On March 4, Kenyans went to the polls to elect a new President, members of Parliament, Governors, Senators and other representatives. They waited hours to cast their vote. With a long history of election violence, there was great worry that there might be a repeat of what happened during the 2008 national elections, but this time, peace prevailed. Many people contributed to that success, including youth leaders in Banita, in Rongai District.

With a long history of election violence, there was great worry that there might be a repeat of what happened during the 2008 national elections, but this time, peace prevailed. Many people contributed to that success, including youth leaders in Banita, in Rongai District.

Just before the elections, leaflets code-named “Operation Save Rongai” were distributed to local residents. The source was the local MP, who has held his position for the last five years and was doing everything he could to retain his parliamentary seat. The message in the leaflet said that it was unacceptable for Internally Displace People  to receive land in Banita. After the election they had to go. This leaflet was a threat, not even thinly veiled. If the incumbent was re-elected, the IDP's would have been “flushed” out by force.

Two youth leaders who had been trained by World Renew last June picked up on the gossip that was spreading because of the leaflet. They knew that if they didn’t act quickly, tension in the community would escalate. They called a large youth meeting. They opened the meeting with a check-in which made it clear right away that there were a lot of mixed feelings within the group.  These leaders are part of the Banita Peace Committee.

The youth leaders then used a tool that works well with large groups called “the soft shoe shuffle.” In this activity, a number of views were shared by the youth: they felt threatened because of a rumor that the youth were involved in distributing the leaflets; they were afraid that the leaflet could be a source of conflict in the area; and they felt that some youths were being used by politicians who were then betraying them.

The youth leaders then asked what they thought should be done to address the situation.

One view that got strong agreement was that the issue should be reported to high authorities because they felt that local administration might be compromised. The youth leaders asked if anyone else had a different opinion. One youth said that it was the right thing to do, but he was worried what action higher authorities would take and how opponents would react when they realized that they have been reported. The rest of the youth expressed similar anxieties. To minimize risk to themselves, they agreed that the youth leaders should call and report the issue and that all of the group members should otherwise keep the issue confidential.

What was the outcome? The youth leaders forwarded the issue to the provincial peace forum co-coordinator who took urgent measures to confront the issue. A political rally that had been planned was cancelled, security was beefed up in the area, and the local administration was alerted to be vigilant and report any issue that could threaten peace.

When the votes were tallied in Rongai District, the local incumbent who had distributed the leaflets was defeated, and no one was forced to leave their homes. While many unresolved issues remain, there is hope that the future will be better.

Prayers for Kenya

• Pray for continued peace in Kenya as International Criminal Court proceedings for the President and Vice President are set to begin in in July.
• Pray for community health resilience; wisdom for World Renew and partner staff as we engage all stakeholders in the start-up project with the Northern Alberta Diaconal Conference.
• Pray that other churches and North American constituents will join World Renew in similar projects.

​In Him,

Fred Witteveen

Country Consultant
World Renew Kenya