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Kenya Reports

Report #69
October 23, 2008

AVP in Turkana

AVP ADVANCED AND TOT AT LODWAR, NORTH KENYA

Preamble

The area from Kitale to Lake Turkana is inhabited by Pokot and Turkana who are both pastoralists. The Turkana share an ancestry with the Luo and Teso while the Pokot are Kalenjin. They share boundaries with the Samburu, Karamojong of Uganda, Tobosa of Southern Sudan and Nerile of Ethiopia. Traditionally these tribes have been involved in cattle rustling. In recent years this has taken on a deadly form with the raids involving fire arms and causing heavy causalities. The whole area has become very insecure and dangerous.

It is in this context that Friends in Peace and Community Development (FPCD) asked African Great Lakes Initiatives (AGLI) for funds that would enable holding joint AVP workshops for Turkana and Pokot people. AGLI received a grant of US $5,000 from the Chace Fund of USA in 2006. It was not possible to hold these workshops in 2006 due to circumstances that included renewed fighting between the Turkana and Pokot.

Basic Workshops

In March 2008 FPCD was able to carry out two basic AVP workshops that brought together 20 participants from Turkana and 14 from Pokot. The two back-to-back workshops were facilitated by Getry Agizah, Joseph Shamala and Janet Ifedha. I joined them on the 2nd day of the second workshop. These workshops were held at Bishop Muge guest house, Kitale. They were the most expensive workshops FPCD has ever done due to transport costs. At these workshops it was agreed that, to save on costs and to take AVP closer to the communities, the advanced workshops would still be mixed but would be held within the communities, one in Turkana and one in Pokot. The TOT would be held in one of these areas. [TOT = Training of trainers]

Advanced and TOT Workshops

The logistics of organizing 2 advanced workshops were found to be cumbersome. We decided to hold a joint advanced workshop immediately followed by a TOT. This would make available trained facilitators within the communities within a short time. Our contact person John Lomuria was asked to work with his Pokot counterpart, Loupa, to identify a suitable venue. They sent word that Lodwar had been agreed upon as a secure area. The venue suggested originally, Koinuk, is at the border and would have been more convenient but it was felt that this place was not secure.

I left Nairobi on Saturday 13th July by Easy Coach. I was anxious because I did not have clarity about co-facilitators. Getry and Janet had funerals in their families while Shamala was occupied at his church. All the other experienced facilitators had workshops. As I travelled I kept praying that somebody would be found. I was overjoyed when Getry rang to say that Eunice Okwemba would be joining me. I had apprenticed Eunice in the advanced and TOT and I was happy to have time to facilitate with her. I told Janet to make sure Eunice set off by 5am since John Lomuria had made it clear that buses from Kitale leave by 8:30 a.m. Waiting for Eunice to arrive was a time of great anxiety. She eventually arrived at 9 a.m. Epainito, who had been ferrying me and Lomuria around, Went to wait for the matatu coming from Webuye so that Eunice was quickly delivered at the Lodwar bus station. We were able to buy stationery before the bus left at 10:30 a.m. We passed through the lush Kitale farms; the ride was beautiful. We marvelled at the very high Pokot hills as we got onto a very dangerous road. The tarmac had given way to potholes. In some places there was hardly a road. Big trucks got stuck and we had to leave the bus to walk as the driver negotiated around the trucks. Just before reaching Koinuk on the border of Pokot and Turkana the main arm of the right rear wheels broke.

People quickly disembarked and began walking with their hand luggage very fast. Lomuria told us that the place was very dangerous as Pokot warriors usually hid in the bushes and attacked people whether day or night. Fortunately for us we had moved with a World Food Programme truck which was heavily guarded. We walked the 2 or 3 kilometres enjoying the cool Weather under very beautiful trees that lined the road. We were able to enjoy the scenery of the Turkwel River and take photographs. People seemed very relieved to get to Koinuk. We stayed here for 3 hours waiting for another Eldoret express bus from Kitale. We were able to eat supper then I paid 100 shillings and was given a bed to rest. The bus came and we continued with the journey getting to Lodwar at close to 3 a.m.

Lodwar town was a blessing after so many hours in the wilderness. It has over 90 modern taxis. John took one and in no time We Were at the Nawoitorong Women's Conference Center. A beautiful place built by the local Maendeleo ya Wanawake association. It is build with stone but roofed with palm leaves. This makes it cool in this semi desert where temperatures easily reach 36 Celsius [96.8 F]. We found a mouth watering meal waiting for us. Just before we switched off to bed the Pokot participants arrived, close to 4 a.m.

Advanced Workshop

In the morning we made acquaintance with our Pokot participants during breakfast at the center. Lomuria came in his Peugeot 404 and we all packed in (the 2 of us, 6 Pokot participants and John) and off we went to Lodwar Friends Church. This is a modern building built with stone and roofed with iron sheets. The sheets are held in place by very strong steel rafters. The roof is high and the building has many windows. All this makes the church cool even on a hot day.

Day 0ne
We had 15 participants, 6 Pokot and 9 Turkana. The Pokot team had 1 young woman and 5 men, 4 pastors and the leader of the group, Loupa, a church elder. They were from 2 different churches. The Turkana group had 3 young women and 6 men. All Were from the Friends Church. One was a pastor, one the Turkana Mission secretary, Lomuria is the Turkana Mission Treasurer. 3 of the participants were from the Lodwar Friends Church while 6 from Kalkol Friends Mission station. The pastor, Simon, is in charge of the Kalkol Mission Station. The Pokot group gave apologies stating that the other participants were occupied and our invitation had been short. Many of the Lodwar participants seemed to have boycotted the workshop because of some behind the scene conflict that seemed to be a power thing. The pastor in charge of Lodwar did not even come to welcome us to the compound. He had done the basic AVP in Kitale but felt that he had not been involved enough in the arrangements. In all the 6 days We Were on the compound we only saw him from afar. The other reason seems to have been connected to sitting allowances. When Lomuria told the participants that we do not pay a sitting allowance many lost interest. So we missed 3 local participants. The village Presiding clerk later told us that he had been invited to another function and that was why he was absent.

The team we had for the 3 days was an exciting group. Participation was right on from the word go. The Pokot group had 2 participants who had not taken basic. It was too far to tell them to go back. One was a young woman from Kenyatta University. She got the concepts very fast. Even Strong Simon was right in by the second day. We agreed that we would invite them for basic workshops anytime this happened in Kitale. The adjective name with a gesture game brought a lot of laughter. The first day was hectic because role plays had not been handled in basic. Most of the conflict scenarios chosen had to do with animals. The idea of consensus was understood very fast and so choosing of the focus topic using a rolling consensus went pretty fast. The topics chosen were telling for they chose Fear and Stereotyping. We were told that after the basic workshop one Turkana man was heard to say "I had never seen a Pokot in my life and I was surprised that they are just human like us. I thought they were beasts with beastly physical features." This is why I felt that the choice of topics was a good one.

All of us had supper in town. This is the hotel that prepared teas and lunches which were then ferried to the church by Lomuria. The group from Kalkol was staying with church members in different locations to save on costs. When we got back to the center the singing began. These two tribes love singing. It was difficult to imagine that these were people who had arrived at 4 a.m. and woke up by 6 a.m. and had been active in the workshop the whole day. They sang Christian songs. The favourite that we all eventually learned was Kilenji Yesu Batimayo about Jesus and the blind Batimayo [Luganda for Bartimaeus]. They sang choruses in beautiful deep tones associated with the Kalenjin tribe where the melody harmonizes itself somewhere along the way. Eunice, who loves singing, found it difficult to come for team building, yet we had to choose the exercises that were relevant to the focus topics [for the next day's sessions]. After awhile we settled down to serious team building surrounded by the beautiful singing. We finished close to midnight; long after the singing had ended.

Day Two
Lomuria asked that we discuss the matter of sitting allowances because he was being pressured to say how much they would get. We gave a long explanation after which we told them to persevere and complete the advanced [workshop] so that those who felt they couldn't finish the workshop would not attend the TOT.

This was the most exciting day of all. We heard stories of real fear and anger. We then went on to the exercise in assertiveness. This topic is controversial in male dominated societies. I had found it very controversial in Kisii but not as it was here. We heard about the position of a woman in these cultures which is like that of a child. We heard how the woman has no say; she is expected to do what the husband says because she is not consulted in any decision. The husband only consults his brothers and their decision is final. I was just imagining that if we had facilitators from the North they would have become very upset and wondered why they were wasting their time bringing AVP here. Eunice and I Were simply amused, and I kept on chipping in to take the discussion a notch higher. For example, I told them how my Kisii husband behaves contrary to his upbringing and he prepares hot water and takes to the bathroom then makes supper as I bathe on days when I am very tired. Some almost jumped out of their skins. Some said that can never happen. All along we noticed divisions among themselves with some saying that women in their particular areas have a say in the wife her husband should marry. The climax was when one Pokot participant asked: "Do you people stay in your own homes or in your parent's home? I stay in my own home without my sisters and when my wife gives birth I wash the dirty stuff". Some jumped up clapping some wanted to roll on the floor overcome with laughter and a neighbour wanted to "eat him alive" saying that he was telling people lies and "spoiling their name".

What I realized is that these pastors were mainly talking about what their culture dictates and not what they actually do. In a way they seemed to have needed validation because as days went on we got to learn that they help their wives with household chores. They are breaking away from the norm and giving their wives a say in family matters. If we had seemed to impose our values on them they would have resisted but because we allowed a healthy discussion with very little interference much was gained. We saw this when we went to Kalkol and found that pastor Simon had a wife that was very much part of the leadership team, leading beautiful praise and worship choruses. Lomuria, who is a very development conscious man, told us how his mother is like a god to him. We could see that he too had a very open relationship with his wife.

Day Three
The exercises on dots and masks brought out the whole idea of stereotyping and We Were able to discuss the Turkana-Pokot conflict and all wanted to be involved in peace making to bring the communities together. We were sad to say kwaheri [farewell] to our Pokot participants after supper that day.

Training of Trainers Workshop

A Week before this workshop I had been a co-facilitator at a facilitator's refresher workshop in Nairobi. I believe that this helped me greatly when facilitating this workshop because I wanted to help the trainees to avoid some of the wrong habits and misconceptions we had dealt with. By this time Shamala had joined us and so We Were able to give in-depth attention the participants.

Day One and Two.
The morning of day one was spent going through the topics very slowly and allowing a lot of questions. In the afternoon we divided the groups in two and spent a lot of time planning. We realized quite early on that concepts had been understood superficially. When it came to passing on these concepts they just got scared. Planning continued into the next morning up to break time. The rehearsals therefore went much better than is the case in most workshops. These people wanted to understand and be clear before they would dare facilitate. We had the normal mishaps that brought much laughter but on the whole these two days were intense and serious. I was happy to relax a little since Shamala and Eunice were handling the two teams

Day Three
Once more we took a lot of time in talking about role plays. One of the most criticized exercises at the Nairobi meeting was role plays so, Shamala and I, who had been at the Nairobi meeting, used this chance to deepen knowledge before any performance.

The day ended with a lot of joy because certificates had at long last arrived. The closing was done by the village presiding clerk who regretted not attending. Eunice and I, plus the team from Kalkol, packed in Lomuria's Express (IKAATO) and set off to Kalkol. Shamala had to rush back to Kakamega so he did not come with us.

Kalkol Friends Mission

The road to Kalkol is smooth with no pot holes. We passed the road to Kakuma and Lokichoggio. A sign post at the same junction read JUBA 545 Kilometres. So we knew for sure that we were pretty close to Sudan.

The Mission station is a place with sand even more expansive than Lodwar. We stayed outside the guesthouse while Pastor Simon and his family cleaned the dust. Kalkol has sandstorms that can be very disturbing. We eventually got into this beautiful Friends guesthouse and even climbed a ladder to the roof to enjoy the scenery. Lake Turkana could be seen in the horizon with people carrying a lot of fish. We could see the two- storied Friends children's home, the Polytechnic, the church, and the pastor's house.

We went to the market for supper and walked back through the sand. I wanted to remove my shoes and just enjoy the feel of the sand but I was aware of the poisonous "mathenge' tree thorns. Earlier Lomuria had gone to fetch water but the vehicle got stuck in the sand. The jerry cans were carried by some young men and the car was packed at the children's home.

Early in the morning we were driven to Lake Turkana and enjoyed walking in the water close to the shore. Ethiopia was now very close to us from here. We hurried back to have tea at the market and be in time for church.

The church service was very moving. They sing to the beat of drums as people do in Burundi and Rwanda. They sing beautifully with many different choir groups. It really reminded me of services in Burundi. The preacher was a woman evangelist and she was very powerful. I felt a very powerful spiritual stirring at this church service. I noticed that the women came in their traditional clothes complete with a neck full of beads. I realized the missionaries who came here had moved far from the ones who came to my home. In 1992 women were told that beads were a sin. They had to remove the beautiful rows of beads around the waist that was a sign of beauty. The Spirit of God can move among people even if they wear Shukas [colorful blankets] and have beads. We joined in a song we had learned at the workshop: Kelipitia Yesu, kiboikin lotaia (I ask you Jesus to come into my heart); sung with a lot of feeling.

We left Kalkol soon after church and came straight to Lodwar. Following a very relaxed lunch we went to buy mats, baskets, hats. I bought a traditional stool and walking stick for my son Bantu who likes to dress like a Masai. It is after I bought it that I realized it was a lethal weapon that can kill in many ways because of the way it has been fashioned. A woman is not allowed to carry this stick but I had to take it to the bus and by this time we were dressed like tourists in preparation for the long journey back. There was much interest as I walked with the stick. People kept calling me to come buy some more from them while others were just amused.

Conclusion

This was a most exciting and adventurous time. I had never gone beyond Kitale and I had heard so much about Turkana. I felt very happy that at long last AVP had indeed arrived in Turkana. It had been a long journey. Turkana is a challenging place to be. The rains can go for years before falling. When they do come they can be so heavy that the place floods. There was not a single blade of grass anywhere yet somehow there are many goats that look very healthy and with shiny skins. Early one morning I went to observe a herd to see if indeed they ate sand as I had been told. I found that they sieve through the sand for any vegetation, fruits, etc. to eat. People here depend on relief food because they cannot grow any food.

As if the weather conditions are not enough, these people live in absolute fear. Imminent attack is a reality. The Turkana say that the Moi government disarmed them but left the Pokot with arms. The attacks are lethal as was proved when Pokot warriors attacked Turkana herdsmen taking over 1,000 cattle and shooting dead over 60 people including children. This was barely two weeks after we left. Shamala, who had been doing AVP workshops in Samburu, had come with a report -- which was also in the papers -- that the Pokot had raided a home in the area of the workshop and taken 400 cattle belonging to one family. One participant came to the workshop armed. The question that we are persistently asked here is how one can remain unarmed and be non-violent when they must defend themselves since the government does not seem to care?

In many ways these are people who are one with nature. Somebody shows you their home and all you see are a few sticks covered with palm leaves, not even a proper manyatta. The men generally sleep outside. In some families everybody sleeps outside with the only cover being the mosquito net. I kept wondering if it is so wrong to give a small allowance for those who come to workshops because the life here is just SO DIFFICULT.

It is my prayer that the local pastor of Lodwar church will be more cooperative. Meals could have been cooked at the church cutting costs tremendously. He can then sort out a misunderstanding locally. It looked so unfriendly for him not to even welcome fellow pastors from Pokot.

I look forward to going back to Lodwar and Kalkol in October if AGLI will have raised the funds. I suggest that the Pokots be invited to join others who may be doing a TOT at the Friends Peace Center Lubao

Recommendations

1. AVP is a much needed tool in this area. There is need to take AVP to Turkana, Pokot, Samburu, and Marakwet. FPCD/AGLI must look for partners who will give funds to enable this effort to be done intensely. Most of those we trained had attended many Peace Workshops but to quote Loupa: "This is a very different kind of workshop unlike any I have attended and I have attended workshops all over the world. The difference here is that your values, your reactions as an individual, are challenged. If many people are exposed to this workshop the change will be big."
2. The Friends guesthouse has 5 beds. 4 of these have sagging springs. It would not cost much to put a strong wire mesh on the 4 as has been done on the one. It would be helpful to have gas and a cooker here, if not, at least a small one- burner meko for those who will go to apprentice. This will make cooking easier and journeys to the market for meals unnecessary.
3. We should join those who are putting pressure on the government to tamarack the Kitale -Lodwar road and the Lodwar town itself since it is an important town serving a large area.
4. We must join those who are pressurizing the government to make more secure arrangements as these people have been left to their fate!!

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