Kenyan slum dwellers vow to rebuild shattered communities and restore peace

Kenyan slum dwellers whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed in recent violence are calling for international help to support their local peace initiatives and plans to rebuild the devastated communities.

Hundreds of people were murdered following the recent election and thousands more have been forced to flee to camps. The recent violence was concentrated in Kenya’s urban slums, where many houses and shops were burnt to the ground.

Although widely reported as an inter-ethnic dispute, it is poverty and politics that lie at the heart of the violence.

"The election dispute only provided an outlet for deeper societal problems," says Jane Weru, executive director of Pamoja Trust, which works with the Kenyan slum dwellers federation — Muungano wa Wanavijiji — to improve housing and infrastructure.

"High levels of poverty expose poor populations to political manipulation," she says. "As long as the majority of Kenya's urban populations live in slums, and in poverty, the values of peace and democracy will always be threatened."

Local community groups in some of Kenya's biggest slums have signed a joined statement calling for peace and reconstruction, and have embarked on local initiatives aimed at healing the divided communities who have for so long lived in close interdependence.

"The solution to the problem bedevilling us will only be found among ourselves," says the statement. "We are therefore requesting support from the government, political parties and peer leaders to make this process a success."

The statement expresses concern that during the turmoil, "we were only hearing the voices of the politicians who have to a great extent been the instigators of this violence." It calls on the media to ensure that the voices of those living in informal settlements are given more space and prominence.

The Pamoja Trust is a long-term partner of both the International Institute for Environment and Development and Homeless International, which has launched an appeal to provide slum dwellers with resources to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

Larry English, chief executive of Homeless International says: "This conflict is not ethnic, but political and economic. It is the poor and vulnerable that suffer in these situations. It is their homes and livelihoods that have been destroyed. The community-led organisations we have supported in Kenya for many years are well-organised, non-partisan and non-ethnic and have an incredible track record in improving the livelihoods and living conditions of the urban poor. It's their great work that is being undone and they need our immediate support. We intend supporting them and we appeal for you to support us."

Disbursements for house and business reconstruction can be made to the victims through existing networks – approximately £78 (US$150) per house will be given. Through providing such resources, Homeless International can enable displaced slum households to re-build their structures and leave the relief camps where most are currently situated.

Homeless International also plans to provide livelihood opportunity relief – targeted at enabling the affected people within the slums to re-start or recover their livelihood activities. Loans of approximately £39 (US$80) per house will be given and tracked through existing community savings groups.

For more information, or to make a donation to the Kenya Appeal, please visit http://www.homeless-international.org/kenyaappeal

Link to full statement by Jane Weru
http://www.homeless-international.org/client_files/doc_docs/
KenyaAppeal_PTPressStatement.pdf

Link to full statement by slum dwellers’ Coalition for Peace
http://www.homeless-international.org/client_files/doc_docs/
KenyaAppeal_CivilSocietyPressReleaseJan08.pdf

The Pamoja Trust's plan for reconstruction will be online soon at:

http://www.homeless-international.org/kenyaappeal

Pictures are available in jpeg format and can easily be emailed. Please contact Sarah Mitchell (sarahm@homeless-international.org) or Kim Mullard (kim@homeless-international.org) to obtain them.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Larry English
Chief Executive, Homeless International
Quens House
16 Queens Rd
Coventry
CV13DFTel: +44 (0) 24 7663 2802
Fax: +44 (0) 24 7663 2911
Cell: +44 (0) 79 9522 5137
Email: larry@homeless-international.org

Jane Weru
Executive Director
Pamoja Trust
PO Box 10269, 00100
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel:   +254 2 3871504
Cell:   +254 727176070
Fax: +254 2 3865752
E-Mail: landrite@pamojatrust.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

Homeless International is a UK-based charity that supports partners in Africa and Asia who are working with slum communities to reduce poverty and to improve living conditions. Homeless International was originally set up by leading figures within the UK social housing domain, and retains a longstanding support base within the sector. We believe that poor communities have a right to safe and secure housing, and that through working together to express their ideas and needs, they can play a central role in creating equitable cities. See http://www.homeless-international.org for more.

The Pamoja Trust is a non-governmental organisation that supports urban poor communities in developing solutions to inadequate housing and infrastructure. It works closely with the Kenyan slum dwellers federation – Muungano wa Wanavijiji – a network of community savings groups. Since 1999, Pamoja Trust and Muungano have together helped thousands of poor households obtain security of tenure and access to sanitation. Homeless International has supported Pamoja Trust since 2000.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is an independent, non-profit research institute. Set up in 1971 and based in London, IIED provides expertise and leadership in researching and achieving sustainable development (see: http://www.iied.org).