John Michuki's mistake on Mount Elgon clashes

This morning, the Minister for Internal Security John Michuki, in an interview on local radio station Kameme FM, gave the following statements:

• There were 605 General Service Unit and administration police officers on the ground in the clash torn area (is this figure sufficient?)
  
• 85 dead (and not other exaggerated figures)
• There were no child mercenaries involved in the conflict
• Locals should say whom among them, are the raiders
• He would only go to tour the Mt. Elgon area when he felt like
• He was working on the situation from Nairobi
• He cannot be directed on how to carry out the job ie cannot be told to till an acre of land and then further accept directions on whether he should use a fork, a spade or a jembe.

Does this smack of arrogance? That assessment must be arrived at individually.

Suffice it to say that all over the world, it is highly recommended that leaders tour an area where clashes or a war is going on. US President Bush and other leaders with forces in war torn territories do this. The often go to Iraq.

It means a lot because you would get a feel of the situation first hand (second or third hand information is never good enough), and you would take the opportunity (and political mileage) of comforting and being seen to comfort the affected persons.

Without saying much more, reform in this area is fundamental.

31,200 people have been displaced following land clashes that have hit Mt. Elgon area in the Western part of Kenya since December 2006. The Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have camped in market areas, villages and with relatives. The clashes have also resulted in the deaths of 60 people, while others continue to nurse their injuries in hospital.

Some of the IDPs have moved to neighbouring districts of Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia and partly Busia. Mt. Elgon has four divisions, with Cheptais and Kopsiro as the worst affected by the clashes. The fleeing communities are still moving to neighbouring divisions of Kapsokwony and Kaptama.

Most residents have been left extremely vulnerable as their houses and food stocks have been burned and their livestock and livelihood threatened. The clashes have caused food shortages and thereby increased food prices in the local markets. The normal livelihood of these people has been drastically interfered with. Communities in Mt. Elgon depend mostly on agriculture as their major source of income.

Some schools remained closed after the December 2006 vacations, while those that opened recorded low student turn out or dwindling student numbers. Specifically, 12 schools have been adversely affected. On the other hand, schools in areas where there are no clashes have experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of student enrolments. In Lwandanyi division, for example, a primary school with formerly 800 pupils is now recording over 2,000 pupils.

As if to aggravate the situation, the locals and the displaced victims are competing over fuel, water and grazing land thus raising fears of further conflict. The price of charcoal has also increased tremendously because of the increased demand and is unaffordable to the locals.

As Mt. Elgon area is very cold, some of the IDPs, especially children and pregnant mothers, are now suffering from pneumonia and malaria. The water source is also not accessible to the affected people due to the ongoing clashes and so the IDPs have had to drink or use unclean water from springs and rivers. A number of children are experiencing malnutrition and this may cause further health complications. Most of the affected people are traumatised and need psychological counselling. Dispensaries are said to be attending to over 50 outpatients per day and have many inpatients who are IDPs. These have caused a considerable strain on the meagre resources that are available in the dispensaries.

There is still tension in the area since many people fear for the lives and even too frightened to provide information. Unless the situation is addressed it is expected that the current number of IDPs will increase beyond 31,200 people. The IDPs are now working in shambas, hotels and other recreational areas to raise some income and take care of their families. Some men even go back to their former areas of residence during the day to harvest some food items for their family members settled in the IDPs. In the process some get killed or injured.

The Kenya Red Cross Society’s Mt. Elgon and Bungoma Branches have distributed food and non-food relief supplies to the IDPs. The non-food items distributed comprise 2,100 blankets, 550 tarpaulins, 500 kitchen sets, 2,100 jerricans, 60,000 aqua tabs, 2,100 mosquito nets, 132 packs of tinned fish and unimix worth Ksh 2,934,300. The food items included 43 metric tonnes of maize flour, beans, canned fish, unimix, energy biscuits and cooking oil valued at about Ksh 3.1 million. These items were distributed in Sirisia, Cheptais Chwele, Tuikut, Kimabole, Namwela, Lwandayi and Mayanja areas. Relief distribution is ongoing.

While access to the areas affected is highly restricted due to a security operation by the Government of Kenya, the Kenya Red Cross Society continues to get access to the thousands of IDPs. The Kenya Red Cross Society is planning to provide medical attention to the affected people through building the capacity of the health centres in the area and also through organising mobile clinics to cater for those who have been adversely affected.