NAKURU Region, Kenya - Civil unrest and out bursts of ethnic violence since the December elections has created a serious humanitarian crisis in Kenya.

I arrived safely into Nairobi this morning. As expected things are running as normal and the city is calm. On the way to the International Aid Services compound there were signs of recent tensions, broken windows, scorch marks and burnt tires on some of the roads.

But for now it’s quiet and business as usual. 

On Tuesday morning the whole team will drive toward the Nakuru region where we will be based in a secure compound with other foreign agency workers. The Humedica doctors will begin treating patients on Tuesday while the IAS team makes final preparations for food and distributions which are scheduled to commence on Wednesday.

This crisis is much more than angry party supporters fighting over a disputed election.  The election was just the ’straw that broke the camel’s back’ and years of ethnic tensions have surfaced, this is not something that diplomacy in Nairobi can solve. 

It’s sad to think that this time last year I was driving through a stable Kenya towards Somalia to respond to the refugee crisis there. Now East Africa’s ‘crown jewel’ is on the brink of collapse.

Similarities between the present Kenya crisis and what occurred in Rwanda are all too apparent.  The violence is being fueled by hate filled radio broadcasts and even blanket text messaging. I have heard the word “chop” many times today in reference to the machete attacks that have become synonymous with African tribal conflicts. 

Now that this level of hatred has been set in motion I was discussing the outcome with Anders.  How can this ever be resolved? 

A resolution is far away, it will take years of counseling and reconciliation to repair the damage done in just a few weeks.

It was encouraging for me to hear that even on the brink of our crisis response and in the midst of these horrific massacres that OB was able to leverage and help set in motion a part of the reconciliation that will eventually help to heal Kenya and return it to stability. This is not just a ‘relief’ operation – it’s a mission to help rebuild a country.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Africa, David Darg, Kenya Crisis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.