Finding Refuge and Hope in Kenya

By Debbie DeVoe

NAIROBI, Kenya — One family had time to grab a mattress. Another was able to also pack up their chairs and beds. And some ran with nothing more than what they were wearing when the mobs arrived at their doorsteps.

In a shock to both residents and the world at large, the usually peaceful nation of Kenya erupted into violence after a disputed presidential election held December 27, 2007. Following three days of politically charged vote tallying, the electoral commission announced that incumbent President Mwai Kibaki had narrowly defeated challenger Raila Odinga. Immediate allegations of rigging led to protests that quickly turned into riots and looting sprees across Nairobi and opposition strongholds.

"Since the election, an estimated 1,000 people have been killed and around 300,000 Kenyans are currently displaced from their homes," explains Ken MacLean, Catholic Relief Services' country representative for Kenya. "We are working closely with affected dioceses to ensure displaced families have sufficient food, bedding, shelter, and basic items such as soap and cooking materials."

'Leave Now or Die'

Tension across Kenya had been building in the months leading up to the election. Kibaki comes from Kenya's largest tribe, the Kikuyu, while Odinga is a member of the third-largest tribe, the Luo. Historical conflicts over land ownership and perceived economic injustices played a central role in election campaigns, setting the stage for subsequent violence.

In mixed communities, residents who typically live together peacefully rose up against each other — with frustration over the election results fanning age-old fires. Seeking safety, thousands of Kenyans in volatile areas poured into churches, schools and police compounds.

More than 8,000 came to the grounds of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the largest of 23 sites where people sought refuge in the town of Eldoret. Time after time, people shared the same tale of terror: An angry mob came to their house and gave them anywhere from a minute to 24 hours to leave their property, otherwise they would be killed. The mobs returned later to loot and burn the homes.

"Many people in western Kenya are using the election violence to drive people from their land, taking advantage of the unrest to win the latest battle in longstanding conflicts over land," notes Dane Fredenburg, deputy director of CRS' emergency response team. "Even after the political crisis is resolved, Kenya will need to address deep underlying problems of economic disparity and landownership."

Of first concern was the displaced families' immediate needs, which were met with fast assistance by the Kenya Red Cross Society, cash donations by international aid agencies including CRS, and generous donations by local parishes, stores, and businesses. Now people are being encouraged to move to larger, consolidated locations to receive longer-term services.

At three of these sites in Eldoret and Kitale, CRS has delivered thousands of blankets, mosquito nets, water cans and plastic sheets for distribution by the Kenya Red Cross. Purchase of these essential items was funded primarily by a $250,000 donation from Latter-day Saint Charities, a humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CRS is also helping to construct water systems and temporary latrines in the sites.

Hope for Peace

The ongoing unrest has caused considerable economic disruption. Thousands of people have been unable to work. Road closures and insecurity have restricted movement of goods, and the cost of staples and gas has risen accordingly.

A break in violence, however, has led to a drop in the number of people needing temporary shelter. Many families have now moved in with neighbors or relatives, while scores of others have left crisis areas to return to their traditional homelands elsewhere in the country. Wherever displaced Kenyans are now living, however, they will need long-term assistance to eventually return to their former communities.

"When you talk to people, they all say they want to go back home and continue farming, but they can't due to a lack of security," Fredenburg adds. "Many families were able to take stores of grain with them, but to have enough food throughout the year, they need to start preparing fields soon in order to plant seeds before the March rains."

Having already assisted more than 40,000 people, CRS is currently developing longer-term response plans with affected dioceses, Caritas Kenya and the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Using a $2.8-million funding commitment from OFDA, CRS and partner agencies will implement emergency response, protection, peacebuilding and humanitarian coordination activities over the next nine months that will help more than 190,000 people affected by the violence.

CRS is also supporting the peace and reconciliation efforts of the Kenya Episcopal Conference by helping to fund meetings to foster interfaith dialogue. During the initial days of unrest, CRS paid to publish in local newspapers letters from the conference and the pope appealing for peace across Kenya.

Fortunately, the majority of Kenyans are remaining peaceful, and many are speaking out to urge fellow citizens to care for each other until the crisis can be resolved. Fredenburg shared how on a recent tour of Bungoma, Bishop Norman King'oo Wambua came across a young primary-school teacher and his children. The teacher recounted how, in a moment of weakness, he snatched his elderly neighbor's cattle while other community members were looting the rest of the property. When he brought the cattle home, his children told him that the cows were not his but "Grandpa's," their nickname for the old man.

Ashamed and remorseful, the teacher now wants to return the herd but can't because the neighbor has fled. The bishop replied, "Get a message to him — and care for the cows until Grandpa can return."

Debbie DeVoe is CRS' regional information officer in East Africa based in Nairobi.