The Other Victims of Kenya’s Post Election Violence

Rural Kenya has been out of focus in post election violence. Images tear gas, water canons and youth running from heavily armed general service units have commanded television screens and news coverage.

The thousands of Kenyans who are arriving from Eldoret and other places in the Rift Valley are now telling the story of what is happening in rural Kenya for the first time.

Those fortunate to have left Eldoret are telling harrowing stories upon arrival in Nairobi. In the meantime, bodies are lying in the smoking farms of Kikuyus, Kissis and Kambas.

This website tells the individual stories of Kenyans who have been evicted out of the Rift Valley and Eldoret in particular.

The stories in this website tell the outlines of what one of the interviewees Hon. Mutula Kilonzo says is evidence of massive crimes against humanity and genocide.

What is very worrying is that the ethnic cleansing happening in the Rift Valley is a repeat of from 1991 and 1992 in terms of geography and in victims. This means we are likely to see more of these in future unless the root causes are addressed. In cases such as Rwanda and Darfur, occasional violent flare ups were reported before major/catastrophic attacks.

Because of the trauma of these and prior similar incidents, some of the interviewees wanted to be anonymous although they are in Nairobi far away from Eldoret. They continue to fear for their lives.

These interviews show a consistent pattern of:

• Targeting the Kikuyu in particular but also the Kissi and Kamba for execution and evacuation from the Rift Valley and Eldoret in particular;
• Torching of Kikuyu owned homes and property including granaries with stored grain and other farm produce as well as their businesses, vehicles and other possessions
• The massive theft of Kikuyu livestock by droves of Kalenjin and Pokot warriors
• The incitement that preceded what is emerging to be a well planned strategy of ethnically cleansing the Rift Valley by the Kalenjin community in particular and targeting the Kikuyu
• That the ethnically charged violence had a political dimension to the extent that identification with ODM was regarded as something

These interviews also show that:

• That only those who can afford to charter airplanes or pay for air tickets managed to get out of Eldoret after spending sleepless nights in crowded churches
• That individuals and families who cannot afford the rare public transport available by road to Nakuru and other safe havens are still trapped in the very rural areas of Eldoret and their story is yet to be told or to come out
• That road blocks along all exits out of Eldoret town are making it extremely difficult to exit Eldoret
• That the perpetrators of the killings and evacuations openly harassed and jeered the grief stricken and terrified Kikuyus, Kamba and Kissi.
• Reports of hooligans demanding national identity cards which from the basis of identifying the victims’ ethnicity due to information contained in the IDs.

What Needs to be Done?

• Kenyans and the international community must not be bystanders to a genocide. The Jewish holocaust resulted in the principle of NEVER AGAIN, but since then several genocides have been occurred including in Rwanda and currently in Darfur, Sudan. Kenyans and the international community must prevent genocide from occurring. On standing by as genocide happens see http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200109/power-genocide/6
• Our national leaders must come out and visit areas like Eldoret and other places in the Rift Valley and condemn the descent into chaos, the ethnic cleansing of the Rift Valley
• International community must also get involved with investigation and the prosecution of those involved in incitement of this genocide
• Humanitarian assistance of those affected especially those living in fear. It is impossible to evacuate everyone in the Rift Valley. Hon Mutula Kilonzo has suggested what is needed is the equivalent of a Marshall plan to rebuild reconstruct the affected areas including the rebuilding of churches torched by arsonists
• Church leaders including Archibishop Nzimbi need to urgently speak to Hon. Raila  Odinga who is a baptized Anglican. Bishop John Njue needs to meet with President Kibaki as well. These church leaders should stress to their worshipers of the need to avoid revenge and retaliation and descent into further mayhem, chaos, cleansing and genocide. Hon Mutula Kilonzo confirms that Hon. Kalonzo has already met Bishop Yego of African Inland Church with whom he spoke about the need to create a political atmosphere for resolving this crisis.
• Political parties need to form an inter-parties consultative group to address the issues arising from this election like the tallying of the presidential ballots preferably with advice of religious leaders of all faiths. Any political agreement reached can then be given legislative or constitutional blessings once Parliament convenes. Thus the Attorney General’s recommendation on an inter-parties parliamentary group is to resolve the crisis welcome.
• Ethnic radio stations must desist from further inciting their listening populations who are fanning violence.
• Deal with systemic causes of the chaos of ethnic animosity and mistrust including constitutional review
• Deal with sub-system issues such as relooking at institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Kenya make the inter-parties parliamentary group (IPPG) part of the law and in fact go beyond IPPG.
• Begin to explore regional mechanisms e.g. Article 4(a) the Constitutive Act of the African Union has a right to intervene in a member state where there genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in international instruments.
• Begin using interventions that deal with the broken relationships and healing. Not necessarily focused on judicial (national or international) interventions or peacemaking driven by the political elite who is part of the problem e.g. using village elders to institute traditional justice mechanisms; encouraging community-based compensatory agreements.
• Match early warning with early action.
• Enact and Implement the National Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Policy.
• Find out ways of de-stigmatizing ethnicity so that politicians cannot use it to fan ethnic animosity.