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Malesi's ReportReport of Activities Supported by the Release of
Malesi Kinaro for Peacemaking Work in Kenya in 2008.
By Malesi Kinaro
Introduction:
I take this opportunity to thank all my dear Friends who have supported me financially and through prayer in the last year 2008. Some of you know me personally while some have only heard or read about me. When I asked The AGLI coordinator to help raise funds to support my work as a released Friend I did not imagine what that would mean. Come December 2007 and Kenya became a country of violence of unprecedented intensity. I felt the connectedness that had been done in the spiritual realm to release me for peace work at this crucial moment in the history of Kenya. I was able to carry out and coordinate peace work through two organizations, Friends in Peace and Community Development (FPCD—AGLI’s partner in western Kenya) and Uzima Foundation. Throughout the year teams from these two organizations worked tirelessly to bring peace and reconciliation. Since the explosion of violence in December 2007 the culture of violence is slowly taking root in Kenya. It is like a genie has been released from a bottle. There is such a spirit of violence and anger that even the Kenyan president was shouted down at his speech on Independence Day. There is bottled up anger fuelled by a government that is out of touch with the population.
The peace efforts I plan to be involved in this year are the same as last year. At the same time I want to be more involved in advocacy that enables the citizens to non-violently seek accountability from the leaders. I realize more and more that just working at the grassroots is not enough. True, this changes the mindset of the population and eventually leads to a culture of peace. But as long as those in leadership continue to develop a culture of impunity for themselves and to care more for what they, from their positions of leadership, can acquire for themselves with no regard for what happens to the community, peace efforts can be futile.
January to March:
This was the most challenging time with the post election violence at its climax. I have written extensively about how I was involved in healing programs and will only give an overview here. The violence started when I was in Kakamega in December. By January five of us, who are members of the Friends in Peace and Community Development (FPCD) began humanitarian support to internally displaced people (IDPs) at the Kakamega prison. We gave food and other supplies, especially to children, at the time when the Red Cross was not yet in place and later we continued to supplement what the Red Cross was doing. We mobilized the digging of toilets at the camp and started listening to the hurting people. We also put together vulnerable youth and listened to them as they ventilated their anger. We had three such meetings in 3 weeks.
I left to go and start a similar program with Uzima youth in Nyamira, a Kisii area. Here I found a different challenge, that of coping with many IDPs and dealing with the ongoing tension between the Kisiis and the Kipsigis. We formed committees to look into the various issues. This later lead to intertribal dialogues that involved community leaders and government officials. Border committees were formed that included the vulnerable youth.While in this state we were called upon by the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) to debrief their staff in Kisumu who were finding it impossible to perform in the prevailing circumstances. [The staff included persons from all sides of the disputes that were taking place.] Four of us quickly set out to modify the AVP curriculum into a one day healing program. We carried out this task at a very challenging time in January and February.
I went to Nairobi on 10th February and started the listening workshops in Kibera; the large slum which experienced the worst violence in Nairobi. We carried out three listening workshops. I also took part in one AVP workshop for the community which was organized by the AVP Nairobi group. CDC Nairobi planned for a listening exercise for its staff in Nairobi and I co-facilitated in these workshops that took place over three days.
Miriam Were, my sister, was chosen to be on the Prominent Person’s Task Force by the Inter Religious Task Force to look into the post election violence and report back to them. However, she felt that I was more suited since it was about peace, justice and healing and so she offered me as her replacement. I ended up attending all meetings.
On 17th March Janet, Shamala and Getry went to Kitale to do a basic workshop for the Turkana and Pokot tribe people. I was unable to join them because of my involvement in the Inter-Religious Task Force. However I was able to join them for the second day of the workshop that took place from 20th to 23rd March.
Towards the end of March Rupert Watson of the Dispute Resolution Centre accompanied me to a two 2 day mediation workshop for District Officers, Chiefs, and other leaders. In total 32 leaders from the Kisii community and 30 from the Kipsigis community were trained. Many of you have received the detailed account that I wrote on this training. One of the requests was that we hold workshops for the youth. Our concentration in this area has been with the youth.
April:
The month started with me co-facilitating a basic AVP workshop for pastors from Nairobi Yearly Meeting. During this time I was also involved in the Ngong Road monthly meeting nominations as the chair. On 15th April the Quaker Peace Network-East Africa (QPN-EA) planning committee met at the Friends International Centre where we agreed on names of people to be invited and the format of the time table.
On April 16th I went back to Kisii/Kipsigis to carry out workshops with border committees consisting of youth. We held six one day workshops each with 20 participants – each including10 Kisii and 10 Kipsigis.
On 25th April I travelled to Kakamega where we held an FPCD Executive Committee meeting on the 26th. I spent 30th April at the Inter Religious Forum listening to researchers present their findings on the post election violence.
May:
On 5th May I flew to Kakamega and immediately joined the group planning for the QPN-EA gathering. These plans were finalized on 6th and I e-mailed the final time table and information to participants. The afternoon of the same day was spent in team building for the one day listening workshops planned for the 7th and 8th. On 7th Janet, Job and I travelled to Butere in Western Province where we met with eighteen boda-boda (bicycle taxi) drivers and two business women. The next morning we went to Busia for the same. On the 12th I met the executive of the umbrella boda-boda association. We stayed most of 13th in Lubao making sure all was ready for the QPN-EA.
From 14th -17th May we held our QPN-EA gathering at the Lubao Peace Centre. This brought together participants from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. On the 18th the Friends Church Peace Team held a debriefing meeting which I joined for the morning session. In the afternoon Shamala, Getry and I did our team building for a HROC basic workshop. We had never facilitated a basic HROC workshop before and so our preparation went on until late in the evening. Participants arrived the same evening from Turbo, Kisii, Kipsigis, Kakamega and Malava.
19th - 20th May the whole team agreed that since they were staying at the centre, we would start the workshop at 8:30 a.m. and go until 4:30 in the afternoon and then gather from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for an extra session. This enabled us to carry out the HROC workshop in two days instead of three.
June:
We convened the first AVP International Gathering planning committee on the 17th at Friends International Centre. The AGLI workcampers arrived on 24th June. On 26th we welcomed the workcampers, and then spent the evening team building for the AVP basic workshop for the workcamp team, which took place from 27th to 29th June. [Team building is when the AVP facilitators work together to plan how they will conduct the workshop and to “become” a team that works together as they lead the workshop.]
July:
I spent two weeks in Northern Kenya doing AVP workshops. From the 14th to 16th we carried out an advanced workshop for members from the Turkana and Pokot communities. These are two tribes that have fought for a long time over resources. From the 17th to 19th July we carried out a Training for Facilitators workshop mainly for the Turkana. From 23rd to 25th I attended a workshop on Transformative Mediation at the Lubao Peace Centre.
August:
In August we held a refresher course for all AVP facilitators in Nairobi. I was a keynote speaker at the Vokoli Yearly Meeting where I talked about the Quaker Peace Testimony.
Also in August, Uzima Foundation held Sports for Peace. I attended these beginning in Nairobi, then Nyanza and Western Provinces. In Nairobi we brought together youth in the Kibera slum where much violence was witnessed. We had carried out a lot of listening and AVP workshops in this area. Ten teams came together for a day of playing football (soccer) for both boys and girls. In Nyanza it was a joy to see Kisii and Kipsigis youth, both men and women, come together for football, volleyball, and track events. We felt that our peace efforts in this area had borne fruit by the fact that Kalenjin youth were able to travel safely in the Kisii interior for these games accompanied by their chiefs, a District Officer, and two councillors.
In Western Province the local Uzima youth groups were joined by youth from the Internally Displaced Camp and there was much joy as different teams won the various games.
September:
I was involved in two AVP workshops in Nairobi, one of which was a Training for Facilitators. The rest of the month was spent in preparation for the AVP International Gathering which took place from 15th to 20th September at Bishop Stam Pastoral Centre in Kakamega. Since FPCD was the local hosting organization we found ourselves extremely busy. Participants came from 22 countries globally and much useful sharing, learning, etc. took place. Immediately after this I was involved in an AVP basic workshop for police with three Gathering participants who had come from the USA. I immediately moved to Nakuru where we held a basic HROC workshop for members of the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities. This was the first contact between members of the two communities and it was very intense but healing. Follow up shows that the government and church leaders who attended this workshop are spearheading peace efforts in the community.
October to December:
I was grateful for a two week leave in October. Soon after I resumed duty I went to Kigoma, Tanzania where we carried out three AVP workshops – two advanced and one T4F [Training for Facilitators]. Job Sirai, an AVP facilitator, and I left for Tanzania on 16th November and came back on 3rd December. From 8th December I was co-facilitated a workshop on substance abuse sponsored by Uzima. From 11th I co-facilitated an AVP T4F workshop at the Friends International Centre and travelled to Sotik where I monitored Uzima sports that combined substance abuse and peace and reconciliation messages. It was again a time when I saw the impact of our peace efforts as Kisii and Kalenjin youth came together to play. The last game was on 23rd December and I was more than happy to break off for the Christmas and New Year festive seasons.
Summary:
Through my direct involvement
• 80 youth in Western Kenya have undergone the Listening workshops.
• 20 community members, 20 Uzima youth and 20 pastors have done the basic AVP workshop
• 120 youths in Kisii/Kipsigis have been exposed to the listening exercises while 62 leaders have done the mediation workshop.
• 20 people have done a basic HROC workshop and some have gone ahead and done the T4F training. From these new facilitators two basic HROC workshops have been held in Kisii/ Masaai/ Kipsigis areas for community leaders.
• 30 community members have done AVP at various levels in Nairobi
• 65 community members that included Muslim and Christian leaders have done AVP in Kigoma and Nguruka in Tanzania
• 20 members of the Turkana- Pokot communities have done advanced and T4F workshops
• 10 New Uzima youth groups have been formed in Kipsigis and 3 in Transmara for the Masaai. These have been involved in basic AVP workshops as well as sports for peace.
The Impact of the Peace Programs in which I am involved:
a) In Kakamega town the boda-boda taxi drivers immediately became advocates of
peace. They have since made lists of people to go through the one day workshop; lists that include all tribes.
b) Youth from different communities in Kibera have re-established their friendship and are planning and playing together as well as attending workshops together.
a) Kikuyu and youth from other tribes have come back and are working together in Uzima groups in Kibera.
b) Linkages have been established between Kipsigis and Kisii. The trained Chiefs mobilized vulnerable youth who then attended the one day listening workshops.
c) Two chiefs attended the HROC workshops and one attended a two-week T4F because they stated that the mediation workshop had helped them to understand many things and now they wanted to know even more to be more effective leaders.
d) One District Officer from Loret who attended the mediation workshop organized an education day where Kipsigis elders talked to Kipsigis youth about culture, including things that are taboo that had been done during the violence
e) The youth who took part have since organized ball games that have involved Kisiis and Kipsigis people.
Conclusion:
Much healing has taken place as a result of our efforts. However violence in Kenya is still very present and can erupt any minute. It is important that peace efforts continue at multiple levels. The HROC and Mediation programs are urgently needed since the government put in place a program to resettle people in their homes without creating any space for meaningful reconciliation. The global financial meltdown means that those who have supported us may not be able to continue do so. I appeal to any who are able to continue supporting this worthy cause in which I am actively involved. I am handing over the position of Uzima Executive Director at the end of January. This will release me to do more work with FPCD, the organization I founded.