VETAID staff in Kenya return to work, despite continuing insecurity
8 January 2008

VETAID staff in Kenya returned to work yesterday after days of uncertainty and unrest across the country following the results of the disputed elections which took place on 27 December.

The results of the presidential poll, which re-elected President Mwai Kibaki over opposition rival Raila Odinga, unleashed a wave of violence during which an estimated 486 have been killed.

There are thought to be around 250,000 people displaced, mainly in the Rift Valley Province and Western Province. Aid agencies are trying to provide these people with food and shelter but the insecurity and road blocks are making this work extremely difficult.

The main road from Mombasa, Kenya’s main port, running through Nairobi and on to Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is still closed at various places by vigilante groups.

The port of Mombasa is also closed and there is a large backlog of containers within the port as most import and export activities are disrupted. Supplies are not reaching most parts of Kenya and food shortages are occurring.

The large number of displaced people living in camps and makeshift accommodation means that sanitation is poor and there is a lack of access to safe drinking water.

Many rural families who have been displaced by the violence following the elections are unlikely to be able to return to their farms. 80% of the land in Kenya is semi-arid to arid and the lack of suitable agricultural land means that people may be forced to settle in areas where farming the land is extremely difficult.

VETAID’s Africa Regional Director, Robert Bowen, explains how VETAID plans to assist communities who have been affected by the recent unrest: “We are currently working with partner agencies, donor agencies, government and other non-governmental organisations to see how we can contribute to the resettlement programme.”

“In recent years, VETAID has developed practical expertise in sustainable dryland farming, district land use planning, communal management of natural resources and resettlement of refugees and internally displaced people through our work in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Somalia. We plan to use this expertise to improve the humanitarian situation for those affected by this crisis.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Gail Wilson at VETAID on 0131 445 6231 or gail@vetaid.org