Political Crisis in Kenya

The violence in Kenya that followed the December election has left hundreds dead, and the UN estimates around 250,000 have been forced from their homes. Many others are sheltering in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water.

Kenya has a highly developed network of local civil society groups which have quickly launched a range of relief and peacemaking initiatives. Oxfam staff are working in coalition with national and international organisations, as well as church groups and cultural figures, all pushing for a peaceful solution to this crisis, independent of any party political affiliation.

The announcement of the presidential election results is not the root cause of the current conflict in Kenya , but rather the elections served as a trigger to a conflict that was simmering. The widespread violence can be attributed to many unresolved and underlying causes. These include: inequitable distribution of resources, marginalization at multiple levels (including the marginalization of the youth and women), political assassinations, ethnic incitements and massacres, ethno-political conspiracies and divisions, high levels of poverty, human rights violations, limited access to justice due to the ineffective justice system, high levels of corruption and its linkages with political power and impunity, and the huge gap between the economic groups in Kenyan society. These issues must be resolved if lasting peace is to be found.

Oxfam Ireland is accepting donations for Kenya. All Funds raised will provide vital public health promotion in the temporary camps where displaced Kenyans have gathered in the town of Eldoret.

Update: February 2008 - Oxfam's response

• Oxfam Ireland is donating €31,500/£23,531 to a programme of Emergency Public Health Promotion to support up to 30,000 Internally Displaced Persons in Eldoret and surrounding areas. Oxfam is working in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society to avert potential disease outbreaks for camp residents and the host population. Oxfam will be training local health promoters to educate people about the importance of hand washing, as well as making sure drinking water is kept clean and faeces safely disposed of.
• Oxfam Ireland is also contributing €72,109/£53,865 to post election peace building and conflict transformation in Kenya by supporting the recently formed Election Violence Response Initiative (EVRI) network. This is a network of civil society groups, national and private sector bodies and international development organisations working together to develop local level peacebuilding initiatives. The media plays a critical role in a complex emergency such as the one that has emerged in Kenya. It can inflame tensions or it can be used to set the scene for transformation and peacebuilding. There is a clear journalistic responsibility to ensure that information is shared; however, the market tends to demand more bad news than good. The EVRI network's media committee is dedicated to ensuring that coverage is accurate, balanced and not inciting more violence. Oxfam Ireland 's donation will enhance their capacity, both in terms of personnel and budget, to ensure that the potential of the media in transforming the conflict is realised.
• At the grass roots level, Oxfam staff are carrying out community reconciliation efforts. Oxfam's Peace and Reconciliation Officer Daniel Kiptugen is leading peace building initiatives in Eldoret. While much of the violence has fallen along ethnic lines, Daniel and other staff say it is as much about extreme poverty and inequality as it is about tribal identity.

Oxfam Ireland is accepting donations for Kenya. All funds raised will provide vital public health promotion in the temporary camps where displaced Kenyans have gathered in the town of Eldoret.

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