(Notes were taken by Shalini, I’ve taken the liberty of categorizing them).
THE BAD NEWS
* Rain means the situation in the camps has badly deteriorated. Flooding leads to disease, there is nowhere to sleep, kids having to scoop water out of tents. Standards truly appalling. Who’s responsibility is the camps? Govt is standing by, and Red Cross doing much work, but is still patchy and accusations of partisanship are being loudly voiced.
* Concerns about partisan nature of aid by Red Cross. When Jamhuri Park was full of Kikuyu IDPs, aid was distributed very quickly. Now that other groups are there, Red Cross says there isn’t enough staff to cook food. When asked to provide unga etc for IDP’s to cook, they stalled. The National Alliance of Churches is now in there helping. In Tigoni, Luos were only provided with transport for themselves and had to leave all their possessions behind. Red Cross is saying it will only work in Govt approved camps. All camps in Rift Valley are approved, but camps in Central are full of others and have yet to be recognised by the Govt as camps, so supplies not going there. [For more on claims about bias in the treatment of IDPs, click here].
* MP’s raised political temperatures and are responsible for bringing them down. However there is evidence of hidden boardroom meetings, and continuous funding of violence by some MP’s. Any involved in this must be outed and anyone involved disqualified from any peace activities
* Bishop report from Bungoma – Kalenjin in the area are not just killing, but are mutilating their victims, cutting legs, arms, private parts, then beheading Luyha and Kikuyu. They are dying in painful de-humanised way. This is being funded by a parliamentarian, who is currently in the peace talks. Police are compromised. Up to today the area was cut off from Nairobi so couldn’t report on these atrocities. Army needs to come in to rescue and secure the area. Sitting MP’s are involved in elimination in the name of land defence. There is tangible evidence to support this. Community is also being instructed to continue violence using hand signals and sign language when these MPs appear on TV. Leaflets twice been dropped threatening clergy who have protected Kikuyus. Luyhas voted for ODM and are now being burned out by those they voted for. On other side of Mount Elgon in Uganda, all communities living happily together, so it possible to do same in Kenya!
PEACE EFFORTS
* Next meeting on Weds 13 Feb is to be on the published, signed agreements that came out of the Annan led peace negotiations. They are also attached. Please study them and come to the meeting with practical ways in which these promised can become enshrined and adhered to. Citizens must lead on this to ensure they don’t become spectators as these promises are broken.
* Retired General Humphrey Njoroge had 30 displaced people on his farm in Njoro. That has risen to 300 and he doesn’t have enough water in his borehole to cope. Asked if it was possible to provide a water tanker. Mike Eldon arranged for water, which should by now have arrived with them.
* On the farm, various military, aided by a few teachers are trying to school the children. There is a lot of concern countrywide about how kids are losing out on education in this crisis
* National Youth Violence Prevention Week is on 23Feb to 1 March. There will be a conference at KICC on 24.25 Feb with concerts, drummers, creative writing. A request has gone out for flowers to lay as a sign of peace, both in Uhuru park and at KICC
* CASAM organising a Valentine Peace March from Gatundu. They are also looking for flowers. They are meeting on Sunday with UN Human Rights and are collecting and encouraging IDP’s to share stories.
* Much strong feeling about MP’s and their role. They are due to be called back for a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday with Speaker of the House. While a few preach peace, citizens continue to be forced to move. Situation on the ground in their constituencies is not being addressed. When Uhuru went to speak to people, the violence did abate, so it is possible. Some MP’s are going to Central and Western in to help. Strong message needs to go to MP’s. Need to hear from them, they must actively involve themselves in ensuring diffusion of violence. Some want to work with CCP, because CCP has more credibility and less baggage than other organisations.
* A call for MP’s to give over their salaries for a month (since they are not working) has been re-issued. These can go towards helping those in need. Currently MP’s rushing for the CDF fund. They must be held to account for all their actions, including speeches inciting violence. Will we have a 10th parliament full of killers? MP’s have to stop what they helped to start.
* Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 12th at the Leadership Institute Centre at 5pm, next to Masaba hospital to air deeper issues that have arisen from this crisis, that people are afraid to talk about. There is so much bitterness and stories being reported to the DC’s that are far grimmer than is being reported at the CCP meetings. Need to go beyond the obvious and produce a document about all of it. Critical to stop this cycle of violence. Would like to tailor also for use in primary and secondary schools to help alleviate some of the mental damage that will result in long term detriment in Kenya.
* On 14th Feb there is a meeting at Mathare’s chief’s camp to see IDP’s to engage kids in fun day. Books, crayons, paper are needed for children and white roses to symbolise peace. Everyone leaving from One Stop near Railways next to Easy Coach, so meet there.
* Zones of peace model continues to be rolled out. PC’s involved along with religious, business, FM radio stations. In Mombasa leaflets used to good effect to restore peace and get looters to return goods. Also football screens set up for Africa Cup of Nations used to show clip from Rwanda and ask the question “do you want Kenya to go that way.” Big collaborative effort. Once PC here was told about it, it took 2 days to get everyone together, and a week to sort funding and begin helping. In slums they responded quickly as follows: role of police (e.g. - if they use violence to attain peace nothing has worked), issues between tenants and landlords, youth, employment. WFP now involved. UNDP also training 200 young people to promote peace.
* Important to realise that current calm is not peace. Real peace takes more action and MP’s, community leaders, inciters all need to be held accountable. Judiciary must be engaged. Vital that those who killed and who funded killing face the consequences of their activity.
* There was strong criticism of how pastors had prevented or criticised members of their congregation if they went to a different church or service. Likewise those clergy who only prayed for either PNU or ODM, politicising the church. Inter-religious group plan to change that. Church leaders now beginning to meet. They have been very separate and also played a role n the violence. They need to get together and apologise to each other and their congregations. Meetings of different bishops already being convened – currently Western and Central, and Rift Valley and Central.
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