August 23, 2007
The Mt. Elgon district of Kenya -- an administrative district in the western part of Kenya, located on the south-eastern slopes of Mt. Elgon -- is the site of a long-standing dispute over land ownership that has sparked violent clashes between two communities, causing displacement and deaths. Tensions have worsened since January 2007.
The clash stems from disagreement over a land settlement issue: The Soi clans have traditionally resided in the lowland areas of Mt. Elgon and are seeking the eviction of the Ndorobo, who resided in highland areas of the mountain.
Some 11,000 families (about 66.000 persons) have been affected, and the current death toll stands at about 202, with 148 deaths due to shooting and machete wounds, 36 deaths from malnutrition (affecting mostly children) and 18 deaths from diseases such as pneumonia, malaria and upper respiratory infections attributed to the cold Mt. Elgon weather. The wounded continue to seek medical care in the Bungoma and Mt. Elgon hospitals.
Residents have been left extremely vulnerable, as their houses have been burned, food stocks destroyed and their livestock and livelihood threatened. Some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have sought refuge in the Kapsokwony and Kaptama divisions within the district and in the neighboring districts of Bungoma, Teso and Busia. The Chwele, Lwandanyi and Malakisi divisions of the Bungoma district and Tamulega division in the Teso district are also hosting the displaced. More than 6,000 people have also fled into neighboring Uganda, according to reports.
RESPONSE: CWS is responding by supporting the efforts of partner and denominational supporter Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), which in turn is partnering with the Kenya-based Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) to respond to the humanitarian needs of the affected communities.
In a response that is expected to be completed by May 31, 2008, PDA and PCEA plan to supply assorted food items such as maize, beans and maize flour, shelter materials including roofing sheets and nails, blankets and some very basic utensils like cooking pots, cups and plates.
The response includes providing relief supplies to 2,886 families in Tuikut and Kopsiro of the Mt. Elgon District, as well as to lobby the government and other agencies involved in land matters to enforce a land settlement agreement.
Other elements of the response include:
Using media where necessary to lobby and advocate for peaceful coexistence among different communities living in different parts of the country, especially those living in areas prone to clashes between ethnic groups;
Facilitating meetings between government officials concerned with land matters and community leaders to look for a sustainable and agreeable way of settling the Mt Elgon dispute;
Meeting with elders from the two communities to identify an amicable way of identifying and resolving disputes before they start affecting the communities in a larger way.
Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be sent to your denomination or to: Church World Service, Mount Elgon (Kenya) humanitarian assistance Appeal, Account #641-U, P.O. Box 968 Elkhart, IN 46515. Contributions may also be made by credit card online or by calling: (800) 297-1516, ext. 222
Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676; lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
