in the villages communicate etc. There are churches like Nairobi Chapel that are sponsoring families at the IDP camps. I've followed the Waki Report on the election violence abit and the latest news today was that Kofi Annan urged leaders to act on the report instead of fighting/ ignoring it.
...I always find it interesting when President Barack Obama's election victory is cited as a "key" source/lesson for African politics and political arena in particular
...howso?.
...what are the similarities and/or parallels that could be drawn here?...
...be specific..
...the truth is, while there are -undoubtedly -invaluable lessons to be learned across the globe from President Barack Obama's extraordinary and historical presidential campaign..
...let's either compare apples with apples or at least, cite specific examples, instead of the whole "Africa should learn from President Barack Obama" meme, that has become just another new thing to say... without much thought or reasoning behind it...
.
Wanjiru,
Not only African leaders but world leaders have a lot to learn from PE Obama. I don't care what you say. I know why you thinking that way KiKu
Thanks for the pics and the update. You can still see th dignity and humanity in their faces.
As an African I found it ironic that the same Kenyans that were killing each other after their elections; are the same people that took to the streets in jubilation mode after Barack Obama won the presidency (USA). I hope that they should have been celebrating the outcome of their own election instead of killing each other.
There is a lot for Africans and other ethnic based voters to learn from the election of Obama. I hope that with this USA election this would be a catalyst for a peaceful vote like the one just concluded in Ghana with a run off. I guess Ghana has given us hope for future elections in Africa.
I don't condone that they resorted to attacking each other, but when an election is conducted fairly and the election is stolen from the one who won, bad things are bound to happen especially when history keeps repeating itself with stolen elections. As an African yourself, you should know that stolen elections are the order of the day for decades in Africa. Kudos to Ghana. Also, I believe Kenyan politicians insighted this violence.
Africa needs to resolve tribal differences and neo-colonial ties with host countries to achieve peace. Otherwise, I think Obama's election should be a lesson for the world not just Africa.
...I've always find it interesting when President Barack Obama's election victory is cited as a "key" source/lesson for African politics and political arena in particular
...howso?.
...what are the similarities and/or parallels that could be drawn here?...
...be specific..
...the truth is, while there are -undoubtedly -invaluable lessons to be learned across the globe from President Barack Obama's extraordinary and historical presidential campaign..
...let's either compare apples with apples or at least, cite specific examples, instead of the whole "Africa should learn from President Barack Obama" meme, that has become just another new thing to say. without much thought or reasoning behind it...
.
What are your solutions.
Why should indigenous pple be refugees in their own country...
Thank you for this update. My nephew went home to Eldama Ravine last December for Christmas and was stuck in the violence unable to get a visa to come back until late February.
Are there any organizations taking money donations or donations for farming tools, rice, etc. where we can send support?
There is a lot of different organization that does that.
farmafrica
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