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Land clashes linked to poor leadership
THE STANDARD
15.April 2007
By Peter Opiyo
Clashes in the Mt Elgon region and other areas of are symptoms of a larger crisis.
Dr Mutuma Ruteere, the Kenya Human Rights Institute dean, says clashes are on the rise due to poor leadership. Speaking on the KTN interactive talk show, Newsline, on Thursday, Ruteere said Kenyans were looking up to the political system for leadership and guidance.
"Apparently, this has not been given and the Judiciary is not able to serve the people well too," he said.
Apart from the Mt Elgon clashes, there have been skirmishes at the border of Meru and Tharaka districts in addition to Trans Mara District.
The head of development awareness programme for Eldoret and Kitale dioceses of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Rev Maritim Rirei, also accused State security personnel of sexually harassing women in Mt Elgon.
He said security personnel turned away affected women whenever they went to report the cases.
"A number of women have been raped by people in uniform. They attempted to report to the authority but have been turned away," he said.
Rirei said it has been difficult to prove the claims since "you cannot report the issue to the same police you have accused of the felony".
Call for truth and reconciliation committee
The participants accused the Government of abdicating its responsibility to provide security. This is in addition to failing to involve local leaders in resolving the conflicts.
The State, the participants noted, has been giving conflicting responses to questions on the clashes.
Former Eldoret North MP, Mr Reuben Chesire, said it was upon the residents to resolve the clashes in Mt Elgon. Mr Peter Angwenyi, another participant called for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation committee.
He said the situation had degenerated into a humanitarian crisis and urged the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to visit the area and assess the situation.
In a recorded interview, the Mt Elgon Member of Parliament, Mr John Serut, said residents should take an initiative to ensure peace.
He proposed the transfer of some senior police officers accused of fuelling violence. He also called for the deployment of home guards, saying they knew the region better.
Land allocation
On Wednesday, the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya attributed the clashes to the absence of a national land policy.
This, they said, would address issues of historical inequities. Acting Lands minister Prof Kivutha Kibwana convened a crisis meeting with leaders in Mt Elgon District to resolve the land clashes.
Retired President Daniel arap Moi issued a statement supporting the suspension of land allocation in Mt Elgon. Speaking during the show, Chesire said demarcation of land should be done in a transparent manner to win public confidence.
Rirei called for dialogue at the grassroots to quell tension. "More than 150 people have lost their lives, about 60,000 are displaced while 30 schools have been closed due to the clashes," he said.
One participant said poor administration is partly to blame for the clashes, noting that two earlier phases of the land allocations were executed without any hitch.
Need for traditional peace building mechanisms
Ms Betty Shitanda, blamed the lack of appropriate leadership, especially at the grassroots’ level, on the land clashes.
The District Security Committee, she said, had failed in its core duties. She also blamed the area MP. "The MP is like the father of the constituency. He has to ensure that his people are safe," she said.
ISK chairman, Mr Mwenda Makathimo, criticised MPs for debating the Mt Elgon issue for one day only. He noted that Parliament had not passed a single Bill on land issues in the past four years.
The policy requiring the Government to develop legal and institutional frameworks that defines the procedures for land re-distribution will be discussed at a national symposium before being presented to Parliament.
The conflicts in the region, Rirei noted, have exposed the region to marginalisation. He expressed the need for imploring traditional peace building mechanisms.
A participant said everyone in the area should be resettled in order to end the conflicts. But Chesire said this would be tricky, as some of the residents had lived there for many
years.
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