The 1992-1997 Ethnic Violence in : A Theological Response

JamesKombo

1. INTRODUCTION

Kenya is part of the Hom of Africa and the Great Lakes Region, a geographical spot on the African continent known for political ma­ neuvers and ethnic violence. Parts of Kenya and as well as the other countries in this region - namely: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somali, , the Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi - have had the experience of one or so military coup and coup d'etat. Whereas this political turbulence can be cited in only the countries named, ethnic violence of different degrees is conspicuous in all the countries of the Hom of Africa and the Great Lakes Region. The wars in the Sudan could be described as the conflicts between the Arab Northerners and the African Southerners. The wars in Ethio­ pia have been fought by the Amharas and the Tigreans, and Oromos. The same wars have been fought in Eritrea. The on going conflict in Somali is between the Maraheens and the Isaaqs or between the Da­ rods and the Ogadenis and the wars of Djibouti are between Afars and the lssas. Uganda's conflicts are between the Luo Northerners and the Bantu Southerners. In 2001, Tanzania had ethnic violence (particu­ larly) in the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar between the so-called invaders from mainland Tanzania who are mainly of African extrac­ tion and the more Arabized indigenous peoples of the islands. Rwanda and Burundi have yet to heal from the ugly and heart rending violence between the Hutus and the Tutsis that occurred in the 1990s. Although, within the larger region, Kenya has been regarded to be fairly peaceful, its blood-letting evil of 1992 and 1997 (dubbed 'ethnic clashes' by sundry commentators) indicates otherwise.

2. THE CLASHES: NATURE AND MAGNITUDE

The first incident of what would flare into a series of ethnic clashes was reported on October 29, 1991 at Miteitei farm, Nandi District. 184 J.0. KOMBO

The clashes spread so fast that by November 26, 1991: '22,490 people were already displaced, 6 dead and several injured. 7 primary schools damaged, 4,505 houses already burnt, 4,780 grain stores burnt, 365 head of livestock stolen, 12 vehicles burnt, 156 people arrested, charged and released.' 1 Just before the first incident, there were leaf­ lets warning people that non-Kalenjin ethnic group must leave the district by December 12, 1991 or 'face the consequences.' Similar leaflets surfaced again towards the close of December 1991 asking the non-Kalenjin people to leave the district by January 6, 1992.2 Al­ though the asserted that the necessary machin­ ery and infrastructure on the ground was adequate to guard against the threatened consequences, violence spread like wild fire. By the tum of 1991, it was clear that the battle lines were drawn with the KAMA TUSA community (the Kalenjin, the Maasai, the Turkana and the Samburu ethnic groups) as it was known then over and against the Luo, the Kikuyu, the Luhya, and the Kisii. By December 1991, the clashes had escalated to serious proportions. The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), giving an account of the events of December 26, 1991 at Endebess and Gituamba where mainly the Luo, the Luhya, the Kikuyu, the Teso and the Kamba ethnic groups lived, records an ag­ gression believed to have been done by the Kalenjin as follows: - 8.00 p.m. a war cry and bullet shots coming from the direction of the hills (Kakamega Forest); - residents were forced to flee away from the sound of the war cry; - moments later, the invaders torch the houses after much plunder; - several people die or are seriously injured from arrow shots; - some attackers are allegedly arrested but later released; - majority of the victims of the invasion are Luhya; - following day people move back to find ash and smoldering fire, the remains of their former homes; - the invaders come again, now in broad daylight, shooting anyone on sight and torching remaining houses and grain stores; - maize farms (with unharvested com) also torched;

1. The Cursed Arrow. A Contemporary Report on the Politicised Land Clashes in Rift Valley, Nyanza and Wes/em Provinces, Nairobi, The National Council of Churches of Kenya, 1992, 26. 2. For a detailed coverage of this, see the Kenyan weekly magazine, Weekly Review, March 20, 2002, and the dailies, , November 10, 1991 and December 27, 1991, and , December 29, 1991, see also The Cursed Arrow, 8.