Kenya: Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #13 (FY 2008)

Date: 07 May 2008

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Note: The last fact sheet was dated April 23, 2008.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

– According to USAID/OFDA staff, on May 5, the Government of Kenya (GOK) launched an initiative in Rift Valley Province to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to pre-crisis lands. USAID/OFDA staff report that IDP returns appear to be voluntary and note no evidence of forced returns to date. However, USAID/OFDA staff report concern regarding the sustainability of recent returns in some areas and the lack of GOK coordination with the humanitarian community prior to the implementation of the return operation.

– On May 2, the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) transitioned to an early recovery team, following improvements in Kenya’s political environment and stabilized humanitarian conditions in IDP camps and host communities. The demobilization of the USAID/DART reflects the shift from an acute emergency to early recovery in Kenya following post-election violence.

– USAID/OFDA will maintain a presence in Kenya to monitor the humanitarian situation; oversee USAID/OFDA-funded relief, early recovery, and disaster risk reduction programs; and facilitate coordination and information sharing regarding response and early recovery efforts.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE		SOURCE
Conflict-Affected Population at Risk of Poverty(1)	2,000,000	The World Bank – January 18, 2008
Estimated IDPs in camps and centers	158,891	KRCS(2) – May 2, 2008
Estimated IDPs within host communities	196,000	NDOC(3) – March 26, 2008
Deaths(4)	1,020	NDOC – April 8, 2008
Kenyan Refugees in Uganda	2,000	UNHCR(5) – April 18, 2008

FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE

USAID/OFDA Assistance to Kenya: $9,223,232
USAID/FFP(6) Assistance to Kenya: $39,719,000
State/PRM(7) Assistance to Kenya: $10,843,105
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Kenya: $59,785,337

CURRENT SITUATION

OCHA Kenya Humanitarian Update vol. 13, 27 Mar – 02 Apr 2008

Date: 02 Apr 2008

HIGHLIGHTS

– Deadlock over Cabinet continues though principals optimistic of resolution

– Extra shelter materials issued and contingency relocations put in place as heavy rains continue

– Most areas of displacement downgraded from security Phase III to II or I

– Flooding in Taita Taveta affects 6,000 persons

– Advocacy underway to ensure IDP children sit national exams

The information contained in this report has been compiled by OCHA from information received from the field, from national and international humanitarian partners and from other official sources. It does not represent a position from the United Nations.

I. General Overview

On 31 March, members of the Cabinet appointed by President Mwai Kibaki in January met for the first time since the power-sharing deal was signed on 28 February. Ministers agreed on the need to speed up the resettlement of displaced people. They also challenged the police to beef up security and crack down on those threatening displaced people willing to return to their farms. President Kibaki and Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga expressed confidence that they will be able to come to an agreement on the composition of a new coalition Cabinet. There is widespread pressure for a quick resolution of the stalemate. On 1 April, there was a demonstration in Nairobi calling for the Cabinet to be named; police dispersed the protestors.

On 29 March, police in Eldoret arrested an 80-year-old man who is suspected to be the spiritual leader of the Sabaot Land Defence Force which has been involved in land clashes in the Mount Elgon region. Two human rights activists trying to visit the area, where the army is carrying out operations to flush out the militia, were arrested but later released. Three suspects have been charged in court for burning about 30 people to death in a church in Kiambaa near Eldoret on 1 January.

II. Humanitarian Situation

USAID – Kenya: Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #8 (FY 2008)

Kenya: Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #8 (FY 2008)

ReliefWeb

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Note: The last fact sheet was dated March 5, 2008.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Government of Kenya (GOK) authorities are encouraging internally displaced person (IDP) camp populations to return to pre-conflict homes. However, U.N. agencies note limited returns to date due to ongoing security concerns.

While the overall security situation has improved as a result of the February 29 power-sharing agreement between Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, international media sources continue to report sporadic violence, including several killings and burning of homes in areas of Rift Valley Province. The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) cautions that recent incidents could undermine an eventual returns process.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE		SOURCE
Conflict-Affected Population at Risk of Poverty(1)	2,000,000	The World Bank – January 18, 2008
IDPs in camps	234,725	KRCS(2) – March 3, 2008
Estimated IDPs within host communities	270,000	KRCS – February 19, 2008
Deaths	1,020	NDOC(3) – March 11, 2008
Refugees in Uganda	12,000	UNHCR(4) – February 26, 2008

FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE

Children bear the brunt of post-poll violence – 31 Jan 08

Children bear the brunt of post-poll violence

“You will fall,” Maureen Mbone, 23, warns her two sons who are playing nearby. She is a mother of three. Her youngest child, who is eight months old, is still suckling. The young mother is concerned about her five and three-year old sons who are playing, oblivious to their predicament. Ms Mbone and her husband have been residents of Nairobi’s Jamhuri Park showground, one of the 300 Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps in the country , for the last two weeks. She and her children had gone out to buy vegetables for supper when they met a gang of young men who asked her to say whom she had voted for in the December General Election.
The youths let her go, but she returned home to find her house burning because her landlord had supported the “wrong candidate.”