FRAGILE PEACE IN RIFT VALLEY: THE KALENJIN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NAIROBI 000808

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

AF/E FOR SUSAN DRIANO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC KE
SUBJECT: FRAGILE PEACE IN RIFT VALLEY: THE KALENJIN
PERSPECTIVE

REF: NAIROBI 767


1. Summary: On a recent trip to Rift Valley province, poloffs
accompanied Ambassador Ranneberger to an important peace
event at Ndeffo and Egerton University near Nakuru and then
met with a range of contacts to discuss the situation on the
ground and possible approaches to achieving the desired end
state: inter-ethnic tolerance now, and a peaceful election in

2012. (See ref A on our efforts to encourage emerging youth
leadership.) Contacts in Kericho and Eldoret noted that
relations between different ethnic communities are still very
tense, and that it would not take much of a spark to reignite
conflict. They cited the government's failure to address
land reform and to find durable solutions, including payment
of compensation, for IDPs as serious underlying issues.
Feeling themselves to be vulnerable, the Kalenjin community,
especially the youth, remains prepared to defend themselves
against any outside attack on their interests. End summary.

TENSIONS STILL HIGH THROUGHOUT MUCH OF PROVINCE


2. In Kericho, our contacts described the current situation
as "relative peace," but noted that tension and mistrust
between communities, particularly the Kalenjin and Kikuyu
communities, still exists. A woman who runs an assistance
program for HIV positive people on the outskirts of Kericho
and has lived in the area for nine years said that "nothing
has really changed" since the end of the post-election
violence. Much of the neighborhood near the program's office,
once a bustling community of largely Kikuyu-owned small
businesses, remains empty and has yet to be rebuilt. She said
that some people are not yet confident enough in a hospitable
environment for returns to invest money in reconstructing
their properties. She also said that local Kalenjin land
owners have thus far refused to sell her non-governmental
organization (NGO) land for expansion at a fair market price,
a reluctance she attributes to the NGO's decision to shelter
hundreds of Kikuyus on its grounds during the height of the
post-election violence.


3. In Kericho, violence occurred in the immediate
post-election period (late December 2007 to early January
2008) but peaked again on January 31, 2008, when local
Kalenjin MP David Too was murdered, allegedly by an ethnic
Kisii police officer. Too's murder, as well as the January
29, 2008 murder of fellow ODM MP Mugabe Were in Nairobi, was
a flashpoint for renewed inter-ethnic violence throughout the
Rift Valley. For example, Sotik and Borabu, which border
Nyanza province in the western Rift and represents the border
between the Kipsigis and Kisii communities, was "a
slaughterhouse," according to local peace activists. (Note:
The Kipsigis are one of a number of Kalenjin sub-clans living
in Rift Valley Province; others include the Tugen (former
President Moi's community),Nandi, Pokot, Marakwet, Keiyo,
Sabaot, Endorois, Njemps and Ogiek.) The Ambassador will be
attending a youth forum in Sotik organized by a progressive
youth group called Citizens' Assembly (see reftel).

YOUTH ACTIVISTS DENY PREPARING TO FIGHT


4. Poloffs also met with three Kalenjin youth activists in
Kericho, one of whom represents the local NGO Rift Valley
Dialogue Forum (RVDF),which has been involved in
peacebuilding activities. They dismissed as false rumors that
Kalenjin youths are receiving military training and/or arming
themselves in preparation for anticipated future outbreaks of
violence. They also said, however, that "people with military
experience, who knew how to shoot" happened to be present
during a confrontation with police in Ainamoi town in late
January 2008, which resulted in the death and dismemberment
of an ethnic Somali police officer. They said "we all lost by
fighting," adding that, by their count, 46 Kalenjin youths
were killed by the police, 146 were shot and injured, and
more than 300 were arrested in Ainamoi constituency alone
during the post-election violence. (Note: Ainamoi
constituency is just north of Kericho town.) Over the past
year since the arrests, they claimed, all the detainees were
released after charges against them were dropped for lack of
evidence. The last person to be released got out of jail in
early April 2009.

A MILITIA OF ONE

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5. While the youths denied organized training is taking
place, they were very clear that they felt it was their duty
as Kalenjin men to rise up and protect their community if it
was under attack. Pointing to his friend, one said, "He is a
militia of one, and will be ready to fight in five minutes if
necessary." Older leaders we met in Eldoret concurred: "There
is no need to prepare," said one community leader, "Our youth
are already prepared." They cited the recent unsuccessful
censure motion in Parliament against Rift Valley MP and
Minister of Agriculture William Ruto as one such "attack"
against the community, and noted that there would certainly
have been violence in Kericho if the motion had succeeded.
The youth leaders accused the provincial administration
hierarchy of ethnic bias in favor of the Kikuyu community,
noting that all the MPs and the District Commissioner in Molo
district, which was heavily affected by post-election
violence, are Kikuyu and were not objective in keeping the
peace between the communities. They said that Kikuyus have
"taken over the Kenyan economy," leaving no room for other
communities to succeed in business. In pursuing their tribal
agenda at the expense of others, the activists said, the
Kikuyus had "sowed the seeds of hatred toward their
community." They claimed that relations are still very
strained, and that, if violence recurs, "this country will be
brought down by the Kalenjin-Kikuyu conflict."

DISAPPOINTMENT WITH RAILA; RUTO STILL OUR GUY


6. The youth activists all expressed disappointment with
Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying that many Kalenjin feel
Raila has forgotten who got him into office, and forgotten
his pledge to work for federalism (in this case, interpreted
as the devolution/decentralization of money and power from
the central to regional and local governments). The RVDF
representative said that, during the campaign, Raila told the
Kalenjins what they wanted to hear, focusing his speeches on
anti-Kikuyu sentiment and promising to bring federalism to
Kenya. In the community, "federalism" was interpreted as
meaning political control over the region where your people
dominate numerically. Despite his alleged involvement in
corruption scandals and heavy-handed leadership tactics, the
youths enthusiastically defended Ruto, saying he was "not
corrupt anymore" and that he was the only leader still
fighting for the rights of the Kalenjin people. Ruto and
other Rift Valley MPs, they added, are still the most
powerful opinion-makers at the local level. They dismissed
Minister of Roads Franklin Bett as "unpopular" and not
accessible to people at the grassroots level. They were
highly skeptical of the potential "KK" (Kikuyu-Kalenjin)
political alliance for 2012 being discussed in Nairobi, and
thought that Kalenjins would never accept such an
arrangement, no matter how pragmatic it might be. However,
they noted that Ruto is in the process of reaching out to
other communities to try and build a broader coalition, and
suggested a Kalenjin-Kisii alliance as a different "KK" that
might actually work (this despite the bloody conflict between
the communities in Sotik and Borabu after the Too murder). In
fact, the Kisii and Kipsigis/Kalenjin communities in this
region often intermarry and are closely related.

NAKURU-AREA PEACE EVENTS SEEK SOLUTIONS


7. On April 8, the Ambassador addressed the crowd at a peace
event in Ndeffo town seeking to foster reconciliation between
the local Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities. He then attended a
follow-on Inter-Ethnic Dialogue Forum organized by local NGO
Citizens' Assembly. (See ref A.) A number of local NGOs
involved in peace building joined representatives of the
Provincial Administration, Administration Police, the
religious community, and academics for a discussion on how
best to promote reconciliation, tolerance, and stability in
Rift Valley Province. Participants also discussed the need
for "detribalization" and the development of a national
Kenyan identity. Key NGOs participating included the RVDF and
Veterans for Peace, an association of ex-military and police
officers. The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)
and the Catholic Peace and Justice Commission represented the
views of the religious community. The Ambassador addressed
the participants and urged them to continue to work together
to mobilize peaceful pressure on political leaders and foster
a culture of "unity in diversity" from the grassroots level

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up. He also stressed the linkage between economic and
political change, and encouraged them to exert peaceful
pressure for reforms before the window for change closes as
the 2012 elections approach.

ELDORET: NO POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR RECONCILIATION


8. On April 10, poloffs met with a group of community leaders
from Eldoret affiliated with the local NGO Emo Society. These
older leaders (in their forties through seventies) had a more
tempered view of the situation than the youth activists.
However, they shared deep concerns about a possible
resurgence of conflict in their area. One leader, a retired
military officer, said that the wounds from the post-election
period had been left to heal without bandages or medicine,
and that there was no real support or goodwill from the
government for reconciliation. A colleague added that, in
fact, many political acts and statements in the past year
have acted as scratches to the wound, exacerbating painful
divisions among communities. The head of the local office of
an international NGO noted that it is very difficult to
persuade people to detach from "their" politicians, even when
the words and actions of those leaders are counterproductive.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES


9. The Eldoret leaders stressed that shedding human blood is
a taboo in the Kalenjin community. One of the Emo Society
representatives noted that, while Kalenjins did burn houses
during the violence, they usually ensured that the people got
out first. Juxtaposed with this taboo, however, is a strong
traditional warrior culture. Male circumcision and
coming-of-age ceremonies, which usually take place in
December, emphasize the importance of having the skills and
strength to defend one's family and community from hostile
outsiders. Another leader also noted that, as an introverted
people who dislike bargaining, the Kalenjin are at a
disadvantage in a competitive world. Most of them are
farmers, he said, and are vulnerable to economic exploitation
when selling their produce to other communities. This
exploitation can create additional resentment towards
"outsiders" with whom the Kalenjin must do business.

RETIRED OFFICERS A FACTOR?


10. Under former President Moi, Kalenjins were
overrepresented in the senior ranks of the military, and to a
lesser extent, the police forces. When President Kibaki first
came to power in 2003, one of his first actions was to fire a
number of high-ranking military officers (many of whom were
close to retirement),as well as some police officers from
the senior and mid-levels of the security forces. Some of
these ex-officers, having returned to Rift Valley, remain
extremely bitter about the circumstances under which they
left the security forces. The RVDF representative noted that,
during the campaign period, some former officers in Kapsabet
town and elsewhere were showing their termination letters to
people at rallies and saying "look what the Kikuyu have done
to us." These officers have professional training, and are
alleged to have been recruited by MPs and other local leaders
to train the Kalenjin youth in paramilitary skills. The
retired military officer we spoke to denied that there were
organized militias in the initial phase of the violence
(approximately the first two weeks of January 2008),but
conceded that there might have been some organization later
on for the purpose of looting, burning homes, etc. He also
added that there was no organized disarmament by the
government after the post-election violence, and that many
weapons have been hidden by local communities but remain
close at hand in case of emergency.

LAND RIGHTS, DISPLACED PERSONS REMAIN SORE SUBJECTS


11. One community leader cited unresolved land rights issues
as the biggest source of conflict in Rift Valley, and noted
that, due to "historical injustices," the Kalenjin were
driven out of their traditional homelands. The Keiyo went
east, the Nandi west, and the Marakwet and Pokot north to
very marginal rugged terrain. "What hurts," he said, "is the
attitude of the (Kikuyu) people occupying the land, who
ignore and condescend to us, the original owners." Emo
Society representatives also cited unresolved issues

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surrounding the remaining internally displaced persons (IDPs)
as a potential flashpoint. Many IDPs who remain in "transit
camps" were not paid the government compensation they were
promised. Once responsibility for payments was shifted to the
local Provincial Administration officials, the process became
highly politicized/corrupt and many of the most deserving
cases have yet to be addressed. The uncertain future of some
IDPs is a destabilizing force in the local community, and the
increasingly frustrated and bitter population is vulnerable
to political manipulation and incitement against their
Kalenjin neighbors.

GETTING TO A PEACEFUL 2012


12. Our Eldoret contacts all expressed concern about the 2012
elections. They wondered aloud what can be done now in order
to ensure a harmonious political atmosphere and a peaceful
transition of power in 2012. One local leader noted that
people are already tense, and primed for something to trigger
them into renewed conflict. Nevertheless, they had some
suggestions for ways to tackle the issues, which incorporate
a return and appeal to traditional Kalenjin values:

-- Make peacebuilding efforts intergenerational: restore the
role and influence of elders. "Where there are elders, things
don't go wrong," said one community leader. Our contacts felt
that the revival of integrated intergenerational community
structures, including elderly women and men, could play a
powerful role in mediating and structuring the youth's
reactions to political events. Elders also have the key role
of giving politicians and candidates their blessing, without
which leaders cannot be successful. Civic education of elders
could assist them in deciding which leaders deserve community
support, and could promote and modernize their traditional
role in demanding accountability from their leadership.
Reinvigorating the culture of eldership could also provide a
productive avenue for engaging with former security officers,
who could otherwise be recruited by unscrupulous politicians
for non-peaceful activities.

-- Strengthen the role of women (including young women) in
peacebuilding. Traditionally, women had an important role in
peacemaking, often refusing to cook or otherwise carry out
their roles until the men in the community agreed to resolve
conflicts. Younger women in particular have lost this
positive influence because it has not been passed down to
them.

-- Promote the culture and understanding of entrepreneurship
among the Kalenjin, especially unemployed youth. This will
lead to increased confidence and economic empowerment, and
reduce the risk of exploitation.

-- Increase the positive involvement of civic councillors,
the lowest level of elected representative. Civic council
elections are often hotly contested, and councillors are very
influential at the local level. They also play an important
role in the allocation of local government resources.
Citizens' Assembly hosted an event for more than 600 civic
councillors from throughout Rift Valley which resulted in the
development of an action plan and got very positive feedback
from the participants, but they currently lack the resources
for follow-on activities with the councillors.

COMMENT


13. Many of our Kalenjin interlocutors argued that rumors
circulating in Nairobi and Central provinces of militias
rearming in Rift Valley are an excuse to justify Kikuyus
arming themselves against a (non-existent) Kalenjin threat.
Allegations continue to circulate on both sides; it is
difficult to determine how much is factual, but the
atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust is very real. In Kenya,
rumors can be enough to influence behavior on the ground.
Whether organized or not, there is no question that the
Kalenjin remain prepared to defend their community against
perceived threats. The ingredients for renewed conflict in
the Rift Valley are already in place, and the behavior of too
many politicians from a number of different communities is
geared more towards political preparations for dominance in
2012 than towards lasting peace and progress on reforms.


NAIROBI 00000808 005 OF 005



14. Through USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives, we are
engaged in a variety of peacebuilding programs on the ground.
Civil affairs teams from the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn
of Africa are completing renovations of several schools
destroyed during the post-election violence. In the next
month, the Ambassador will preside over ceremonies reopening
these schools, as well as the dedication of the reconstructed
public market in the town of Burnt Forest, and will use these
ceremonies as platforms to bring together community leaders
and serve as a foundation for future peace building efforts.
In order to support reconciliation and conflict resolution
efforts, the Ambassador has visited Rift Valley at least nine
times since violence began in early 2008. We will need to
keep the political pressure on, and to keep a close eye on
events on the ground as we work to consolidate the fragile
progress towards lasting peace in Rift Valley. End comment.



RANNEBERGER