Link to my Editorial in the Daily Cal:
http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=100641
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I wrote this on January 26th, in response to my friend Owen, who had just relayed a message from one of his Luhya friends in Lake Victoria area. The message reported that Kalenjins were attacking Luhyas on their farms in Rift Valley- despite the fact that the Luhya split their vote in the election, with the larger share going to ODM.
My response:
This is very interesting. One "thesis" I've emerged with, after
spending time in Eldoret, Nairobi, and Mombasa, is that the violence
and riots are actually being fueled by very different long-standing
grievances in four distinct areas of the country. These issues that
were merely ignited by the electoral fraud, rather than being caused by
it. Owen, your friend seems to give credence to this.
In Rift Valley, every Kalenjin you talk to can tell you
stories about how the Kikuyus, and others, "stole" their land, during
Kenyatta's tenure- echoing the themes of the 92 clashes. So it somewhat
confirms my suspicion, to hear that they have turned on the other
tribes (eg Luo, Luhya...) as well. It is really a land war there, not
so much political. Crowds do not confront the police in Eldoret-
instead attacking isolated farms, and setting up roadblocks to ensure
the ethnicity of people entering and leaving an area. This conflict in
Rift Valley actually has some very disturbing parallels to Rwanda,
where you saw Bantu v Nilote ethnic violence, though perpetrated by the
Bantus in Rwanda, and the Nilotes in Kenya. Of course, there are even
closer parallels to the 92 clashes, where Luos and Luhyas were targeted
by the Kaleos along with Kikuyus from the beginning.
The main things that I think will hold Kenya/Rift Valley back
from turning into another Rwanda are the lack of a complicit
government, and a less dense population. Have you read the statistics
on population density before the Rwanda genocide? Before the genocide,
the country had a density greater than England, approaching the
Netherlands- one-seventh of an acre of arable land per person. One can
easily imagine how a land war starts in such an environment. Another
disturbing parallel between this violence and Kenya 92- in both cases
the government called for the closing of the camps long before it was
safe for the citizens to return home (happening right now, this time).
This was a surprise to me, as I thought that the Kikuyus in government
would protect their tribesmen. I consider this further proof that
"tribalism" is a poor catch-all for the problems of Kenya.
As compared to the motivations for violence in Rift, the
people in Nairobi don't care a bit for land, but are instead fighting
about being ignored and shunned by the previous government. Poverty is
the underlying issue here. Raila's platform was targeted at these
people, and they are deeply suspicious of Kibaki's government. I would
like to know if there is much Kalenjin v Luo fighting in Kibera- I
doubt it. I think there is also a personal-loyalty factor operating in
Kibara, as Raila is MP for a chunk of it, and there are lots of Luos in
the slum. The Nairobi criminal element is also a major factor, as
Kibera is unique it in that it is the only area where there already
existed rival ethnic gangs.
The violence in Mombasa is almost entirely being perpetrated
by police, on crowds of Muslims. Though there was some looting in the
first few days, there is very little anymore. The Muslims seem to be
better organized, and more political. I'd be curious to see how Luos in
Mombasa are reacting- do they go to the rallies? It was not safe for me
to answer this question myself when I was there. However, from what I
saw, most of the problems were instigated by Muslims engaged in civil
disobedience, such as sitting in the street or traffic circles, and the
police over-reacting. The mosques are a good place to organize
political events, and it must scare the police to see large groups of
angry, well-organized young men. In Mombasa the violence has largely
been contained in the city center since the first week after the
announcement.
In Nyanza, as I understand it since I didn't visit, a lot of
the killing is being perpetrated by the police, while the citizens are
engaged in property crime. Kisumu was the only place the media reported
where the police were using live bullets on the night of the election.
I would liken the problems there to the LA riots in April 92, a
situation where people are so angry and frustrated that they are
burning their own city. Of course, the personal loyalty factor has got
to be the strongest here, Odinga's home. I think this sentiment is fed
by the trials of his father, the fact that Jaramogi was never
president, largely due to Kikuyu domination of politics. There is minor
violence in other parts of the country, for instance, Kikuyu gangs in
Naivasha and Central targetting Luos and Kalenjins in retaliatory
attacks. However, I think these are mostly reactionary, in that if the
other violence was not happening, no one would be fighting in these
areas.
I don't know enough about the ethnic composition of Busia, or
its history, but I would be curious to learn more about what is going
on there, and who is perpetrating and who is targetted in the
violence. Clearly Kikuyus are being unjustly singled out for their
support of Kibaki all over the country. However, I was under the
impression that Busia was largely Luhya and Teso land, neither of which
took extreme positions in the election. Is there a significant Luo or
Kalenjin population in Busia?
One thing I would almost certainly agree with: the casualties
are higher than the 500 number that is being thrown around by the
government. Now that they are trying to close the camps, I think it is
obvious that they would like to cover up the problems, as much as
possible. These people are really interested only in their own power,
and in tribalism only in that loyalty and votes flow along tribal
lines.
Another (final) interesting point: it is amazing how many
politicians have "switched sides," so to speak. George Saitoti, for
example, was probably the most prominent politician to openly incite
violence in 92, putting him and his Masaai tribesmen on the same side
as Moi's Kalenjins. This time he is a Kibaki loyalist, siding with the
Kikuyus against the Kalenjins. (He is also one of the few MPs that
people say was rigged in.) Attorney General Amos Wako is another
example, having gone from stonewalling the media for Moi's benefit in
92, to offering political and legal cover for Kibaki in 08. Of course,
the biggest defection is Moi's support for Kibaki. One of the few
things that people on both sides of the political spectrum in Kenya can
agree on, is how much they dislike Moi. Most Kalenjins I talked to
about it said they thought he was a very bad leader by the end of his
term. None of his three sons won their MP elections, and people burned
Moi's farms in Kalenjin areas after the election this year.
My last in-country post, from January 13, came just as the opposition was calling for another round of protests, which touched off further violence, in which several dozen people died. My last full day in Mombasa (January 17) we arrived at the city center at 9:30 in the morning, to the taste of tear gas. Even though it had been released several blocks away, it stung like hell. We got in the matatu and headed back the nice suburb of Nyali, where we had been staying for the last few days, feeling a little guilty that we had the option of escape.
I am (probably) going to discontinue updating this site, since I do not have any news to report that you can't find in the Standard.
http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143980732&cid=4
Also, I've finally been able to upload a decent selection of pics, linked above, to the left.
January 13, 2008
Updating an internet page got much worse when I moved to Nairobi, and now Mombasa. Reading the Standard and the Nation daily have been my main sources of news (rather than witnessing it myself.) The country has mostly returned to peace, though most people you talk to are still angry about what happened. I'll try to post links to stories in the next few days. It seems like the country has entered a political stalemate that will take a long time to resolve itself.
January 7, 2008
The last few days, things in Eldoret have returned to "normal," or at least, the new normal.
The convoys carrying displaced people to Nairobi can now been seen leaving every few hours, and the military/police make up only a few of the vehicles in each. The convoys are now more orderly. Public transportation has been employed, and only a fraction of the vehicles in this morning's convoy were overloaded trucks or lorries packed to capacity with people. Two days ago, Irene's brother made the drive from Kitale to Nairobi, mostly without incident. He started on some backroads, thinking that roadblocks would be mostly found on the main road, but found the opposite to be true. We are going to try to make the trip today, if we can find transport in town.
Heading the other way on the road are lorries, full of foodstuffs and other supplies. Although we have heard reports of aid reaching Eldoret, and other parts of Kenya over the last few days, it seems that much of the "relief" is being supplied by private business. As such, the status of the general population has stabilized, but the displaced people remain in need of help- they cannot afford to buy the supplies they need, even if the stores have them in stock.
According to the news, most of the problems in the country are now confined to the camps and slums in Nairobi. The violence has largely receded, due to the combination of increased police/military vigilance, and political stalemate. Everywhere you go people are talking about the election, and no one feels the violence is very far from returning. Every conversation I've had with "random" Kenyans (eg the guy wearing an Oakland A's hat in line for petrol at the gas station, the lifeguard at the local pool, a doctor at the sports club in town) mentions this fact- without a satisfying political solution it is only a matter of time before something disturbs the calm. However, my sense is that people regard the new situation as a return, in spirit, to the days of Moi's rule- a corrupt, illegitimate government is in power, but it is not so corrupt or ineffective that it is worth sacrificing the many thousands of lives it would take to remove it.
Finally, I have decided to make this my last update, barring a change in the situation. I feel I have very little to add that is not in the international news, or in the Standard- also, we are so bored here on this farm after ten days, I can't imagine these updates are not getting boring. If you are distressed at this news, or have specific question you would like me to answer, you can write me and I'll keep you updated. I'll continue to update my webpage devoted to the elections. There is a chance something will happen in Nairobi tomorrow, as the opposition has scheduled yet another rally. No one showed up for the the last rally, as the police have been very effective at tear gassing the crowd into submission before they can make it to the designated meeting point. Nevertheless, if I do get a chance to (safely) witness something that does not make the news, I'll let you all know.
Thank you for caring. It is very sad to see people put so much hope and energy in the democratic process, only to have their dreams of a better life snatched from them by a few people unwilling to give up power. Hopefully some solution will be found, though I am coming to realize that happy ending are not so common in Africa.
January 4, 2008- Midday
We've just returned from Eldoret. Business is slowly returning to normal, though the supermarkets are out of many foodstuffs, and still locking the doors in between metering people's entrance into the store. There is another convoy getting ready to go, and looks like it will have several thousand people in it. My hosts tell me that a few Kikuyu business owners appear to be staying, but all of their friends in that community are leaving. We had great difficulty purchasing petrol, as only half the stations are open, one pump at each, and they only wanted to sell gas to the people trying to leave town.
Also, the rescheduled rally in Nairobi today didn't go off. It seems people are getting tired of tear gas.
January 4, 2008- Morning
Calm prevails in the town of Eldoret, thanks in large part to the arrival of the military two days ago. Previously, the increased police force of 85 was overwhelmed, and unable to protect anyone outside the ten thousand or so displaced people camped in their station, and a quarter mile down the road, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, a large Catholic church with a mixed Kikuyu-Kalenjin congregation. We went to town last night and found a different mood from the other day: angry youth and fearful refugees replaced with lazy, confident military men, and looks of despondency and resignation in the citizenry. At 5 pm all the stores were closed (except the same Kikuyu businessman, still selling inflated phone credit across the street from the police station.) The feeling is that things may be this way for a long time to come- no resolution to the political crisis is in sight.
This morning we woke up to a huge convoy of displaced people slowly flowing past our farm, on the main road out of town towards Nakuru, and Nairobi. The road is not safe to travel, but military and police vehicles make up every sixth to eighth vehicle. In between, lorries, matatus and light trucks, filled to capacity with people crawl along at 30 km/hr. Yesterday a convoy of 10 vehicles left town for Nairobi, and must have made it safely, as this convoy had well over 100 vehicles.
This does not bode well for a quick end to the crisis. I'm not sure that these people could have returned to their homes, the few that were not burned, but the end result of moving these people to Nairobi is to sanction the ethnic cleansing started the night of the election. This implies to me that the government intends to dig in. I'm not sure how the term ethnic cleansing applies here- the government is (perceived by most) to represent the Kikuyus before all other tribes, and most definitions of ethnic cleansing involve the government-sponsored persecution of one ethnic group. However, Eldoret will be free of Kikuyus when this is done. One of the main objections to Kibaki's first-term policies was the disproportionate infrastructure investment in the Kikuyu regions. With the Kikuyus moved out of Rift Valley and the west of the country, this trend is bound to continue.
Besides that, the news stations reported on the aborted protest in Nairobi all day yesterday. Although I support the opposition's attempts to address the electoral fraud, I was relieved when they cancelled the protest, as it seemed like trouble to call together a million people in town center. If the politicians had lost control of the mob, the resulting violence could have burned much of their political capital abroad, and among moderates here in Kenya. Nevertheless, as I understand the constitution, the right to assembly is guaranteed, and the deployment of the military throughout the country to break up rallies does not meet up with this right. ODM claimed to have permits for the rallies yesterday. In Kisumu, two ODM MP-elects were arrested leading a rally. In Nairobi, the police fired tear gas at a march led by several ODM Pentagon members (the five leaders of the opposition are called the "Pentagon"), and chased the politicians and their supporters off the street from horseback, and with clubs.
There were rumors that immediately after giving a short address last night, Kibaki flew to Uganda to meet with Museveni. We have heard that he will answer questions at a news conference today, but I doubt he will say more than what he has already said: "I was told I won," "the opposition should address their issues in court," and "I do not think the crisis warrants outside mediation." I'm not sure how mediation by Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who met with Raila yesterday, would challenge national sovereignty. However, since ODM holds a majority of the seats in parliament, Kibaki will need to negotiate with them eventually, in order to conduct any official business.
Perhaps the only good news: ODM-Kenya, the party of the third place presidential contender Kalonzo Musyoka, refused to attend a parliamentary session called by Kibaki yesterday. Kalonzo is rumored to have designs on the presidency in 2012, and may be realizing that throwing in his lot with Kibaki will only antagonize people. It appears to me that Kibaki will retain the presidency for the foreseeable future, but the opposition will have some power to dictate terms via their control of parliament. The question many people here are now asking: what is to prevent Martha Karutha, or Uhuru Kenyatta, or whatever Kikuyu gets nominated in 2012, from rigging that election? To me, the broader implications of allowing Kibaki to retain power will be felt throughout Africa and the developing world, as incumbents will be emboldened to rig elections in their favor.
A few other details:
Moi's farms in Rift have been burned, and he has fled to Germany. I doubt he will spend many of his remaining days in his native Eldoret, as people here see him as a traitor to his Kalenjin roots. All of his sons lost in the parliamentary elections.
People are happy to hear that Obama won Iowa. His Luo roots are frequently discussed here.
Amos Wako, the longtime Luhya attorney general, came forward with a compromise proposal yesterday: Kibaki won, and must be challenged in court, but a complete recount of the votes should be undertaken, using the original documentation. Unfortunately we have heard that the form 16A's, with the original constituency-level vote totals, apparently disappeared from a safe in KICC. As well, the night of the announcement an ODM observer was on TV claiming to have seen ballot boxes being stuffed after the final totals were completed, to prevent recounts.
Flights to Eldoret start again today, and we are going to catch the first one we can, probably tomorrow. We will fly to Nairobi, and then on to Mombasa, assuming things calm down there. Yesterday the streets of Mombasa were closed after the police fired on the crowd, but the riots have been restricted to a few areas of town. Irene's brother will join a convoy headed to Nairobi from Kitale today or tomorrow, and we will stay with him if need be.
ODM is intending to hold the rally again today, but I don't see how they will get past the armed guards. In a country where citizens gun ownership is outlawed, the people with machine guns dictate the terms.
January 3, 2008
2:06pm- ODM cancels the meeting due to police presence and violence in Nairobi. It is now rescheduled for next Tuesday. This is probably for the best, though I don't know how long people will accept delay.
Apparently the police fired at protesters in Mombasa, and the town is now completely shutdown. They are showing scenes from Eldoret as I type, and the crowd is peaceful. It seems we will escape today without an escalation in the violence. Hopefully some progress can be made on the political front.
1:30pm- We are watching the TV for news from Nairobi. The police are doing all they can to keep people away from the location of the scheduled rally, but so far have not shot into the crowd. Right now they are showing scenes of a news conference: Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has just met with ODM, and both are calling for mediation. So far, Kibaki has refused any outside mediation. Late last night news came that ODM has backed off its hardline stance that Kibaki step down before negotiations- see
http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143979878.
In Eldoret, the police are loading as many displaced people into lorries as can be fit, with the intention of driving them to Nairobi in a convoy tonight. I don't know how this will help- conditions in Nairobi don't seem any better than here. Some people are worried this is preparation for a imposition of curfew in Eldoret- there was a shoot-on-sight curfew in Kisumu yesterday and the day before, but we haven't heard anything today. Ah. As I type scenes from a peace rally in Kisumu are flashing on the TV- people screaming and laying down in the road, in what appears to be a non-violent protest. The people's cries are horrific, mournful wails, and bring tears to my eyes.
The rally is supposed to start in 30 minutes, and the ODM leaders are marching towards the appointed meeting place as I type. I will update in a few hours.
January 2, 2008- Night
I talked to the husband of the American embassy Warden in Eldoret today, a professor associated with Indiana University, and he confirmed that Kikuyus have setup roadblocks (similar to the ones setup by Kalenjins in our area, discussed in previous posts) in Naivasha and elsewhere along the road to Nairobi, where Kalenjins and Luos are being lynched. A pattern of retaliatory violence is being set- ethnic division and cleansing on a national scale. (I also got the phone number to call if I need to be evacuated at short notice.)
Tonight the media is carrying two types of stories: evidence of vote-rigging from the EU election observer, the opposition, and their own reporting; and graphic video of burning homes and police confronting crowds with live bullets fired into the air. The big story is the commissioner of the electoral commission, Samuel Kivuitu, who has come out to say that he was under intense pressure from the president's party, and the party of the third-place presidential candidate, to announce the results quickly. When asked if Kibaki won the election he answered "I don't know." Five of the commissioners on the electoral commission have come forward to submit statements questioning the validity of the result. The EU has listed ten constituencies in which they have evidence of significant fraud and suggested that there are many more. They also presented evidence that additional vote-rigging went on in Nairobi, at the national tallying center. Although there have been charges of rigging made against the opposition, all of the evidence presented by EU observers pointed at the president's party.
The few messages from the president's party contain debunked, ridiculous claims, e.g. that 99% turnout in two polling stations in their stronghold province was not unusual, and that the reported violence has only been a few isolated incidents and the country is under control. Although all news stations were shades of pro-administration before the election, it seems they have all (expect KBC, the government-run station) turned on Kibaki, and are unabashedly presenting evidence of a stolen election. This is a two-edged sword, obviously. People here are more adamant than ever that any solution can not involve Kibaki staying in power. Unfortunately, I can't see a president willingly resigning, after allowing the election to be transparently rigged in his favor.
Between news stories there are constant calls for peace and calm, from all manner of respected Kenyans. One group has spliced together messages from all three of the major candidates calling for peace, and this message airs at nearly ever commercial break. Tonight NTV ran a poll asking whether Kibaki and Raila should meet- 44% Yes, 56% No. Of course, the people in camps didn't participate.
Before they will engage in talks the opposition is insisting that Kibaki admit he did not win the election, and step down. In my opinion, this can only be justified as a bargaining position, and at a time like this, I do not believe there is time to stake out positions that slow progress towards a political solution. (Though I keep this opinion to myself in this house!) Today the opposition did not attend the first meeting of parliament called by Kibaki. I am told that Parliament will not have the necessary quorum to conduct business without the opposition, as ODM swept the local elections. These were much harder to rig, as they results were announced at the local level- considered by many to be further evidence of a bogus presidential result.
Tomorrow will determine the next direction taken by this crisis. The opposition has called for a massive rally in Nairobi, which the government has declared illegal. If the police fire on the demonstration, or ODM loses control of the crowd, another cycle of violence will likely be set off. We are all worried about what could happen- attacks on the displaced people's camps? That would be going too far, but the government has already issued orders to shoot looters on sight in Raila's hometown of Kisumu, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that they will fire live bullets into the crowd tomorrow. We are hoping for the best.
Irene is quoted at the end of the lead BBC story (as Chemu Mungo), here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi
It turned out the fire that scared us (a five minute walk from our farm, about a quarter mile as the crow flies) was only one home. The flames were 25-30 feet high in the air, and we were worried that the fire was much larger, and targeted at Kalenjins. Pictures are at the bottom of the page
January 2, 2008- Morning
(Update: CNN reports 10,000 people now at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the camp we visited yesterday. Just yesterday there were 4000 people there, and no food for those.)
I woke this morning from a (comparatively) peaceful sleep, disturbed only by dreams of running from a mob. The last few nights we have heard gunshots and seen burning homes in the adjacent neighborhood, but not last night. It seems the all the Kikuyus in the area have fled to camps in town, returning the neighborhood to relative calm.
However, we are far from peace. Yesterday, about two miles up the road, a church was burned by an angry mob, killing scores of women and children. The news came shortly after we returned from touring similar camps in Eldoret, and seeing the crowds of young men standing around town. We were all in complete shock. There was a feeling among our hosts of misplaced justice with the previous attacks, but all agree that this is going too far.
This morning the family was contacted by some co-workers who are Kikuyu, and have been camping out in a national park near their home. They appealed for us (i.e. the family we are with) to come get them, but there is no way we could make it past the roadblocks with Kikuyus in tow. Yesterday a few people here took relief supplies to some family an hour away, and reported being confronted at numerous roadblocks, even though they are part of the ethnic majority. Many of the young men manning the roadblocks were drunk.
We are hearing reports of attacks on Kalenjins and Luos in Naivasha, a town on the road to Nairobi. Yesterday we received word that the grandfather of one of Irene's friends was killed at one of these roadblocks- burned alive in his car. Although the violence in this area is targeted against Kikuyus, it seems that in Kikuyu areas that the locals are retaliating against the tribes that are persecuting their cousins in other parts of the country.
Although there is relative calm, the big question everyone is asking is "how will the Kikuyus be able to return to their land?" Once your neighbors chase you off, burn your house, and kill some of your relatives, how can you ever feel safe in that place? And if the thousands of people that have fled do not have homes to return to, where will they go? I do not know enough about the Kikuyu tribe, but I have been told that the group that lives in this area is distinct from those in Central Province (the Kikuyu homeland), and would have difficulty relocating there.
January 1, 2008
We have just returned from Eldoret, where we visited the camps of displaced people, and the hospital.
The resources in the town are rapidly being depleted. There were thousands of people, probably five to eight, in several camps near the town center. Food is scarce- we saw lines of several hundred people waiting to get into the only grocery store that still has food, and one of the workers at a church with several thousand people camped outside told us that only a few people had eaten a meal since yesterday morning, and that the church had no food. As we were driving to town we passed families of five to ten people carrying what little they could. The families were spaced about twenty meters apart, suggesting that many thousands of people are arriving in town today.
All roads into Eldoret are blocked- there are reportedly around one hundred roadblocks between here and Kitale, an hour and half north of here. The road to Nairobi is completely impassable, and this is the road on which food supplies would be brought in. This is, according to the worker at the church, much worse than the trouble in '92, when the church took two weeks to fill up with 2000 people. Perhaps worst of all, the people there are convinced that the violence was planned and financed by ODM, suggesting that the many children we saw will be raised to hate and distrust their neighbors.
At the hospital we saw around a hundred casualties, with some on the floor due to lack of beds. The hospital has run out of supplies. The Kenyan Red Cross had arrived in the few hours before we got there and told us they were hoping to fly in medical supplies. They said thirty to forty people had been killed in Eldoret so far and had seen bodies in the fields around the town. They also told us that they had visited a church a few villages over, where a disaster seemed to be brewing. This church was surrounded by a group of Kalenjin youth who would not allow the Red Cross to enter to assess the situation amongst the Kikuyu and other displaced people. There were no police in the area.
The people we talked to emphasized several needs. First and foremost, the displaced people are starving, and will not be able to make it for more than a few more days without some relief. Many walked all day to get to Eldoret, and were going back to their village to look for food today, with plans to return to Eldoret tonight. The Red Cross said that they had no way to get food in, as the roads are blocked, and Eldoret airport is closed. The radio says that the government is taking action, but no one had seen any evidence of this. Sanitation is also an issue that will be much worse in the next few days. The church we visited said that only one bathroom was working for the 4,000 people they said had spent the night there last night. Also, the lack of medical supplies is worrying, especially if the town erupts in violence again. We do not know if this will happen- perhaps if ODM's William Ruto (from this area) appeals for people to stop the violence, it will abate. The government has failed to protect the people, or answer the challenge. However, the rally in Nairobi on Thursday will almost certainly start another cycle of violence, unless a negotiation can occur between the parties.
We cannot say what is happening in other areas of the country, as there has been an almost complete media blackout. We hear some numbers of the dead, and that there is rioting, but the signs all point to a much worse situation than the media is reporting. I will try to post pictures to my website, and will email you again when they go up. We feel safe here, as it seems that most of the violence is on the ethnic groups associated with Kibaki. Nevertheless, we spent a few hours outside last night on "vigil," (it is sad that they have a name for this) after the Kikuyu houses in the adjacent neighborhood were burned. In the distance we could see a large forest burning, lighting up the night sky. We have plenty of food, though ugali 3 meals a day is on the menu. I have the number of the American Consular Services, in the event of an emergency.
This has gone beyond an election. I'm not a stakeholder in this, so it is not my place to say what should happen. But even though it appears that Kibaki stole this election, the price being paid by people on the ground is too high. There must be some negotiation, before the situation gets worse. Please do what you can.
Pictures of Eldoret, Jan 1, 2008:
These are displaced people on the road to Eldoret. As you can see, there is a constant stream of mostly women and children headed to town.
A line to enter a supermarket in Eldoret. According to people we talked to there was only one supermarket with food left on the shelves, but we saw three markets with lines of hundreds of people. We hypothesized that panic buying had stripped the shelves of all but a few goods at two of these markets.
Several thousand people are camped at the main police station in Eldoret. During the day, people stream out of their parked matatus (now make-shift homes) and campsites, in search of food. Many people walk back to their villages, in hopes of finding food there.
We arrived at the Eldoret hospital within an hour or two of the Red Cross' arrival. They were setting up tents on the front lawn for the overflow of patients. Here you can see some of the first people brought outside- many with blood-soaked clothes and head wounds.
This is a picture of a Kikuyu family's business stall/home that was burned about five minute walk from our house last night. The fire was twenty-five or thirty feet high, and seeing it made me afraid for the first time since the troubles started.
As well, last night we housed 20 Kalenjin women and children, who fled Kikuyu gangs seeking retaliation for attacks on their houses. The men of the house (I included myself) stayed outside till midnight on watch for these groups, and the young men who work on the farm slept by the gate. Happy New Year.