Dear Andrius,

I have been silent for almost a week now but wish to
state that I have been following the online
discussions very closely. I also thank Ken Chelimo for
updating you on many matters now. Our project the
Radio Talk show is gaining momentum and this week, we
are going to bring a Women peace crusader who also
doubles up as the senior peace advisor for SNV
Netherlands, a development organization. Also note
that we are collaborating with UN agencies and from
today (Monday) one of our peace monitors recently
recruited, LEVI KONES will be taking a three-day
course on Psycho-social support to traumatized
families sponsored by UNHCR.

The last one week has been very tiring for me. I have
been working with several humanitarian agencies in
Eldoret and beyond trying to understand what we could
all do together. In the course of our tour to Timboroa
we heard very sad news. That the youth who have been
staying in an IDP camp there went out at night on a
revenge scheme among the Kalenjins. They stole both
sheep and cows. The cows that could not be driven off
were slashed. The nation newspaper had a caption of
one of the slashed cows. Arising from incident, a lot
of tension is mounting in Timboroa. I have since
discussed with our area peace animator there, Fred
Yego to visit there and speak with elders from
especially the Kalenjin community to dissuade the
youth from carrying out a revenge mission on the IDPs.


What I have learned over the last few days is that
revenge breeds revenge. And I have a few incidents
1. On Friday, the newly posted treasurer to Bungoma
County Council, recently transferred from Nyeri was
ejected by angry people of Bungoma because the Kikuyus
of Nyeri and Kiambu recently send away members of the
LUHYA, KALENJIN and LUO community living in various
parts of central province, in what amounted to ethnic
cleansing. Accordingly when the government posted this
new treasurer to Bungoma, the people reacted and
indeed ejected the clerk as part of the revenge attack
( he is Kikuyu)
2. Two men of Kalenjin decent were last week slashed
on their faces and shoulders at night near kapsoya
estate. in what is also feared to be revenge attack
3. a man was recently found murdered near St Mathews
church ( a few meters away from the Catholic
Cathedral. His identify was not immediately known, but
is believed also to be the result of a revenge
mission. The man had his belongings intact. They were
not stolen at all.

Arising from these totally unrelated incidents, I wish
to make the following recommendations
1. That all of us in Kenya who identify with the POP
do carry out concerted grassroots campaigns, using the
electronic and mass media and other media including
the church with a message of good neighborliness
2. That we begin to focus on Nyeri and Kiambu for
these are two areas where many people are now being
ejected from. Over the last three weeks several buses
hired by the government have been transporting
families back to their ancestral homes in western
Kenya including Eldoret. Families arriving from there
claim that they are being asked to leave or else risk
being killed. Their arrival has sparked off feelings
of revenge on members of other ethnic communities
still living in western Kenya. Thus we need to curb
the spirit f revenge for this has the potential of
sustaining the whole conflict for a long time
3. On this note we need to divide our country into
PEACE ZONES, with particular POP members being
appointed and designed as Assistant Commandant of
Operations of ZONE---- with the mandate to coordinate
all peace efforts in that particular area. Otherwise
the idea of having roving ambassadors of peace is
good, but in the end, it is expensive and not viable
at all. Some of the activities that can be considered
in these peace zones include; psycho-social support to
traumatized persons, carrying out peace education in
schools, Area specific mediation workshops,
Inter-agency Coordination meetings, Game
balls/sporting Activities, Peace torch rallies, Peace
workshops and seminars and
Ecumenical/interdenominational prayers. These are just
but a few areas of interventions
4. The mode of exchange will be online discussions and
calling each other by phone
5. The lead person can be charged with
responsibilities of undertaking peace missions with
all actors including the government, as some issues
require police intervention and not necessarily
talking to the feuding or the enemy groups

This is just a suggestion to spur discussion otherwise
we have reached a stage at which we need to structure
our mode of operations and design an infrastructure of
peace in our country if we desire a good and desired
outcome out of this “investment”.

Finally we need to move from fire fighting to the
actual process of peace building. One of the
strategies is to focus on an area, identify the youth
who have been causing trouble and establish a YOUTH
TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM- as an undertaking that is
going to disengage the youth from engaging in war like
activities again in the future.

I have on the authority of Rono of Kuresoi that he has
formed a team of 15 youth, calling themselves KALYET
(meaning PEACE) YOUTH GROUP from a village called SET
KOBOR MENGIT FARM comprising of 15 youth. Some of them
are ex-combatants who want to do something useful and
profit themselves and families. They intend to save
money and purchase a POSHO MILL (CORN GRINDING MILL).
They prefer this social investment over others because
there is no mill in the entire village thus forcing
women and girls to trek many kilometers away in search
of such a mill. Remember most families eat Ugali- a
corn meal as a stale meal. The absence of a mill
therefore spells doom to most families. Rono says that
the only mill was destroyed during the skirmishes that
saw the burning of several houses and destruction of
the only trading centre that existed there.

The mill costs about Kshs 80,000 translating to about
USD 1,100 only.

Any donors and philanthropists there?

Finally we intend to have a meeting with all our
grassroots peace animators on Thursday the 28th
February 2008. We need to collect information about
the obtaining security situation as well as design new
peace strategies arising from the new threat of mass
action by ODM. We need USD 100 for phone credit and
transport for 5 persons

Thank you.

WESLEY

--- Andrius Kulikauskas <ms@...> wrote:

> josechumba wrote:
> > Am glad that you have been monitoring the
> situation in Eldoret. We are
> > for peace and we will do all we can to
> accommodate the same. my phone
> > No is 0722479069. Kind send me air time to
> facilitate some activities.
> >
> > Thanks and God Bless you. Joseph.
>
> Joseph I am glad to hear of you! Please contact
> Kenneth Chelimo +254
> 722 809 690 in Eldoret. We are organizing peace
> meetings for Tuesday,
> tomorrow. I also invite you to sign up for our
> working groups by
> email. I include below our latest announcement.
> Andrius
>
> --------------------------------
>
> Kenyans and Internetizens,
>
> We are concerned that demonstrations scheduled for
> Wednesday may spark
> new violence.
>
> Tuesday, February 26, 2008 please join us and act
> now to practice
> nonviolence. With your help we can organize 1,000
> small gatherings
> where we all have a chance to say what we can do to
> make peace and love
> our enemy.
>
> Let us work together. Ask for help and offer help!
> * Speak frankly with your friends how you might work
> together for peace.
> * Call a Coordinator. Share your news and stay in
> touch so we can help
> others.
> * Wear white armbands to show that you are part of
> our Pyramid of Peace.
>
> Join us online at our chat room on Tuesday or
> anytime:
> http://www.worknets.org/chat/ Join any one of our
> email groups. We
> need help to spread the news of the many peace
> actions. We want stories
> and images of peace to win our hearts. Link to our
> efforts at
> http://www.worknets.org/wiki.cgi?HelpKenyans We
> accept donations at
> http://www.pyramidofpeace.net
>
> Please alert us to Kenyan peacemakers!
> Thank you for your work for peace.
>
> Andrius Kulikauskas, Global Coordinator
> ms@..., +370 699 30003, Vilnius, Lithuania
> Dennis Kimambo, Kenya Coordinator
> kimambodenis@..., +254 722 388 275, Nakuru,
> Kenya
> http://www.pyramidofpeace.net
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> Coordinators in Kenya
> -------------------------------------
>
> Eldoret: Kenneth Chelimo +254 722 809 690
> Wesley Chirchir Chebii +254 722 992 107
> Homa Bay: Jackton Arija +254 724 167 280
> Kericho: Charles Kilel +254 727 281 419
> Kisumu: Tom Ochuka +254 712 929 029
> Kuresoi: Rono Richards +254 723 732 617
> Maragoli: Patrick Bunyali Kamoyani +254 721 612 607
> Mbita: Dan Otedo +254 720 366 094
> Molo: Lawrence Achami +254 720 613 379
> Mombasa: Alice Wathika +254 721 849 019
> Muhoroni: Ronald Omondi +254 722 480 811
> Nairobi: Rachel Wambui Kungu
> http://www.peace-caravan.org +254 721 626 389
> David Mutua davenzainga@... +254 720 462
> 559
> Robert Muturi +254 722 555 302
> Perpetua Warutere +254 720 737 693
> Kennedy Owino http://www.nafsiafrika.org
> nafsiafricaacro@...
> (temporary: +254 711 835 309)
> Naivasha: Ciru +254 721 332 528
> Nakuru: Ron Odhiambo +254 722 240 088
> Collins Odour +254 721 637 457
> Dennis Kimambo http://www.repacted.org
> kimambodenis@... +254
> 722 388 275
> Nandi Hills: Emmanuel Were +254 721 938 340
> Sotik: Edwine Nyandisi +254 722 587 836
> and more at
> http://www.worknets.org/wiki.cgi?HelpKenyans
>
> Send us cellphone airtime at
> http://www.mamamikes.com
>
> --------------------------------------------
> Online Working Group Leaders
> --------------------------------------------
>
> Sign up for any of our working groups:
>
> Janet Feldman
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/holistichelping/
> Pamela McLean
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/
> Eluned Hurn
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fightingpeacefully/
> Kennedy Owino
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nafsiafrikasaana/
> Fred Kayiwa
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/onereachinganother/
> Kiyvailo Msekwa
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learnhowtolearn/
> Franz Nahrada
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalvillages/
> John Rogers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cyfranogi/
> Samwel Kongere
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mendenyo/
> David Mutua
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vsojitoleervs/
> Rachel Wambui Kungu
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/voiceful/
> Josephat Ndibalema
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hakielimurafiki/
> God http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lovinggod/
> and more at http://www.ms.lt/news.php
>
> For example, send a blank message to
> holistichelping-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>




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