Bad Memories Create Fears Ahead of Kenyan Polls Victims of violence after 2007 election are reluctant to participate

this time a round. By Mathews Ndanyi - International Justice - ICC ACR Issue 335, 23 Dec 12 As Kenya heads towards its first general election under a new constitution next March, many who suffered during the bloodshed that followed the last polls in 20 07 have not registered to vote. For thousands of people still living in displacement camps in Kenyas Rift Valley, the prospect of voting on March 4 next year evokes bitter memories. Many fear that the violence of five years ago could be repeated. Others feel disenfranchised by a lack of support from the government over the la st five years, and have lost faith in the political process. The violence that followed a contested presidential election in December 2007 le ft more than 1,100 people dead and caused approximately 600,000 others to be upr ooted from their homes. More than 10,000 people remain in displacement camps, too afraid to return to vi llages where relations between ethnic communities remain difficult. (See Five Ye ars On, Kenya s Rift Valley Still Tense.) Rift Valley province was the area worst affected by the 2007-08 poll violence. O nly 65 per cent of eligible voters in the province had registered by the time th e process ended on December 18. Figures from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, IEBC, indicate that areas of the regions Uasin Gishu county recorded the lowest voter registrat ion figures. In an area known as Burnt Forest, less than half the anticipated 40 ,000 registered. Jane Waithera has lived in the Naka camp near Eldoret for the last four years, a nd is among thousands who have pleaded with the government to resettle them in n ew homes and provide better education, healthcare and other basic services. She decided not to register to vote in the March 4 polls. The last elections put me in this desperate situation, she told IWPR. I surely do n ot know what to do. Others are dissatisfied with the governments efforts to make amends for the chaos that unfolded five years ago. While the International Criminal Court in The Hague has charged four senior figu res for orchestrating the violence which erupted along ethnic lines, no one has been prosecuted inside Kenya. Kenyas parliament twice rejected efforts to set up a special tribunal, and recent efforts by the Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecute alleged perpetrator s have revealed a dearth of evidence, which means that thousands of possible sus pects are unlikely to face justice. The lack of prosecutions and the failure to resettle displaced people has led so me to turn their back on elections altogether, while for others, taking part wil

l serve as a stark reminder of their suffering. I was shot by the police and had one of my legs amputated during the [violence], D aisy Jepkosgey, a 36-year-old woman from the village of Maili Nne on the outskir ts of Eldoret, told IWPR. My family broke up because of my situation and the government has never bothered to help me in any way. Its difficult and [brings back] bad memories to think of a nother election. Eldoret was hit by election violence in 2002 as well as 2007. Jepkosgey is afrai d that things will be no different next March. I do not see any guarantee that it will be safe for me to go and vote again, she s aid. I have suffered, and justice has not been forthcoming at all. I have registe red as a voter but I have so many fears. The IEBC and President Mwai Kibaki urged Kenyans to turn out in large numbers to register as voters during the month-long process. But according to civil societ y groups working in the Rift Valley, victims and others had real concerns. Many people we have talked to say they fear that violence may reoccur during the elections and thus they do not feel it is safe to register and then go ahead to vote, said Ken Wafula, director of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in E ldoret. With just over two months until the elections, Kenya has already witnessed worry ing levels of violence. In November, more than 40 police officers were killed as they pursued cattle rus tlers in Baragoi in the Rift Valley. The same month, a crackdown by Kenyan force s following the shooting of three soldiers in the north-eastern town of Garissa left 50 people injured and several businesses destroyed when the towns market was set on fire. Simon Ngetich of the Peoples Security Initiative said the governments failure to a ddress the plight of all displaced people means they fear for the worst. Many co uld even be forced to relocate again, to avoid volatile areas during the vote. To many of the victims, voting is [the] same as endangering ones life, Ngetich said . They weigh the risks of participating in elections, and I think many of the vic tims will abstain. Many of those still displaced have been further discouraged by a new policy whic h will see power devolved to district-level local government. The victims fear that their concerns may not be tackled well through the county g overnments, Ngetich said. Even if they vote in another national government, it may not keenly focus on the resettlement [process]. Meanwhile, unfinished reforms to several institutions, most notably the police, are another cause for concern ahead of the March elections. Wafula said this was causing fear among past victims as well as other Kenyans. A four-point plan laid down by international mediators led by former United Nati ons Secretary-General Koffi Annan also remains incomplete. After the last electi on, Annan outlined steps that should be taken to secure long-term peace, includi ng building cohesion and addressing regional economic imbalances, impunity and a ccountability.

The Catholic Church is among the institutions working to restore victims liveliho ods in the Rift Valley. Bishop Cornelius Korir of the Eldoret Diocese said that while the government and other groups had made great strides in addressing some of the concerns, resettlement of the remaining displaced families and rising sec urity problems needed to be dealt with promptly in order to build confidence ahe ad of the vote. Its difficult to ask people who are still in camps because of the last elections t o go and vote again. Their situation is precarious. What assurance do they have that it will be safe for them to vote again? Bishop Korir asked. The IEBC has noted valid concerns about security surrounding the elections. But IEBC Commissioner Abdullahi Sharawe said the body was working with the police an d other institutions to ensure the polls would be conducted in a safe environmen t. Before the registration process ended, he urged Kenyans not to hold back from vo ting. By voting for leaders of their choice, they can also help to determine their own future and the destiny of the country, Sharawe said. Its our collective responsibil ity to ensure the polls will be free and fair. We will achieve that by turning o ut to vote in a secure environment free of violence or even threats. Kenyas Ministry of Special Programmes, which is tasked with resettling and provid ing compensation for victims of the 2008-08 violence, had also sought to allay p eoples fears ahead of the December 18 deadline. Minister Esther Murugi said her office hoped to finish the resettlement process before the polls. She said the problems facing victims of past violence were act ually good reason to go out and vote. The victims leaders and them prepare re not ready should not have fears to cause them not to vote, Murugi said. They need a government to deal with their concerns even after the polls. Let to vote and be assured of their security, because as a country we a to go through another cycle of violence just because of polls.

Murugi said peace and security committees set up at community level in every distr ict would help keep the peace during the election period. The regional police commander for the Rift Valley, John M mbijiwe, also urged pe ople to vote. He said new police stations had been opened and more officers have been posted to the area to boost security. We will ensure they [vote] in a very safe environment, he said. But Ngetich remains sceptical. He says mere promises from government officials are no guarantee of security. Some of those who witnessed violence in the past are similarly unconvinced. John Muriuki, who lives in Kiambaa in Burnt Forest, said the government had rene ged on a number of promises made over the last four years, so he doubted that th e IEBC and the government were really committed to ensuring an election free fro m violence. We have many fears considering what we went through, Muruiki said. We pray for a cr edible and peaceful election next year because it will give us hope and erase th e bad memories of violence.

Mathews Ndanyi is an IWPR-trained reporter in Eldoret.