Action Alerts

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

MPs Query Transfer of 135 Officers

Two ODM MPs have questioned the transfer of 135 police officers from Nyanza Province to other parts of the country.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802252167.html

Nakuru Mayoral Race Postponed

Mayoral elections in Nakuru municipal council were postponed Monday after PNU and ODM councillors failed to agree on the modalities of conducting the exercise.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802252152.html

Raila Demands Charge or Release for Arrested Politician

Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga has demanded the release or the prosecution of arrested Uasin Gishu politician Jackson Kibor.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802252133.html

Monday, February 25, 2008

Kenyan Crisis And the Neo-Liberal Fallacy

At the last African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Kenyan post-election violence came up for discussion amongst African foreign affairs ministers. But, they gave it a short shrift. The ministers preferred to await the presentation of the report by President Kuffuor of Ghana to the Assembly of Heads of States and Government before they can deliberate on the ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Kenya. Unfortunately, the Heads of States did not get to dwell much on the issue. But, former President of the African Union Commission, Professor Alpha Konare spoke passionately on the need for African leaders to take firm position on the Kenyan crisis. At the end African leaders restated confidence in the Kofi Annan panel of wise elders.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802251378.html

Displaced Have Nowhere to Go

More than 10,000 displaced people, who have moved to their “ancestral lands” in western Kenya to escape ethnic violence, face an uncertain future in what is, for many, a foreign country.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802251196.html

Kenya: No Mayor for Nairobi Yet As Candidates Tie in Poll

As widely expected, mayoral elections in Nairobi ended with no decisive winner and with one candidate forcibly taking over the mayor’s parlour.
AllAfrica News: Latest Monday, 25 February 2008 05:14 pm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802251816.html

Kenya peace talks reach impasse

Talks seeking an end to the turmoil in Kenya break down, as police say more than 1,500 people have died.
BBC News | World | Africa | UK Edition Monday, 25 February 2008 03:49 pm Africa
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7263359.stm

Kenya opposition calls for mass protest

Kenya’s opposition calls for mass rallies after negotiators admitted failing to resolve outstanding issues on power sharing
Guardian Unlimited World Latest Monday, 25 February 2008 04:38 pm Mark Tran kenya world newshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/25/kenya

Forensic investigations into post-election violence related deaths

Following the delayed and disputed release of the general elections results of 27th December 2007 there was wide speculation of rigging. This led to nationwide protests and an outbreak of violence seemingly driven by ethnicity and perceived political affiliation. This lawlessness provided an environment conducive to torture and gross human rights violations. The violence took the form of killings, rape, and arson acts, forceful evictions and internal displacement. It is estimated that over 1,000 people have been killed, over 400,000 internally displaced/ forcefully evicted, women and girls raped and property worth millions destroyed.

Most of the internally displaced people took refuge in police stations, churches and other safe havens but remain far removed from medical and psychological services, food, sanitation, and other essentials. Most of the perpetrators of these human rights violations are either still at large or there is insufficient evidence to sustain prosecutions against them. Due to the current political stalemate in the country the situation on the ground remains tense but hopeful.

The report of hundreds of deaths across the country has shocked the world. As investigations are being carried out, IMLU, as part of the technical working group on documentation and investigations of Kenyans for Peace, truth and Justice (KPTJ) set out to conduct forensic investigations and documentation into these deaths.

This report is a compilation of the findings of the post-mortem examinations carried out on sampled cases in key violent spots nationwide. It includes a comprehensive review of the autopsy findings and medico-legal inferences and opinions. Also captured are varied challenges and limitations encountered in this investigation and documentation process.  It attempts to show Kenyans and the world a representation of the magnitude and nature of the deaths occasioned by the continuing violence.

Forensicrep.pdf

A Letter to Njeri – a Kenyan Sister Who Received Death Threats After the Election

by Philo Ikonya
Dear Njeri,

Tonight, I am unable to sleep. You see, my country - our country - is on fire. It is almost the end of February: is it the end of Kenya as we knew it? Kenya beloved and full of potential. Kenya our country. I have only heard one positive report from the BBC ever since the year began and I am not surprised; what positive things can one say at the moment? That children are not dying? They are. That many people are not being killed? They are. That our mothers are not being raped and little girls defiled? They are. That you have and are not the only one to receive death threats? You have. That houses are not burning? They are. That we have not fought these things all along? We have.
http://www.thewip.net/contributors/2008/02/a_letter_to_njeri_a_kenyan_sis.html

poetical musings from madibaland

Who will talk for Kenyans in the negotiations

Wario Chege

Since the December 27th announcement of the disputed presidential elections, we have been held hostage in our own country. We all came out in large numbers to vote for a better and more prosperous Kenya for all. Sorry, for our kinsmen to the most. This was not to be and we are now at level zero and our votes no longer matter. The only thing that matters is which politician will get what, and how much he will get for his tribe and so forth. 

Whowilltalk.pdf

A short history of land settlements in the Rift Valley

Since the outbreak of post-election violence in the Rift Valley, there have been numerous reports in the local dailies claiming that the root cause of this conflict is ‘the land question’. Without exception, these reports fail to inform and educate precisely because of their misrepresentation of history. Given the scale and the urgency of the current crisis and its repeated association with the so-called ‘land question’ it is time for a complete unpacking of the history behind colonial and post-colonial settlement in the White Highlands. Only then will we determine with certainty whether land is at the centre of the ongoing systematic evictions in the Rift Valley.

Special Brief on Civil Society Responses to the Kenyan Crisis from the Kenya Human Rights Institute.

Kenya has rapidly descended into a state of near anarchy following the announcement of flawed presidential election results at the end of the December 27, 2007 General Election. The violence flared up following the December 30th declaration by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) that Mwai Kibaki, the Party of National Unity (PNU) presidential candidate, had won the presidential election amidst protests of irregularities by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of Raila Odinga. Reports by local and international election observation groups, human rights groups, the media and statements by the ECK itself suggest that the presidential election was fatally flawed. With Kenya teetering on the brink of chaos, the search for both domestic and international solutions to the crisis continues. However, armed groups as well as the police continue to perpetrate serious acts of violence and human rights violations.

This brief presents views shared by 15 human rights and governance specialists at the Kenya Human Rights Institute Roundtable Discussion on Civil Society Responses to the Kenyan Crisis held on February 1, 2008. The half-day forum discussion was organized under the Institute’s Peace and Security Program.

Special_Brief_-_Civil_Society_Responses_to_the_Kenyan_Crisis.pdf

News Roundup 25 February 2008

Taskforce to Assess Damage in Kisumu
A task force has been set up to evaluate the damage in Kisumu town, caused by the post-election violence.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250505.html

Rise And Fall of Country’s Democracy
Regarded as a beacon of hope and democracy, the world is struggling to come to terms with events in Kenya.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250504.html

Power Deal Must Cater for National Interests
Since the 1990s, Kenyans have yearned for a new constitutional order for people to participate and enhance human resource development.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250435.html

Nakuru Park Catches Fire
Lake Nakuru National Park was on verge of total destruction Friday as a wild fire, which broke out on Thursday, continued unabated for the second day.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250441.html

Kenya at Crossroads
THE Kenya government has agreed in principle to create a prime minister’s office, raising hopes for a government of national unity. Both sides are yet to agree on what powers it will hold.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250574.html

Group Warns of Looming Crisis
Chief mediator Kofi Annan should not let the Government and the Opposition postpone the tough details of a power-sharing agreement as this could see the country plunge into a fresh wave of violence, the International Crisis Group warns.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250444.html

Githongo - Corruption to Blame
Grand corruption could have played a key role in last year’s discredited General Election, a former anti-corruption czar has said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250506.html\

Athletes Threaten to Boycott National Duty
Kenyan athletes have threatened not to represent the country in any competition citing security concerns following allegations that they bankrolled ethnic clashes in the vast Rift Valley triggered by the disputed presidential election results.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250437.html

KENYA: Nowhere to go
Source: IRIN More than 10,000 displaced people, who have moved to their “ancestral lands” in western Kenya to escape ethnic violence, face an uncertain future in what is, for many, a foreign country.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/c4dfed2e3af07134e5aec0aaab80e4e8.htm

Kenya: Power Deal Must Cater for National Interests
Since the 1990s, Kenyans have yearned for a new constitutional order for people to participate and enhance human resource development.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250435.html

Kenya: Opposition Cries Foul as Passaris Axed
The much expected nomination of the Adopt-A-Light proprietor, Ms Esther Passaris, as a councillor in Nairobi was dealt a body blow when her name went missing from a list gazetted by Local Government minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250321.html

Kenya: Meeting of Kibaki With His Team Delays Annan Talks
President Kibaki held a meeting with the Government team of negotiators Friday morning, delaying mediation talks being chaired by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250328.html

News.Life In Displacement Camp In Kisumu
02/25/08
BY Jeff Otieno Kisumu City
Post election violence in Kenya has resulted into various problems among the most notable one is the internally displaced people who live in camps for fear of attacks from their aggressors.
Entrenched animosity seems to have taken centre stage among various communities who have co-existed for ages as brothers and sisters and [...]
http://www.publiceyesite.org/blog/?p=1836

Kenya: Whether We Like It Or Not, the U.S. Must Undo the Gordian Knot
In the third century, Greek and Persian empires shared the then known world and enjoyed complete duopoly of military and economic power.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250265.html

Kenya: This Insatiable Lust for Land Must End
As we engage in political acrobatics at the House of Peace with Mr Kofi Annan and his team, a few unscrupulous people are subverting the public interest.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250264.html

Kenya: There is No Such Thing as Reigns of State
A recent Nation piece urged President Kibaki to share “the reigns of state” with Raila Odinga. But - as the Shakespearean asks in King Henry IV Part I - “Can England brook a double reign” (between Harry Monmouth and Harry Hotspur)?
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250271.html

Kenya: Githongo Tells of Fights With Ministers
Former anti-corruption tsar John Githongo has talked of how he differed with Cabinet ministers appointed by President Kibaki on the best way to fight corruption when the Narc Government came to power.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250262.html

Kenya: Current Doublespeak Has a Vital Message for Citizens
Doublespeak is when one says what one does not mean and when one does not mean what one says. And silence can be doublespeak.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250269.html

Kenya Consults Kagame Over Power-Sharing Tips
President Kenya’s Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday met with President Paul Kagame as the East African nation continues to search for a solution to the post-election crisis there.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250151.html

Kenya - Odinga in Lagos, Gives Conditions for Peace
Kenya opposition leader, Raila Odinga yesterday said he was ready for a power sharing arrangement in the government of President Mwai Kibaki.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250153.html

Here’s How to Deal With the Feeling of Trauma After Post-Poll Violence
Since the December 27 elections, people all over the world have either read newspaper articles or watched images on television of Kenyans who have been brutalised, killed or displaced from their homes. Official estimates put the death toll at 1,000 and 400,000 displaced.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250090.html

Kenyan political foes resume crisis talks
Kenyan leaders were due on Monday to resume power-sharing talks to end the political crisis in the East African state that has sparked violence which has claimed more than 1 000 lives. The negotiations on a power-sharing deal have stalled on the term and powers of a would-be prime minister, a position that currently does not exist.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=333205&referrer=RSS

What a Prime Minister Might - And Might Not - Do
A fifth week of talks to end Kenya’s violent election dispute is scheduled to begin Monday, with the extent of power to be exercised by a new prime minister one of the key items on the agenda.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250002.html

Fresh Urgency as Talks Resume
The talks must now assume a serious sense of urgency and conclude a political settlement within this week, mediators were told on a day Party of National Unity (PNU) threw another tantrum over the ongoing mediation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250007.html

Fresh Dispute Over Prime Minister Deal
The Government and ODM Sunday differed over the number of concessions made so far in the talks aimed at ending the post-election political crisis.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802250009.html

For Kenya’s Human Rights Chairman, an Environment of Fear
Threats Shadow Critic of Election And Its Aftermath
It was a telephone call that drove home Maina Kiai’s worst nightmare.
Kiai, the head of Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights, had appeared on television during a dinner party in January in one of Nairobi’s wealthy neighborhoods. Since the disputed presidential elections the previous month, he had been denouncing rights violations by all factions in Kenya, highlighting in particular the government’s alleged meddling in the vote and police brutality.
“This man has a few more days to live,” a former government minister attending the party told the guests, according to a person who was there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022402050.html?nav=rss_world

Odinga Presses Obasanjo to Act on Kenya
Nigeria may have been urged to quietly join the efforts to return peace to Kenya.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802240001.html

About

This site has been established by Fahamu to provide regular Action Alerts. For further information, see Pambazuka News, the authoritative pan African electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa.

Monthly Archives

• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• Complete Archives

Most recent entries

• In Kenya, U.S. Added Action to Talk of Democracy
• Teams seek long-term solutions
• How Annan magic worked to seal Kibaki-Raila deal
• Leaders Welcome ODM-PNU Pact
• Kenya can turn corner in six months-Odinga
• Letter of Solidarity with the Women of Kenya from
• Agrement on the principles of partnership of the coalition government
• ACHPR Statement on Kenya violence
• Power-sharing deal reached in Kenya
• No transfers, rules varsity
• EU to act on those who stall mediation
• Kibaki’s coalition proposal over post dismissed
• Resettlement of Displaced Strains Families, Society
• “It Will Not Be Machetes and Arrows Any More, But Firearms”
• Annan Talks Shift to Raila And Kibaki

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