We were in Luhya and other communities areas yesterday. One of the places we stopped was Burnt Forest. A place where, after the elections in 2007, a group of about 40 people went inside a church thinking they would be safer there. Others barricaded the building and turned it on fire and they all died. They said to us that they don't have peace there yet. They want help. But from what we see, and probably what we know in our own lives, the wounds may not heal for a very long time. There is some fear here that the memories, still so fresh, will erupt into more violence unless the next elections in 2012 are really carefully and transparently managed.
In the area we passed through, there is a lot of poverty. Extreme. The Kikuyu are the largest population in Kenya and many of them had, over recent years, moved into the Burnt Forest areas and bought up large pieces of land. They were in territory that historically, was not where they lived, and so, when they, the Kikuyus "won" the election, even though many thought the opposition had won it, the others in this area started to attack the Kikuyus. They had land and power and influence. Many were killed. Houses were burnt. massacres happened.
That is the area we biked thought. People are welcoming, Quick to come to open air meeetings. Quick to welcome us. The local speakers in turn, are very bold with a message that peace is urgent, that violence has not worked, that all are needing to make this happen.
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