National Peace Conference Begins In Nairobi

A two day National Peace Conference on Elections begins today August 27, 2012 at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.  hundreds of delegates drawn from all the 47 Counties streamed into Nairobi yesterday ahead of the event which will this morning be opened by President Mwai Kibaki.

The event seeks to focus public attention on the need to realize a free, fair and peaceful elections due next year on March 4, if the endless court litigation over the date do not torpedo the process.

Pictorials on showing delegates registering for the even on August 27, 2012:

                                                 

 (Left) Delegates from Nyanza Region register for the conference

 (Right) The Registration Desks for Media, Security and invited guests.

These delegates exchange notes at the registration desk yesterday.Two delegates from Busia County in Western Region who were traveling to the conference perished in a early morning accident on August 27, 2012 at Kimende near Naivasha.

Report of the accident and death brought a sombre mood at the conference. 

"Pwani" Delegates register. They were keen to participate in the conference despite Mombasa Republican's (MRC) call for all residents of the Coast to ignore or boycott anything being by the Kenya government. 

                                                                                                     

Delegates from South Rift call their families back home to assure them they are safe after after reports came that some delegates -from Busia died in an early morning accident near Naivasha.

 

There was little activity at this desk but the delegates later arrived and were registered.

From far and wide, all corners of the country. The delegates from the northern part, stretching to Kenya's border with Ethiopia also arrived to be at the conference.

The delegates from the Ukamabani Region line up for the registration

Delegates wait under the tree, exchanging ideas as they waited for further information.

A section of Migori County delegates rest in a tent at Bomas after registering.

Kenya Gears for National Peace Conference on Elections

In an effort to mitigate the effects of the 2007/8 Post Election Violence that left more than 1000 people dead, more than 500,000 displaced and property worth millions of shillings destroyed, the Kenya government through the Ministry of Justice has since the beginning of this year rolled out an initiate to promote peaceful elections.

The initiative is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in partnership with other players. So far, peace forums have been organized in all the 47 counties of the country. The county peace forum were held on August 13-14, 2012 across the country. hundreds of delegated from the countries are expected to converge in Nairobi from August 26-28, 2012 for a national conference on peaceful elections.

A Section of participants during the Migori County Forum

Before the county forums, the Ministry of Justice and its partners in the process had met other stakeholders including the private sector, the media, political parties and members of parliament, among others,  to secure their buy in and support for a peaceful elections.

The government move comes against a backdrop of many other peace and conflict mitigation initiatives that have been going on since the post election period led by different stakeholders, largely within the civil society.

The country has however continued to experience challenges despite all the peace efforts. Political and ethnic rivalry ahead of the elections, lack of sufficient good will within government to address concerns raised around the post election period and in the Peace Accord that ended the violence. the envisaged reforms have not been conclusively addressed, which include constitutional and institutional reforms, historical injusticesm resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons among others.

A new constitution was voted for at a referendum and promulgated on August 2010 but resistance to its implementation is evident in a number of key government structures within the political class. Parliament and the cabinet have variously either allowed weak and faulty Bills to pass into la or changed progressive parts to pass non effective laws.

A section of delegates at the Migori Forum during group work

The cherished Devolution framework is being actively fought within the government with a cadre of those keen on retaining a centralized control systematically working to weaken the devolved government structure.

As a build up to the national peace process, each county has passed declarations of intention and commitment to promote peaceful elections and national cohesion.

Migori County passed one such declaration which we publish here under: 


                          Migori County Forum on Peaceful Elections

August 13-14, 2012

County Forum Resolutions

We, the delegates and leaders drawn from diverse sectors and all the constituencies of Migori County on behalf of all the residents of Migori County, having deliberated on the need for peaceful elections for two days from August 13-14, 2012, commit ourselves to:

·        Promote and foster a culture of peace before, during and after the elections

·        Recognize and celebrate the diversity in the county through the recognition of all the existing ethnic, racial and  other groups living in Migori County and promote a culture of tolerance 

·        Use dialogue and consultations to resolve any issues that may cause conflict among the people/residents of Migori County along ethnic, religious, colour, race, sex or on any other ground  

·        Resist attempts by individuals, groups or other divisive forces that may want to cause conflict based on  ethnicity, gender, religion, race, clan or any other ground before, during and after the forthcoming elections;

·        Mobilize and encourage all residents of Migori County to register as voters and to turn out to vote in large numbers in the forth coming general elections;

·        Mobilize resources and seek collaborations and partnerships with local, national and international organizations to conduct intensive  general civic education and more specifically, voter education to enhance citizens effective participation in public affairs and in the choice of their leaders  

·        Create Constituency peace Structures/Committees to deepen dialogue ahead of the forthcoming general elections as part of the dissemination of the outcomes of the County Forum on peace.

·         Establish Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms both at the County level and at the constituencies whose mandate should be to prevent and rapidly respond to any cases of emerging conflicts

·        Establish a Migori County “Council of Elders” as part of the conflict resolution mechanism and peace building.

·        Promote gender mainstreaming in all our public engagements and institutions and in the elective positions to progressively attain gender parity before, during and after the general elections as part of measures to build a cohesive, peaceful and prosperous county.

·        Work with the government and other players towards resolving the outstanding issues on the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the returnees, including issues of compensation and resettlement before the General Elections. 

·        Promote inclusiveness through meaningful participation and involvement of the youth,   persons with disabilities, ethnic and other minorities within the county.

Students from a secondary school in Migori perform a skit on peace during the forum

Kenya hosts Continental Science Journalists Conference

More than 100 science journalists drawn from different African countries are attending a conference in Nakuru, one of Kenya's cities, about 200 km west of Nairobi.

The conference has a rich menu of themes which deal with among others, food security, technology, climate change, environmental degradation and health.

The conference which kicked off from August 20, 2012 and runs up to 24, was officially opened by the Minister for Higher Education and Technology Prof Margaret Kamar, who emphasized the role of the media in development.

The conference is organized by Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) and in partnership with other organizations, among them, Internews, a US based media organization with an office in Kenya and other countires.

The conference includes field trips around Nakuru to interact with the communities and the local environment.

One of the conference banners

 Some of the participants during a break from the sessions.

Some of the goats bred at KARI Naivasha at a feeding trough

A journalist reaches out to one of the Sahiwal bulls at the KARI Centre in Naivasha. The bulls are modified from a bred initially in Pakistan and India. The two countries are again now importing the bred from Kenya after their own was wiped out during wars

Some of the Journalists during a field trip to Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)in Naivasha.

 Making hay while the sun shines! These workers at KARI are keen to ensure the livestock have enough to eat.

Seychelles Enduring Allure for Tourists

Located in the expansive Indian Ocean, away from the African Continental land mass and safely away from India, in what must have been a conspiracy by mother nature to isolate it, Seychelles, the archipelago of 115 islands never ceases in its allure to tourists and other visitors.

The expansive sandy beaches in Seychelles

The allure comes out in many forms, from the hard granite rocks protruding from above the greenery of remnants of what evidently was a tropical rain forest, which continues to be conserved jealously, the valleys between the rocky cliffs to the expansive sandy beaches around the islands.

The chipping birds that fly lazily over the sky line, on trees and over the ocean, often sojourning on the roofs of the buildings and the warmth and hospitality of the people add to the picture of an environment that will for along time remain a preferred destination for tourists, most of them the rich and the powerful.

Seychelles, located approximately 1,600 km east of Kenya, has an approximate population of 86,525, the smallest population of any African state and about the population of an average Kenyan constituency represented in parliament by a legislator.

The population is a melting pot of immigrant people and and cultures drawn from the African, Chinese, Indian, and European, mainly of French descent. This diversity is one of the country's strengths but has at certain time and may be in future its Achilles heels if not managed well to sustain the current harmonious co-existence.

An hotel at one of the beaches

The economy is highly dependent on tourism and fishing, two pillars that are very delicate and whose survival and capacity to thrive are dependent on a host of both internal and external factors, sometimes way beyond the ability of the government in Victoria.

But such are the survival streaks of small nations, which has seen Switzerland thrive over the centuries,often within turmoil in Europe.

Talking to various people, one finds a sense of contentment, security and solace in the two economic pillars even when the political and socio-economic environment has been less than assuring. The people believe things will improve and they will "survive". They feel secure and are quick to point out how other countries are unsafe and insecure.

"You come from Kenya?", a trader asked me the other day in the Beau Vallon area. When I replied in the affirmative, the next line was: "You people have too many thieves and every day criminals kill people, Alshabaab planting bombs.... here you can't get such a thing. We are safe!"

Children play on the sand at a beach

Along the beaches, local inhabitants ask you where you are from and you get a stare, not entirely hostile, but as if to make you feel you are in a secure environment, no muggers or other criminals likely to drive a knife into you ribs in street corners in a bid to relieve you of the contents of your wallet or take away your phne and bag.

And I agree with them. For three straight days, I and a workmate from Senegal have walked the streets and the beaches in the evening and at dusk, and I have not seen any suspicious looking characters lurking in the dark behind us. But the people here also retire home early and economic systems shut down early, around 5.30 pm or six. 

Nairobi is a 24 hour economy with many discreet businesses going on throughout the night, and with a population of more than 3 million people, they cannot afford to sleep early or sleep at all.

The other day I was resting in my hotel room in the evening and when I woke up to go to the restaurant for dinner, the hotel staff announced, stiffly, that they had closed. Could I try elsewhere. A walk down the road towards the beach and up towards the hill after the hotel did not yield any different results. I had to be contented with making some coffee in my room. Fortunately, I had had some reasonably grab at the conference lunch.

Dusk approaches at Beau Vallon Beach

Perhaps this "dry evening is a gap, an opportunity" that I am sure our enterprising Kenyan people could utilize to contribute to the tourists in the evening. May be a nyama choma (beaf roasting) joint,  beer den -even up to 11 pm would be great.

But the story of tourism here is a big issue. The other day I saw the Emirates Airline off load hundreds of passengers at the local airport. And shortly after Kenya Airways, bringing in people to enjoy their holiday in the Island.

A couple in Kenya asked me to make inquiries about which hotels offered what packages, apparently they have an appetite for coming on holiday with their children. I am actually gathering brochures and cost fliers to take to my friend and others.

The guests are many and the other day I saw Emirates Airline and Kenya Airways bring in some of the guests who drive the tourist economy.

Seychelles Journalists Trained on Human Rights and Conflict Reporting

Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has concluded a three day intensive Human Rights and Conflict Reporting media training workshop for 18 Seychelles Journalists near the northern beach resort of Beau Vallon on Mahe Island, a few kilometers from Victoria, the capital city.

Participants pose for a group photograph during the workshop

The workshop, which brought together senior journalists from different media outlets and other key media personalities from different institutions, was aimed at building the capacity of the county's journalists to effectively handle human rights and conflict reporting.      

The workshop was the last in a series of others organized by EAJA since March this year with support from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Union (EU). Other countries covered under this project include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia.

Speaking during the opening session of the workshop on Monday August 6, 2012, EAJA Regional Coordinator, Press Freedom Coordinator William Oloo said the training was aimed at building the skills of a cadre of journalists in the Eastern Africa Region with a passion for reporting human rights and conflicts.

"This project was conceived in response to the realization that the Eastern Africa Region continues to experience many serious conflicts which have in turn led to human rights violations, including on media freedom," he said. 

He said it was important for journalists to effectively play their role of information gathering and dissemination by deliberately focusing on exposing human rights violations while at the same reporting on any emerging conflicts sensitively.

Larrey Chetty

The Secretary of the Seychelles Media Commission Larrey Chetty said more local journalists needed to be exposed to new skills adding that the country faced a shortage of well trained journalists at a time when the media environment was growing.

Mamoune Sene of the IFJ Africa Office in Dakar, Senegal, said there was growing recognition on the need to continuously build the capacity of journalists to report accurately about the many challenges facing the different African countries.He said IFJ would continue supporting such training initiatives in the region.

During the three day workshop, the participants were taken through key concepts of human rights conflicts and practical ways of writing credible stories that could spur interventions from government agencies and other organizations in addressing human rights and conflicts.

Participants chat during a break from the training sessions.

The participants noted that the media in the country had not done much in the coverage of human rights due to a repressive past which had made journalists fearful of antagonizing the government and other powerful forces within the country.

The fear of media owners, which included both the government and various political parties, continued to undermine media freedom, creating a culture of self censorship among journalists, leading shallow or little coverage of many forms of violations.

During the workshop, the participants explored various forms of human rights violations and conflicts within the country including the restrictive political environment and the rivalries between political parties, concerns over land ownership and access, social and religious tensions, which though not so open, could explode in future if not managed well.

The key challenges identified included the poor management of the country's economic resources, the weak governance structures, external threats posed by pirates in the Indian Ocean increasing environmental and climate change effects that could threaten the country's lucrative fishing and tourist industries on which the country's economy was dependent.

The restrictive policy and legal media regime was seen as a threat to media freedom and a freedom of expression with some of the participants dismissing as inconsequential and non participatory some of the consultative processes that had been initiated by the government to reform media laws.

EAJA will in September organize another capacity building training workshop, this time round focusing on the safety and security of journalists.