Cooling Ethnic Animosity

The cooling cum collection center at Mwaragania

Kuresoi District in Kenya’s Rift Valley province has historically been reported as a conflict region.  Actually Kenya's tribal clashes which are usually heightened during the electioneering period have been traced to Kuresoi. Even today when there are signs of nationwide ethnic tension there is still the temptation to use the region as a litmus paper on how intensified the tension is. 

A very rich agricultural highland Kuresoi is densely inhabited by the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Kisii and Luhya who do farming. It is also noted that the Akamba and the Somali also live in the region but their numbers don’t meet those of the first three communities. 

The agriculture-rich Kuresoi

Competition for natural resources especially land is the main cause these communities have been involved in ethnic conflict dating back to early 1990’s, and resurfacing in 1997, 2002 and 2007/2008. 

But as Kenya moves to another election there is hope that this circle of violence will change if the conflict intervention mechanisms being launched in the area are anything to go by. Or as the residents of Kuresoi are quick to tell you, the change is already being witnessed.

According to Simon Kang’ara, a community leader, the region is now peaceful.  “During the last referendum for the constitution all was well,” he says adding that this is enough sign they are ready to push for sustainable peace. 

Kenya passed a new constitution in 2010 after a campaign exercise that also took ethnic dimensions hence had been predicted to cause ethnic repercussions. 

Joseph Saina another community leader says “they want to end the stereotype that Kuresoi is a conflict region. What I want the media to report now is that we want peace.”

The community has gained this confidence and hope partly because of a project that was introduced in the area by the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru (C.D.N) through its Justice and Peace Commission (C.J.P.C) in the district that aims at cementing peaceful coexistence. C.J.P.C through the Catholic Relief Services (C.R.S) and through assistance from the American government (USAID) has set up two milk collection points cum coolers whose aim is to promote dialogue in the region. 

The two projects set up at Kimkasa and Mwaragania were launched in the month of April 2012 in ceremonies that celebrated the cultural diversity of Kuresoi as a district as well as its unity strength.

Some air of brotherhood was breathed during the functions as the community members shook hands and embraced greeting each other in the languages of their neighbours from other communities; an act that was unheard of in the past.

Citing lack of communication as one of the causes of ethnic tension in Kuresoi during the launch, Mary Oyath of C.J.P.C noted that dialogue will now be enhanced when the different communities meet at the collection points.

Besides dialogue the project is aimed at promoting cohesion. During the launch at Mwaragania, Fr. James Mwangi the Mwaragania Catholic parish priest thus posed the challenge “when milk is brought here, will you know which community it is from? It becomes one.”

Another priest, Fr. James Kagunya who is the C.D.N’s procurator while at the launch in Kimkasa summed it up thus “First we need to be convinced that this is our country Kenya. Let us live with God. Peace is not the absence of war. It is the presence of God.”

The government has also demonstrated its support for the project. At Kimkasa the District Commissioner Cyrus Gitobu expressed his hope that agri-business will be boosted. The government promised to train farmers on productive dairy practices. 

A front view of the cooler cum collection center at Kimkasa

These two projects dubbed ‘People to People Peace (3P’s) Project’ are part of 9 connector projects financed by C.R.S/USAID in different conflict prone regions in the country all of which are hoped to cool ethnic animosity as the coolers will, the milk.

In a message read on his behalf by Grace Ndugu the C.R.S/Kenya Country representative P.M. Jose expressed his hope that such conflict intervention mechanisms will be emulated in other parts of the country.